Youth development is centered on developing the capacity of the individual youth. Youth empowerment is focused on creating greater community change that, in its methods, relies on the development of individual capacity. Therefore organizations operating with a youth development framework are not addressing social inequities, but rather developing the individual within an unjust society and not changing the source of the problem.
While various researchers have demonstrated that the theory is sound, there is little record of the implementation, effectiveness, and accountability of youth empowerment. Some researchers say the reason for this lack of evidence is simple: It is difficult to implement a theory, one with an intrinsic challenge to include the voice, ideas, and experiences of young people at the tables where important decisions are made. A further difficulty: youth empowerment implementation requires young people to be involved not only in the day-to-day programming decisions but also in organizational governance. It is only through this immersion that communities will be able to promote the development of all youth and adults.