Welcome to #YouthVoice News and Opportunities – a regular roundup from the world of youthvoice, participation and influence
This week: | Power of Youth Day (3rd June) “We see and hear you!” | Youth Strategy consults 20,000 yp – interim report imminent from | @DCMS Gov new Newsletter no 3| DMCS closure update.. plus lots of opportunities to ‘have your say’ / join advisory boards .. with thanks to Youth Opportunities co-authored by Molly Taylor | YouthVoice News is produced by Young Voices Heard CIC as a non-profit venture, and edited by a volunteer.
YOUTHVOICE HEARD – NEWS
⚡NEW Power of Youth Day 3rd June “Power of Youth Day, led by the #iWill Movement, is an annual celebration of youth social action across the UK. It’s a chance to shine a light on the power of young people to lead change in their communities and the organisations that support them. This years’ theme, #WeSeeYourPower, is all about recognition. Recognising young people’s skills, acknowledging their needs, and providing space for them to thrive are all key to creating meaningful impact. We’re calling on organisations to recognise and celebrate the skills, stories, and impact of the young people they work with — from everyday contributions to bold acts of leadership”
Spotlight: We See your power: The original iwillcampaign focused on increasing all sorts of volunteering opportunities, with the stimulus of multi-million pound funding (iwillfund/DCMS/Corporatematched funding), The definition of youth social action elevated and recognised campaigning as legitimate type of volunteering and since the transition to the iwillmovement (hosted by @VolunteeringMatters and @UKYouth) #youthvoice has become a dominant theme and the Power of Youth Day calls for organisations to recognition youth power success. Young Voices Heard’s unique Queen/Kings Youth Honour List 2012-2025 includes nearly 70 examples of young people recognised for the exceptional community action and youth voice impact. This is part of the Campaign4 Youth Recognition which has been calling for more nominations of young people to number of UK wide youth awards which are recognised and reported regularly by the mainstream media – Kings Honours, Pride of Britain, Diana Awards, and the lesser know British Young Citizens Award, and the iwill Ambassador Scheme. Nominate Now! Case studies and resources for Royal Honours here.
⚡NEW Youth Strategy Consults over 20,000 young people/ interim report due this month – update from DCMS Newsletter No3 June Click links for details. (Newsletters 1 and 2 are featured in previous Youth Voice News, but you can subscribe direct to DCMS by emailing youth@dcms.gov.uk ) DCMS are still welcoming ‘ideas, evidence and questions via this email. “YVH asking about their plans to invest in and support an ongoing co-produced national listen and national voice dialogue in response to the closure of the British Youth Council in March 2024. So have your say, submit your ideas and evidence asap!” Ed
- Introduction Over 20,000 young people have directly engaged and shared their hopes and priorities for the National Youth Strategy through a national survey, ‘Express Order’ digital postcards, face-to-face and online focus groups, regional roundtables, and innovative hacks. We will be publishing the interim report ‘Today’s Youth, Tomorrow’s Nation’, a culmination of this engagement and evidence, shortly. You can continue to share your ideas, evidence and questions regarding the National Youth Strategy with us via youth@dcms.gov.uk
- Dormant Assets Scheme Strategy Another DCMS allocated budget to be administered through the National Lottery. A top up of 90m takes this previously announced fund for 2024-2028, to £440m of which £132m is allocated to eight “Youth” priorities. These will be wrapped under one brand to be announced by the Naitonal Lottery Fund in due course. One of the eight priorities contains the only reference to youtvoice in the strategy – “increasing access and removing barriers to welcoming, safe spaces that support young people’s connections and community engagement, helping them to feel connected, valued and heard through activities such as youth voice, social action or volunteering”
- Youth Funding 25/26 £145m funding includes £2.4m for ‘youthvoice’ (eg UK Youth Parliament extended contract 20 March26 – beyond that will be subject to Spending Review later this month) YVH expects most of the Youthvoice funidng is allocated to iwillmovement social action projects to be administered by the iwillfund at the National Lottery
- Power of Youth Day – an annual event which is part of a programme organised by the iwillmovement and supported by Government with funding for the hosts at Vol Matters and UKYouth, and associated grants via the Nat Lottery (see Youth Funding 25/26).
Reaction: Whilst these multi-million pound sums look huge, the proportion being allocated to youthvoice and youth led (in contrast to youth services) is small, particularly around national youth voice initiatives in England. One of the contributory factors to the closure of the British Youth Council was the lack of core funding. As a charity BYC was continually obliged to bid for grants to run short-term programmes without reliability of sustainable core funding. Will the Government address this by announcing a new relationship (mutually beneficial dialogue) with the body it recognises as the UK official national youth council, by assuring core funding, without imposing restrictions on the choices/campaigns/governance arrangements that an independent youth voice platform needs to have? Hopefully the new Youth Strategy will (and must) have a policy on national youth voice and national listen going forward. James C/Ed
DCMS Closure rumours quashed by Ministers – but cuts to arms length bodies could be inevitable with “difficult decisions…” Culture secretary John Whittingdale: DCMS not at risk of abolition after Spending Review and Abolishing culture, media and sport department would be ‘madness’ – minister Reaction: These are two of several press reports of responses by the government to previously reported rumours that the department would close. However they have highlighted the wide range of responsibilities shared by ministers – and I couldnt find any reference to “Youth”. Instead I find a reference to the likelihood of cuts to the departments onward funding to arms length bodies as spending reviews ‘difficult decisions’ are about to be made. Even if the DCMS is not closed, will it be re-organised as a result? Will ‘youth’ be relocated? What about a dedicated Youth Minister brief ? If not this year, perhaps from March 2026?” Ed /JC
⚡Votes at 16 Watch – news from Jan to June can be found on the main Votesat16 Watch column on the main landing page of the http://www.YoungVoicesHeard.org.uk home page. YOUNG VOICES HEARD – CONSULTANCY, SHARING GOOD PRACTICE, SUPPORT SERVICES
RECOGNITION
⚡AWARDS OPEN – NOMINATE YOUTH VOICE! just a few days left to nominate a #youthvoice project, young leader or youthvoice champion this year : Young Voices Heard BLOG by James Cathcart – Children Young People Now Awards 20th Anniversary – open for Nominations. Blog includes info on how to nominate. | CYP Now – The CYP Now Awards reach 20th milestone. The awards opens for entries on Monday 31 March with the closing date of 5pm Closing Date: Thursday 12 June. PLUS … James Cathcart writes for CYPNow Magazine on his relationship with the awards and their young judges .Children Young People Now Awards 20th Anniversary – open for nominations! – YOUNG VOICES HEARD Campaign4 Youth Recognition
HAVE YOUR SAY
⚡DEADLINE APPROACHING – 6th June ! YOUTH VOICE CENSUS: The Youth Employment UK #youthvoice annual census is open to both young people aged 11- 30, AND employers, Govt policy people and Third Sector reps. Its one of the best annual capture of #youthvoice views by one of the most #youthvoice friendly organisations in the country. Check out previous findings on this link. The Youth Voice Census is your chance to share how you feel about school, work and life. It’s completely anonymous. Every year, thousands of people complete the survey, sharing their opinions to shape the future. Your answers will be used to help inform real-world change to make your experiences better through YEUK lobbying and the report is a great resource to all #youthvoice advocates and reps. Depending on the answers you give, the survey can take between 10 and 45 minutes to complete. You can start and stop as many times as you like, saving your progress as you go!- Have you say now. Youth Voice Census – Youth Employment UK Deadline 6th June
VoiceBox | By young people, for young people
“The international content platform by young people for young people. Create content on the topics you care about and get paid!” VoiceBox is an international youth-led content platform and social enterprise, whose mission is to amplify the voices of young people around the world. We feature a wide variety of topics and formats of content from people aged 13-25. Become a paid content creator
YOUTH VOICE – WHAT WE SAID (Feb 25 )- published in April
UK Youth Poll 2025 – John Smith Centre published a poll of 16-29 year olds in February 2025 across the UK . 63% optimistic about their personal future – Don’t believe all the doom and gloom about young people in the UK today. Most say they are still optimistic and that their lives will be better than their parents’. ; 57% prefer to live in a democracy rather than a dictatorship – However, young people think UK democracy is in trouble and their optimism is tempered by financial anxiety; 33% difference between full-time workers and those out of work in political activity. The poll reveals that young peoples’ attitudes, their sense of agency and their willingness to contribute to society diverge significantly due to their life circumstances, by where they live, and by who they are. Link summarises report, but you can download the full copy as well.
MORE RESOURCES at Young Voices Heard website..
YOUTH OPPORTUNITIES – Editors pick…
Youth Opportunities 1st June edition | LinkedIn “for young people, curated by young people” founded and Co-Authored by #youthvoice pioneer Molly Taylor check it out . Below is just a selection of its opportunities that relate to #youthvoice Advisory Board roles – but check out the full issue for lots more – and subscribe!
Exciting Update! We’re excited to announce that we’ve co-founded a new initiative with Rorey Scriven to make opportunities more accessible for all young people. Rorey is a seasoned changemaker, passionate about making social action and early career opportunities more accessible. He created a full-stack website hosting an opportunities board, which connects young people with opportunities where they are – exactly what Youth Opportunities is all about! By merging our efforts, we’re combining strengths to build something bigger and better for more young people. 🎉 Our new website is live! Explore and apply for opportunities at: www.youthopportunities.co.uk Create an account to apply securely and stay up to date.
Advisory Boards -YVH pick..
⚡Children in Scotland is inviting young people aged 8 to 22 to join its youth advisory group, Changing Our World. This group plays a vital role in shaping the organisation’s work by sharing experiences and perspectives on issues that matter to children and young people. Members participate in regular meetings—both online and in person—collaborate on projects, contribute to policy development, and engage with decision-makers. Recent initiatives have included co-chairing the annual conference, developing a paper on education and learning, and meeting with government ministers to discuss youth health concerns. This is a voluntary role with no salary, but it offers valuable experience and the opportunity to make a meaningful impact. Applications are open until 14 July 2025.
⚡Fair Education Alliance is recruiting 12 new Youth Steering Group members to help campaign for a fairer education system. Applicants must be aged 14–21 on 1st August 2025, live in England, and be passionate about reducing educational inequality. No prior experience or qualifications are needed. Priority will be given to underrepresented young people, especially those from the care system, alternative provision, or from London, the North East, or South West. Apply by midnight on 22nd June 2025 here: https://lnkd.in/darz9b-H
⚡UNESCO SDG4 Youth & Student Network 16-30? Applications are open for the 2026–2027 , a global platform for young leaders passionate about advancing quality education (SDG4). Members, aged 16–30, will contribute to education policy, advocacy, and innovation, and serve as youth representatives on the SDG4 High-Level Steering Committee. The two-year term starts in January 2026, with onboarding from October 2025. Applicants must be active in a youth or student organisation related to education and free from conflicts of interest. Deadline: 10 July 2025 (midnight Paris time) Apply here
Trustee positions
Interested in becoming a trustee? Only 3% of trustees are under the age of 30. Find under-30 friendly trustee boards through Young Trustees Movement
RESOURCES – Eds pick
Political /democratic education toolkit – free introduction/training session
⚡The Politics Project is offering free ‘youth practitioner’ training in June for our new toolkit around political and democratic education. Funded by the GLA, At the Table is a toolkit designed to spark conversations about democracy and politics in informal youth settings, with young people who may feel disconnected or disengaged from politics and democracy. It includes facilitation advice and easy-to-use short games that make discussion accessible and engaging. The activities are designed to be fun while allowing space for meaningful discussions. They support youth practitioners and young people to explore political topics, and support participants to develop confidence in expressing their views. This training will tell you everything you need to know about the toolkit, including how to use it effectively to have powerful conversations about democracy and politics. There’ll be opportunities to play some of the games, hear our facilitation advice and ask any questions! You can now RSVP to the training: ONLINE: Tuesday 3rd June, 12:20-2:30 | RSVP here or IN-PERSON: Thursday 5th June, 10:30-1:30 | RSVP here . Any questions email: fatema@thepoliticsproject.org.uk ”
⚡The Politics Project : Local Government – free introduction event Join The Politics Project for a free online event on Thursday, 12th June 2025, from 5:30 PM to 7:00 on Zoom. This session invites young people to explore a future in local government by hearing directly from sitting councillors across the political spectrum. Learn what the role involves, why youth voices are vital in local politics, and how to start your journey toward becoming a councillor.
Voting Age’, Parliamentary Research Briefing, House of Commons Feb 25 Neil Johnstone, available online. SN01747.pdf This is the latest briefing prepared for UK Parliamentarians in response to the Governments plans to introduce legislation. Includes factual information and research covering the whole of the UK and some international examples.
For YVH recommended resources go to the http://www.YoungVoiceHeard.org.uk main website / RESOURCES, or browse back issues of #YouthVoiceNews