Welcome to #YouthVoice News and Opportunities – a regular roundup from the world of youthvoice, participation, and influence. This week: National recognition for Stockport’s L!sten initiative |new Youth Council UK fees reduced/latest | Media spokespeople needed | New Votes@16 recommendations |NI Youth Assembly update | plus the usual Opportunities for young people and supporters | & Resources| YouthVoice News is produced by Young Voices Heard CIC as a non-profit venture, and edited by a volunteer.
YOUTH VOICE HEARD – NEWS
⚡Recognition: Stockport L!sten youthled group wins national British Citizen Youth Award.
L!sten, the ‘youthvoice’ group for Stockport, consisting of around 20 core members aged 13-18, from a variety of different backgrounds, cultures and neighbourhoods, was presented with the Dame Mary Perkins British Citizen YOUTH ‘Group’ Award at the House of Lords, for making an exceptional impact on their community. Started in 2023, and supported by a collaboration of Stockport Council and local charity PIE, the group conducts regular surveys to gather, share, and amplify youth voice. L!sten engage directly with decision makers at Stockport Council and beyond, ensuring young people’s voices are heard with local leaders recognising their contribution and taking on board their recommendations. The group also runs annual events for local young people. This includes activities that support mental health, build confidence, and creativity. Accessing funding to run these events for free removes barriers for those who might otherwise be excluded. These events are entirely youth-led and committed to improving the well-being of the youth community. The group also organise the annual Stockport Youth Summit, bringing together 250 young people from schools across the borough, alongside local councillors, community leaders, and service providers. Young people attending have the chance to discuss key issues, propose solutions, and hold decision makers to account.
I’m been privileged to be an Ambassador for the British Citizen Youth Awards, (the Peoples Honours) for eigh years, and last week had the honour of presenting five of the 22 individual awards (Blog to follow) to exceptional children and young people under 18 for their efforts in fundraising, awareness raising and social action in truly inspiring ways (check out the website and NOMINIATE for next year. The prestigious lunch ceremony on the Lord’s terrace marquee was hosted by Baroness Bennett, with celebrity presenter Tim Vincent introducing and interviewing the medalists. I will write a longer blog with details on how to nominate for next year. James C/Ed
⚡Youth Council UK, new subscription and criteria update!
Two weeks after issuing a call to youth organisations to sign up to the National Youth Agency’s revived British Youth Council (BYC) “reimaged” Youth Council UK, NYA has updated its annual subscriptions to be more in line with BYC’s original membership fees. The initial joining fee of £50 remains, but the annual membership subscription has been reduced from the initial invitation circulated in an email to youth groups. It had originally been set at three tier levels of £250, £500, and £2000, depending on the financial turnover of the organisation. The NYA YCUK information page now has an ‘Important Update’ this week to show these are now £100, £500, and £1000, and will now be based on the number of young people reached. The age range of ‘young people’ is yet to be confirmed, but BYC’s was previously up to and including 25. Together with the joining fee of £50, the lowest cost of joining for the first year will be £150. This compares to BYC fees, which previously started at £75 rising to £1245. The update statement goes on to say “No organisation should be paying significantly more than under previous fee structures; in fact, most organisations will pay less based on our compare and contrast analysis of previous BYC fees.”
The NYA YCUK website goes on to describe the types of organisations that would fit into each category of membership, which is open to a wide range of organisations (both #youthvoice orgs and ‘for youth’ organisations looking to engage young people in their policy development). They will be able to nominate (age range to be confirmed) to a new Executive Committee, which will meet monthly. It’s not clear whether this will also be the charity’s new Board, but more information about this is promised in November, including the age and how candidates will be nominated and elected. Previously, any young person aged 16-25 could either stand for election by the council’s young voting delegates aged 16-25, or apply directly to the young board to bring its numbers up to 13. There were no older representatives from non-youthvoice organisations.
NYA has promised YCUK will continue the heritage, mission, and values of the British Youth Council. These haven’t been posted on NYA YCUK yet, but you read them in this briefing which is an extract from the BYC’ last published Annual Review and the BYC Constitution:
Link / Click – BYC’s Vision, Mission, and Values, and Powers .
You can find all the source documents, including the BYC 2023/24 policy/campaigns manifesto. BYC Rule Book, Code of Conduct and Youth Select Committee Reports here – YVH/Resources/BYC archive.
Latest: Youth Voice News has submitted 12 questions to ycuk@nya.org.uk to clarify details of how the new YCUK will work and to call for some communications / messaging direct to young people about how they can get involved in their youth council. Whether you are a young person or a supporter and have any questions, you can email the Implementation Team directly ycuk@nya.org.uk .
⚡Young people want to be enfranchised as young people and not as adults – Dr Andy Mycock
In a webinar, live streamed from the University of Leeds, last week, Andy explored the background and issues around Votes at 16 before sharing a number of recommendations from a forthcoming report that will be submitted to the Government team responsible for introducing legislation (date yet to be announced). His presentation was thorough, nuanced, and very welcome, with both thought-provoking observations and recommendations. Based on many years of academic research and dialogue with stakeholders and young people, he puts the current developments into the context of a wider debate that needs to be had around the engagement of young people in democracy. It’s a must-read. See the full Slides here on the YVH Resources/Votesat16Watch page, where you can find other recent materials. We shall add the report when available.
⚡Votes@16Watch: Coming Up, Free Webinar on Youth Work and Votes at 16
2oth Nov 12.00- 1.00 – Online/Event link: Supporting Young People To Vote: Event/Webinar, by Carole Pugh, Designed with policymakers in mind [though stakeholders of all ages will benefit too, Ed] this webinar will explore:
✨ How youth work equips young people for political citizenship
✨ The role it could it play in engaging disadvantaged groups of young people
✨ The barriers and policies that limit youth work’s capacity to support political socialisation
✨ How can we maximise youth work’s capacity to ensure that 16-17 year-olds are adequately supported to vote
⚡Northern Ireland Youth Assembly – Newsletter October
IN this months newsletter read about the work of elected young people working in partnership with Assembly members on a range of consultations on policy and legislation. As the 2023–2025 mandate draws to a close, the NI Youth Assembly Members remain as busy as ever, pushing forward initiatives and making a lasting impact. Getting their Youth Voice Heard and acted upon! #Youth&Policing, #OnlineSafety, Dilapidation Bill, and the future of School Qualifications (A levels GCSEs …)
NEW members take up their seats: Event welcomes 90 new voices to Northern Ireland Youth Assembly and bids farewell to outgoing members This press release includes background info on the work of the Assembly – its Who, Why and What !.. a great case study of #youthvoice “shaping our future”
⚡ UK Youth Parliament: 300 to the House of Commons
Best wishes to all the young members of the Youth Parliament making their way to the House of Commons (it’s the 5th of November – can we expect fireworks ?) for another debate. The National Youth Agency, who manage the initiative this year, posted “300 MYPs, representing 6.2. million young people [will be] debating in the chamber of the Houses of Parliament.” There is no vote this time, but it’s expected they will be debateng five issues chosen by the UKYP Programme Committee – housing, health, employment, crime and sustainability Tune in to watch the debate live on https://lnkd.in/g_S8AVw
We hope to post an update next week when the official press release is issued.
MOBILISE YOUR YOUTH VOICE: Opps for YP & Supporters
⚡ Call for young media spokespeople – young leaders, campaigners, or just want to have a say… aged 16+
The Intergenerational Foundation believes that intergenerationally fair policymaking will only be achieved once young people’s experiences and perspectives are fully included in the national debate. “We are often contacted by journalists who ask us to put forward a young person to share their opinion on issues that affect them. Topics can range from housing, university, pensions, taxation, climate change, government spending, or mental health. IF is in need of more spokespeople to respond to these kinds of media requests. You do not need to be an expert on any topic to get involved. What’s important is that you share your own experience and opinions, and that you’re passionate about standing up for the living standards and opportunities of younger people. Previous IF spokespeople have found the experience highly rewarding, with it boosting their confidence, communication skills, and CVs.” If you are aged between 16 and 40, [is the definition of ‘young’ getting older and older these days? Ed] and think you might want to get involved, or know someone who might, please email tobias.whelton@if.org.uk for a confidential chat.
YOUTH VOICE OPPORTUNITIES
Our pick #youthvoice opportunities. For a broader range of early career/skill-building opportunities, go to our friends’ website, Youth Opportunities | Early Career and Skill Building roles in the UK
♦ Future Leaders Network: international delegates aged 18-30 UK Closing Date 28th November – Click to Youth Opportunities FLN for full details
♦ My Life My Say: Join the Squad – #youthvoice and social action programme / age 18-30 / by 16th November – Click to Youth Opportunities MLMS for full details
♦ Student Minds – Advisory Committee, paid roles / age 18-30 / by 16th November – Click through to Youth Opportunities SM for full details.
♦ St James’s Young Changemakers Programme – Advisory Group/ paid role/age 22-30 / by 24th November – Click through to Youth Opportunities SJ for full details.
♦ Children In Need Advisory Committees – North W, North E, Central. Age 18-30 / by 18th November – Click through to Youth Opportunities CiN for full details.
Youth Leads (Gtr Manchester) – Advisory Board, Age 14-25 / by 30th November. Click Youth Opportunities YL for full details.
If you have a #youthvoice opportunity coming up, drop us a line info@youngvoicesheard.org.uk
⚡School students/youth reps/young curriculum campaigners / Youth Select Committee (UKYP) Call for Evidence: The UKYP Youth Select Committee is conducting a UK-wide inquiry into Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) Education in secondary schools. Calling all students, (and educators, PSHE experts and youth organisations) from across the UK, have your say now and get in touch to submit evidence. Your written evidence will be heard in Parliament. Previous committees have subsequently called witnesses to give evidence in person and produced a report with recommendations, to which the Government has produced a written response. Deadline: 5 pm, 13 November 2025 Submit to: youthselectcommittee@parliament.uk Full details: https://lnkd.in/enX4_6_t
- Is PSHE is taught consistently across schools and nations
- How are teachers supported in delivering sensitive topics
- What is the impact of knowledge gaps on adult outcomes
- How can political education be embedded to support democratic participation
- What recommendations would you make to address these issues?
- Read the full terms of reference. (pdf, 53KB)
⚡Youth Council UK – coming soon (Nov-Jan), opportunities to mobilise your #youthvoice to the new national Youth Council as an elected representative on the Management Committee Board or as delegate members to the Youth Council itself, (age 16-25 to be confirmed). The Youth Council is a revival of the British Youth Council which aimed to get youthvoice heard on issues young people care about and acted upon. If you are a member of youth organisation – ask now about whether they are a members, and if you are not in a youth organisation you might like to think about joining one.
⚡Trustee positions – Interested in becoming a trustee? Only 3% of trustees are under the age of 30. Find under-30-friendly trustee boards through the Young Trustees Movement
SUPPORTERS OPPORTUNITIES
⚡13th November Laura Lundy Network Group event – Edinburgh “The Lundy Model Network (LinkedIn Group) are delighted to share our fourth in person gathering on 13th November 2025 at Edinburgh Training and Conference Venue 16 St Mary’s Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1SU 🎉 The event is open to organisations with experience of applying the Lundy Model of Participation across teams/ divisions/ departments, and who are able to evidence impact and share resources and expertise. With an opening address from Prof. Laura Lundy and other speakers to be confirmed. Workshops for the day include: Language of participation – Active listening – Vehicles for participation and youth advisory boards – Youth Justice and professional bias. Spaces are limited, so we ask organisations to limit 2 delegates per organisation; there will be 100 delegates in total. There is a charge of £50 to cover the cost of venue, refreshments, and lunch, info on the booking page. Register here. https://lnkd.in/ermadHgy
⚡Centre for Youth Voice – Free Training & Events
November 10th – Youth Voice Co-Assessment Tool: An opportunity to learn and help develop our new tool to assess youth voice ahead of the launch in the New Year.
November 13th – Lundy Model Network Gathering: The event is open to organisations with experience of applying the Lundy Model of Participation across teams/ divisions/ departments, and who are able to evidence impact and share resources.
November 25th – Community of Practice: Evaluating Peer Research with Young People: We’re bringing organisations together to look at how we collectively evaluate the impact of peer research.
December 3rd – Authoring Our Own Stories Roundtable: Peer researchers working with Yorks & Humber Youth Work Unit, Youth Focus North West, Youth Focus South West and Partnership for Young London, come together to share key findings and common links across their research projects on a range of themes related to civic identity.
December 9th – Peer Research Toolkit Launch: Join us for the launch of our new Peer Research Toolkit, for organisations looking to involve young people in research.
February 24th – Community of Practice: Evidencing Impact and Change of Youth Voice: We’re bringing organisations together to look at how we collectively evidence the impact of youth voice.
Multiple dates – Involving Young People in Services: Professor Kaz Stuart is delivering three training sessions around creating opportunities, supporting, and evaluating young people’s involvement in services.
- January 13th – Creating High Quality Opportunities for Young People to be Involved in Services
- February 10th – Supporting Young People to be Involved in Services
- March 10th – Evaluating Young People’s Involvement in Services
Multiple dates – Peer Research Toolkit Training: Based on the toolkit, we are delivering 90-minute training sessions on different aspects of the peer research approach, with presentations and Q&As.
- January 20th – Introduction to peer research
- January 27th – Setup, recruitment, budgets of peer research
- February 3rd – Co-designing research aims and questions
- February 17th – Participatory research methods
- March 3rd – Ethics, safeguarding, and data protection
- March 17th – Conducting fieldwork with peer researchers
- April 14th – Involving young people in analysis
- April 28th – Impact and embedding participation
⚡Young: Leaders/Reps/Campaigners
BYC to Youth Council UK – will be recruiting a new Management Committee/Board and delegates to the Youth Council.
Although we expect (and hope) that the priority purpose of the revived youth council will still be the voice of young people across the UK, the first round of recruitment targets benefits to organisations supporting youthvoice. Benefits will include: Opportunities to join national forums, working groups, and for your young people to participate in national campaigns; Preferential rates for leadership, governance and safeguarding training; Early access to exclusive resources, and research and policy briefings; Full voting rights, participation in policy consultations, and eligibility for leadership roles; Use of the YCUK Founder Member Mark and profile-raising opportunities.
Youth organisations invited to apply are: national or local youth organisation; youth wings of political parties; any committee, network or body where young people have decision-making or policy-making power; youth participation bodies aligned with government at any level; for example, a youth council, youth parliament or youth forum; youth support bodies or corporates; for example, a youth work unit, an organisation with an interest in youth or youth work, or a ‘for youth’ organisation – but do not have a group of young people setting your policies. They will be following this up with more info on how these founder members can nominate ‘young’ representatives/candidates to its first ‘Board’.
Organisations must pay a one-off joining fee of £50, but will need to pay annually between £100 – £1500 a year from April 26, depending on the membership/reach of the organisation. Full Details here: New Youth Council UK opens membership – National Youth Agency, and includes Q&A and an email for further information. Elections to the Management Exec/Board are scheduled for January.
RESOURCES:
⚡Insight – “Young People are Ready to Lead, but they need our support” survey findings & insights report
“At Big Change, we’ve always believed in the power of young people to reimagine the future. And so, we conducted some research to better understand how they feel about stepping up to the immense challenges they face. After surveying more than 1,300 young people aged 16-28 in the UK in a YouGov survey, we received some encouraging insights. The exciting news is that young people want to create change in their communities and beyond. Young people are ready to lead the way and help solve some of the world’s greatest challenges – but they need our support. Young people are ready to lead, but they need our support | Virgin
⚡Toolkit – Democratic engagement/The Politics Project
The Politics Project, which promotes the democratic engagement of young people, have produced a new resource – At The Table toolkit. Part of the London Voter Registration Week the toolkit has many transferable tools and tips that could be used throughout the UK. Specifically developed for youth practitioners and young people, At The Table is a toolkit for starting conversations about democracy in informal youth settings with young people who feel less connected to democratic processes. It’s full of easy-to-use games, designed to be fun while allowing space for meaningful discussions.
⚡Funding – #iwillfund (£20m) includes focus on #youthvoice
Young people set to create change on their own terms as £20m #iwill Fund returns | The National Lottery Community Fund – Projects can range from volunteering and mentoring to campaigning and leading community initiatives, with matching grants available from £30,000 to £5 million.(application deadline 19th Nov),
The #iwillfund has traditionally supported youth social action projects, which in recent years the #iwillmovement has increasingly emphasised should be youthled – “#iwill puts young voices front and centre – giving them the power to influence decisions, shape local services, and lead change both in their neighbourhoods and on a national scale. A new grant round was announced last week, and whilst unfortunately will requires matched funding ruling out many who wont be able to identify other sources before the deadline – “is especially focused on projects that bring new voices into the social action space – particularly those engaging young people for the first time, led and shaped by young people themselves, and actively challenging negative stereotypes about young people.” Ed
⚡Evaluation – of UK Youth Parliament 23-25 When DCMS issued a two-year contract to the British Youth Council in 2023, it also commissioned an evaluation of the programme from IFF Research. During this time, BYC closed, and the contract was won by the National Youth Agency for a reduced version in 24/25. (It’s been extended until 25/26 ). The report and recommendations, published this week, make for interesting reading although its sample size was relatively low and self-selecting – 54 (18%) in Year 1, and 91 (30%) in Year 2 out of circa 300 members. (not all of the 395 seats are taken up by local authorities across the UK).
⚡Views – Youth Voice Annual Census 2025: results The voices of over 8,000 young people (aged 11-30 / UK, surveyed between Mar-June, + 11 focus groups with 72 young people) tell us how they feel about where they live, work, and study. (Youth Employment UK has conducted this census every year since 2018. Click Here for full Report. Key Findings in YouthVoiceNews 17th Sept Crime and violence is now the number one national issue (43%), overtaking leadership (22%) and the economy (38%). Locally, crime (37%) and safety (25%) are also the most common worries.
⚡Views – Youth Voice Poll /Research: Views of 16 and 17-year-olds/ More In Common Aug 25 on Votes at 16 | Voting Intentions | Mental Health and WellBeing | Legacy of Lockdown | School | Vaping Smoking Drinking | Screentime, Social Media | Online Safety |AI | Feminism and Gender Equality | Pride and Patriotism | Monarchy | Climate Change | Boats crossing the Channel |…. and how their priorities diverge on the Big Issues compared with the wider public.Read the full report click : Source and Full Research results and tables: Sunday Times 16-17s Sample 1,000 / GB (Eng/Scot/Wales) 15-20th August 2025
For other YVH recommended resources, go to the www.YoungVoiceHeard.org.uk main website / RESOURCES, or click #YouthVoiceNews – Recommending Reads and Resources for a summary of what’s on the website.