Welcome to #YouthVoice News and Opportunities – a regular roundup from the world of youthvoice, participation, and influence. This week:
- ⭐Youth Council UK – Invitation to pre-launch Event 24/1
- ⭐Social Media ban – Govt to consult young people, Youthvoice speaks out #FlipGen
- ⭐Youth Voice Heard – Profile&Platform feature: Maurizio Cuttin on Erasmus+ success
- 👀LinkedIn: Recommended Reads – Quinn Stanger, Millicent Wenlock
- 👀Opportunities for young people – YCUK Committee/Board, KidsinMuseums
- 👀Opportunities for supporters – Exploring Elections, Politics Project
- 👀Centre4YouthVoice – free Training & Resources
- 🎁Resources
#YouthVoiceNews is produced by Young Voices Heard CIC as a non-profit venture, and edited by a volunteer. Join 590 who subscribe to get this Newsletter via LinkedIn and access to back issues, for free here.
NEWS
⚡INVITATION: Youth Council UK prelaunch event. Sat 24th 12.00-1.30, Book asap. “This pre-launch marks an important milestone in the continued development of the YCUK, bringing together young people, partners, and sector leaders to build momentum, share learning, and shape the next phase of the Youth Council UK. It is an opportunity to celebrate progress to date, spotlight young people’s voices and hear from attendees! General information about the Youth Council UK https://lnkd.in/etYqT7AK | Details of the YCUK Pre-Launch Event https://lnkd.in/e3xTSuF3 |Zoom link to register your attendance: https://lnkd.in/eXyVxswd *To find out if your organisation is a member, contact ycuk@nya.org.uk
Government to consult young people on social media ban. Amid growing calls for an outright ban, and a polarising of views on what is a complex issue, the Government has announced (Dept Education and Dept DSIT) that they “will seek views from parents, young people and civil society – with the first events in a nationwide tour to be held in the days ahead”. There are no details on how and when, but the Govt will respond “in the summer”. We assume ‘young people’ will include children under 16 who are directly affected, and the process will hopefully offer a range of methods (not just a ‘tour’) such as the co-produced youth consultation on the DCMS Youth Strategy. Read more for details/terms of reference.
Proposed social media band for under 16’s – Young Voices Heard.. Here is what FlippGen, a youth-led digital wellbeing movement, have to say about it. FlippGen’s Statement of Position on a social media ban for under-16’s in the UK . FlipGen’s mission is to empower Gen-Z and Gen-A to build healthier relationships with the digital world through peer-led education, youth-driven campaigns, and a connected community. Also Rec Read FlipGen’s founder Paul Jones post on the Vote coming up in the Lords next week.
Youth Voice Heard Profile and Platform: Erasmus+ , Maurizio Cuttin. Continuing YVN new series of providing a platforms for young leaders, Maurizio Cuttin, UK Young Ambassador to Europe (British Youth Council/NYA) reflects on the role of #youthvoice, #equalvoice, and #collaboration in achieving the successful restoration of the Erasmus + programme to the UK. Read more here.
⚡ Recommended Reads – on LinkedIn , and Youth&Policy
Editors pick from #youthvoice influencers/commentators on LinkedIn. Check out the comments too!
⭐Millicent Wenlock on “the problem with being the youngest in the room…” Read the post here
⭐Quinn Stanger, Head of Youth Work & Programmes, NE Youth, on how we move youth voice beyond consultation and into real influence on systems, policy and funding decisions? Read the post here, and link to his published article here Youth and Policy “With renewed attention on youth participation following the publication of Youth Matters, the article argues that the real test lies in implementation, governance and accountability.
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
⚡Participation People – Recruiting for a Hackathon/engagement of “Black young women and Black Queer young men aged 13–25 to co-create what mental health really means for their communities.”
have your say DEADLINE TODAY 20/Jan – 3.00 p.m. Read more here and send an Expression of interest
⚡Kids in Museums remote volunteering opp for ages 16-25 🚨”We’re looking for six young people who are passionate about heritage and culture to join the Kids in Museums Youth Panel. We especially want to hear from• Young people from global majority and working-class backgrounds • D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent young people • Anyone based in Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales Deadline: 5pm, Friday 13 February” Find out more and apply: https://lnkd.in/eJjmnHty
⚡Youth Council UK – Executive Committee/Board and electorate. 150 founder members have been sent election packs on how to nominate, and then elect young people to the National Youth Agency hosted national youth council (replacement for the British Youth Council. Information about the size of the committee, the electorate, the deadline and age range have not yet been made public on the website but the previous youth council’s age started at 16. If interested, then ask your youth organisation if they are members and how they will be selecting nominations and voting delegates as soon as possible. For more info or to find out if your organisation is a member, contact ycuk@nya.org.uk
⚡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
If you have a #youthvoice opportunity coming up, drop us a line info@y oungvoicesheard.org.uk
SUPPORTERS OPPORTUNITIES
⚡The Politics Project – Exploring Elections: helps you support young people to engage confidently with upcoming elections in England. We’ll cover practical ways to start conversations about voting, how to discuss issues important to your area, and guide young people through registering to vote. With local elections taking place across the country in May 2026, this training is ideal for youth practitioners preparing first-time voters for the elections ahead. We are running this training twice for youth practitioners, all online. Please sign up to the session most convenient to you: Youth Practitioners: Wednesday 25th Feb, 1.00 -2:30 pm, sign up here |Tuesday 10th March, 11-12:30, sign up here
⚡Centre for Youth Voice: Free Training and Events timetable
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
- 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
RESOURCES:
⚡ Resource/ Training – Gamifying Democracy, The Politics Project
“This training is ideal for youth practitioners and teachers looking for meaningful, practical, and enjoyable ways to bring politics to life with young people. In this training, we’ll share games and activities you can use in youth settings to start conversations about politics and democracy. Designed for group settings in informal spaces, youth clubs, and classrooms, these games help young people explore their power, voice and their ideas for change. The easy-to-use games we’ll share in the training are specifically designed to support young people to explore their power and agency, their ideas and opinions about local, national and global topics, and their emotions towards politics and politicians. We are running this training three times, all online. Please sign up to the session most convenient to you:
For other YVH recommended resources, go to the www.YoungVoiceHeard.org.uk main website / RESOURCES.