“Thousands of young people in the world have ideas, even good ones, yet ..no one listens to them. That is when some decided to rebel, and youth activism was born..” Gabriella Capaldo (Teen Mag- pupil) in Recommended Reads⬇️.. and
⭐New Funder collaboration will support youthled network for change
👀Recommended Reads – Youth Activism in the face of Ignorance Gabriella Capaldo
👀Opportunities for young people/supporters
👀Free Training & Resources
Welcome to #YouthVoice News & Opportunities: your regular round-up from the world of youthvoice, participation, and influence. #YouthVoiceNews is produced by Young Voices Heard CIC as a non-profit venture, and edited by a volunteer. Join 600 practitioners and young leaders – subscribe to get this free Newsletter via LinkedIn here. (& access back issues). And Tag Us #YouthVoiceNews or @YouthVoiceHeard so we can highlight your youthvoice
NEWS
⭐NEW Funder Collaboration to support #Youth Participation Young Peoples panel will help decide grants – and one of its aims will be to support great youth voice and influence in society by building “a national movement for youth‑led connection and change”Read more here on the announcement and here on the fund of 3.4 million over 3 years.
⭐Student Loans: “Dont Freeze our Futures campaign” – National Union of Students lobby Parliament on ‘unfair’ student loans terms: “Student loans aren’t working for students, parents or grads – and the Chancellor’s made the problem worse by making grads pay back even more as a percentage of their paycheques”. The mass lobby of Parliament on March 11th, will be followed by an All Party Parlt Gp on the Future of Student Loans. NUS Petition here Treasury to consult for inquiry
Treasury Committee loans inquiry to inform Chancellor: Are you 16+? Have your say. MPs are seeking evidence on graduates’ repayment terms, including the extent to which they are reasonable and proportionate in the broader context of graduates’ marginal tax rates. Anyone over the age of 16 can contribute their experiences directly to the inquiry via online survey. Questions include whether they would take out the loan today if given the option and whether repayments are having a material impact on their financial planning. Read More and complete the survey by 14th April.
YouthVoice champion Saeed Atcha MBE – “at the table” of PMs new Civil Society Council to “to strengthen partnership between government and the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector”. Read More
⭐Youth Council UK launches LinkedIn Page to join its Facebook and Instagram pages.Follow to get regular updates but so far you will read that elections are underway from 40 candidates (16-25) to its 15 seat youth-led Executive Committee/Board for an April launch. [Its proposed that there will be an additional eight seats for ‘adult’ supporters to join the ‘board’ but young leaders will discuss who and how]. YCUK Facebook also announced that “Youth Council UK welcomes the proposed updates in the Rep of the People Bill, what they could mean for young people and orgs that support them” signalling thats its starting point will be to continue British Youth Council’s campaigns like Votesat16.
WELCOME TO ‘YOUR VOTE’ WEEK – features..
This week is the Electoral Commission’s awareness-raising / resource-packed Youth Vote Week 2026. Check out their web page for more information here Your Vote Week 2026, and see below for this week’s highlights of #youthvoice in democracy…
NEW: UK Youth [voice] Tracker Annual Research |Electoral Commission – What’s shaping yp political engagement in each of the four nations of the UK and why democratic education in school matters. Survey findings of 2,501 yp aged 11–25 & 4x focus groups: 53% say social media is most common influence, but 48% say they see fake info once a week; 78% saying they want to be taught more about the subject in school, but what is taught is inconsistent. Read the full report here.
⚡Pathway to Votes at 16: Strategy Day / March 12th / Democracy Classroom: Stakeholders from a votes at 16 network coordinated by the Politics Project have been invited to a day-long series of presentations and workshops to continue the process of working towards implementation of the legislation. Attendees inc. Govt officials from DCMS/ Education/ Democracy Team, Electoral Commission and Parlt. Ed Service. Samantha Dixon MP will be addressing the meeting. [Unlike previous events last year – this one is during term time so young leaders unable to attend – perhaps a follow up ? Ed/JC]
⚡Election Countdown 26 – to May elections for young voters: Starting next Monday, 9th March, Democracy Classroom are launching a weekly newsletter of resources to “help you support young people to engage with the elections this May”. Sign up now https://lnkd.in/e3C3xC4p. For the next 8 school weeks, you’ll get practical resources and key updates straight to your inbox, including short, ready-to-use sessions designed specifically for the May elections. You can also sign up for the Wales-specific version of hashtag#ElectionCountdown 2026 focused on the Senedd elections, and available every week in both Welsh and English. | Also check out the Politics Project (which coordinates Democracy Classroom) new one-stop Resource Hub for schools and democracy engagement practitioners/young leaders. Read more.
Votes at 16 Watch
👀Votesat16 Watchnews and views has moved to its own rolling page of updates and
✍️Youth Activism: Changemakers in the Face of Ignorance Gabriella Capaldo (middle-schooler in Belgium) writing in Teen Mag on why it matters to be heard. “Thousands of young people in the world have ideas, even good ones, yet ..no one listens to them. That is when some decided to rebel, and youth activism was born”… “Listening to young people’s opinions helps create a more social and inclusive community, encourages confidence and participation, promotes civic engagement, and supports young people who have not had the same opportunities as others. Being heard is a basic right….” Read more
✍️ ‘Young People and Participation – Making It Real’: In December 2025, a consultation 2 x day ‘retreat’ at St George’s House, Windsor brought together a selection of twenty-four CEOs, specialists and advocates within childrens/youth orgs, for two days to share their ‘struggles and wisdom’. The group, which didn’t include young leaders this time, “focused on honest, uncomfortable conversations about the current effectiveness of their organisations and how to better include young people”. The report is packed with familiar challenging topics and reflections. The main conclusion was that “collaboration across the sector offers exceptional opportunities for improvement and prevents organisations from wasting resources”. It’s worth checking out the other conclusions and in particular, the reaction of a panel of ‘young consultants’ who were invited to respond to a number of ‘provocations’ arising from the event – “If participation only works when young people are “exceptional”, it isn’t participation — it’s selection” • “If adults feel comfortable all the time, youth voice isn’t working”• “If adults control all the failure in youth participation, they probably control all the success too.”
PLUS 14-30? apply to the UN Empowerment Fund by 31st March 26 You are invited to apply with youth-led ideas that create positive community impact and contribute to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals. The YEF open call also has a special focus on supporting underrepresented young people and communities affected by socio-economic, gender, disability, climate, or other forms of exclusion. Applications are open to individuals, youth groups and youth-led organizations. 📅 Deadline: 31 March 2026, 23:59 Apply now: https://lnkd.in/erSPeBfY Read more
➡️Recommended Read/Listen : Editor’s pick from #youthvoice influencers/commentators on LinkedIn/Links to Podcasts…
⭐#iwillMovement – Seen&Heard event, one of a number taking place as part of DCMS Youth Strategy follow up – this ones is from Brighton for the Southeast – ReadMore
OPPORTUNITIES to “mobilise your youthvoice”
[Note – all opps are based on info from hosting organisations. We endeavour to include accurate age range, dates and deadlines – but for up to date info check with the organisers]
YOUTH VOICE OPPORTUNITIES
⚡Government announced social media ban consultation Deadline 26th May “We are consulting on further measures to prepare children for the future in an age of rapid technological change. This includes potential age restrictions on social media and other services such as gaming sites, AI chatbots and more..There are 3 surveys to choose from. Full consultation for anyone (civil society, industry and members of the public); parents/carers of yp aged 21 and under; & survey for c&yp (aged 10 to 21)”.
#IWill Movement Ambassadors [Recommended for individuals who are not necessarily part of youth orgs – eg single issue campaigners, volunteers 10-25 , UK] Through your social action, Ambassadors inspire other yp to join the movement, and collaborate with partners and orgs, playing a pivotal role in shaping and leading change. You are provided with exclusive opps to develop leadership skills, through the enhanced support offered by #iWill. Apply or nominate via the link below by 29th March,Apply or nominate here! You can also sign up to our Live Q&A event on 3 March at 4:30 PM to learn more/ hear from our current ambassadors: https://lnkd.in/eaxsDPiX / book here
Seen and Heard Events: Young people shaped the National Youth Strategy. Now it’s time to shape what it looks like locally. Seen & Heard events are taking place across England, creating space for young people to come together with local decision-makers to turn Youth Matters into action on the ground. These youth-led sessions are facilitated by young people involved in the #iWill Movement and are open to young people aged 21 and under (up to 25 with SEND), with accompanying adults welcome. 👉 Find an event and sign up via our Youth Matters events page: https://lnkd.in/eSKk23zP Read More
On Board Programme: Applications are now open for the OnBoard Programme, 🚨”Are you in the first ten years of your career and ready to make a difference by joining a board? If you’ve thought about becoming a board member but don’t know where to start, or you’ve recently joined a board and are still finding your feet, then the OnBoard Programme is designed for you. Read more APPLY NOW: www.eu.research.net/r/OBP6
DEADLINE: Wednesday 18th March 2026
⚡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
⭐Training: Multiple dates – Involving Young People in Services: Professor Kaz Stuart third of three training sessions around creating opportunities, supporting, and evaluating young people’s involvement 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.
March 17th – Conducting fieldwork with peer researchers
RECORDINGS/SLIDES Based on the Peer Research Toolkit 2025 released in November, we have been running a series of free seminars since January. The first three recordings, and accompanying presentation slides, have now been put on the Centre for Youth Voice. Matthew Walsham, who put together the toolkit, goes through the beginning steps of a peer research project in these first three recordings: Watch the seminars here
Peer Research Toolkit Training 1: Introduction to peer research
Peer Research Toolkit Training 2: Setup, budgets, and scope
Peer Research Training 3: Recruitment, training, and research question
The Centre for Youth Voice is funded by the National Lottery Community Fund and delivered by the Network of Regional Youth Work Units. Note: Publications/Resources are on the opening page and scroll down 🙂
NEWSLETTERS
👀DCMS Youth Team Newsletter/February 2026: Packed with news from the Youth Team about DCMS-supported initiatives and resources, and opportunities.
👀Scottish Youth Parliament –Newsletter /February 2026: Includes Report on Annual meeting with First Minister/Cabinet by SYP ‘shadow cabinet’ in takeover day! plus news of campaigns / events and forthcoming SYP elections.
👀Centre for Youth Voice – making its mark Newsletter & YP blog “We’re just getting started!” : Another excellent newsletter from the Centre4YV – with news, free training dates and resources.
RESOURCES:
⭐PODCAST: Esmee Fairburn / HUDL collective This episode highlights what’s at stake when participation is more than a “nice to have”, the realities of advocating within institutions, and how young people’s perspectives are shaping funding conversations. Watch here
⭐Hurdles to the ballot box: Why voting is not a foregone conclusion for young people”] What can we learn from research in Germany? Jan Eichhorn introduces a new report based on research of 18-29 yr-olds, with a number of practical recommendations. “Voting is often shaped not by a lack of motivation, but by unequal starting conditions and structural obstacles”. Link to the introduction and report. You will need to translate but its worth it..Read more
