The projects meet three commitments from the Civil Society
Strategy to encourage young people to participate in making
national policy and will include:
- A Youth Steering Group;
- A Young Inspectors Group; and
- Digital Youth engagement research
The projects will be delivered by a consortium of youth
organisations led by the British Youth Council and will run
as pilots until March 2020.
, Minister for Sport and
Civil Society Society said:
We want young people to have a central role in shaping
the future of our society.
Too often the work of government can feel distant from
their real lives, but these new projects will give young
people an extra voice, make them feel more valued, and
show them that they can make a difference and their views
can have a positive impact.
Amanda Chetwynd-Cowieson, Chair of the British Youth
Council said:
As the national youth council, we believe that young
people should be heard and have their views valued and
acted upon, and we are proud to be working with all the
partners involved to pilot new approaches to engaging
young people in the policy process.
We’re looking forward to sharing the outcomes and lessons
learned to show that not only is it possible to involve
young people in policy making, but it’s necessary and
beneficial for all.
30 young people from across England will be recruited for
the Youth Groups to be involved in policy development and
the monitoring and evaluation of national programmes.
Regional partners will be targeting those with little or no
youth voice experience and from seldom heard groups such as
young carers and children in care to take part.
The Digital Youth engagement research project will explore
how digital methods can be used to engage young people in
policy making. The project will be led by The Mix, a
charity which offers support to young people under 25,
providing support and helping the young people design a
digital tool that could be used in future to engage more
young people in how policy is made.
Notes
- A grant of £170,000 over 2019 - March 2020 has been
awarded to the British Youth Council to lead the projects,
in partnership with The Mix, Youth Focus North West, Youth
Focus: North East and Youth Work Unit.
- The announcement follows the recent Civil Society
Strategy where the government outlined plans to
engage meaningfully with young people when is is creating
policy or designing programmes which affect them.
- More information about the Youth Voice Groups Grant
Scheme can be found here.
