Contribute to a National Picture of Youth Voice Practice!

Do you support young people to engage in decision-making with organisations that are addressing issues that matter to them? Does your organisation work with young people to enable them to have their voices heard and influence issues that affect their lives? Then we want to hear from you! 

We are conducting a survey to understand the opportunities young people have to make their voices heard and participate in decision-making on issues that affect their lives across the UK. This is an opportunity for your organisation to share your views on what works, what barriers you are facing, and what support you think is needed for young people’s voices to be heard.

The survey is part of the Centre’s Maximising Young People’s Voice and Power project, collaboratively funded by Paul Hamlyn Foundation, BBC Children in Need and the National Lottery Community Fund. The aim of the project is to generate better insight into the scale of youth voice practice in the UK, including understanding more about the activities that support young people to have their voices heard, and which young people are reached and engaged in this process (and conversely, which are not). 

The survey takes 10-15 minutes to complete, and asks about: 

• How you support young people to participate in decision-making 

• Which young people are involved 

• What support is available for this work in your organisation 

• What you think is needed to support and promote this work 

The survey covers work with young people up to the age of 25. 

The data collected will be anonymised, collated and presented as a publicly available interactive resource, to support practitioners, funders and young people to understand the picture of youth voice practice across the UK. Your data will contribute to a national picture of youth voice, which can act as a springboard for improving the work that we are collectively doing in this area, and support the case for better representation of young people in decision-making.   

The survey will run from 1 June – 31 July 2022. If you are an organisation who helps young people to engage in decision-making or supports them to influence others, then this survey is for you. To take part, please click here. 

We’ll publishing the results at the end of September 2022, so watch this space! If you have any questions, or want to find out more about the project please get in touch with Jo (jo.hickmandunne@youthimpact.uk). 

We’re delighted to have the support of a number of partners to deliver this survey: 
 

• Children in Wales 

• YouthLink Scotland 

• National Participation Forum 

• Ethnic Youth Support Team (EYST) Wales 

• Ubele Collective 

• We Belong 

• Council for Disabled Children 

• Coram Voice 

• Stone Wall 

• Consortium 

• Just Like Us 

• The Foyer Federation 

• Youth Employment UK 

• Voices from Care Cymru 

• Who Cares? Scotland 

• Voices of Young People in Care (VOYPIC) 

• Youth Focus North East 

• Youth focus North West 

• Youth Focus West Midlands 

• Youth Focus South West 

• Youth Work Unit Yorkshire & Humber 

• Young Leicestershire