MEANINGFUL LEARNER VOICE

Youth Leads UK supports schools and colleges in building effective youth voice strategies. Young people are 20% of our population and 100% of our futures, yet they’re often disregarded in decision-making practices. The average age of a world leader is 62, and 37% of all world parliaments do not have a single MP under the age of 30.

Young people have the right to be involved in decisions that affect them (UN) – Youth Leads UK advocates this by breaking down the barriers in the way of participation. We work with schools and colleges to set facilitate conversations, set the foundations and strengthen the trust between learners and school decision-makers.

Using our unique experiences of being a youth-led organisation, we inspire young people to act, amplify their voices and support them to articulate their views to cultivate meaningful action.

Headlines from our recent partnership with the Djanogly Multi Academy Trust:

• 3 workshops to identify individual values and an introduction to social action.

• Learners established a year-long project to showcase positive youth stories and celebrate the diversity of Nottingham.

• Learners and staff created a strategy to foster an environment of inclusion, tolerance and respect.

“We wanted to partner with Youth Leads UK to give our scholars the opportunity to work with a positive and aspirational organisation. The story of Youth Leads UK’s CEO proved inspirational for our young people. They applied his social action process in their year-long school leadership programme, creating a newspaper, hosting events and working with leaders to further our values.”

–  Andy Smith, Principal, Djanogly City Academy

LEADERSHIP SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

We work with schools and colleges to create a bespoke leadership skills development programme. Typically, this includes weekly sessions led by our Youth Engagement Team and will culminate in a school/college special edition of Xplode Magazine, recognition via a graduation ceremony, and a portfolio of work to take to college, university and job interviews. Our social action and youth voice curriculum is based on over 10 years of experience. To improve careers information, advice and guidance, we deploy industry insight sessions where our corporate partners deliver workshops in schools in areas including, but not limited to, journalism, digital marketing and government relations.

Our programmes are designed to support learners in developing the skills they need for life to become independent and contributory citizens. Young people care about the world around them and want to make a difference – social action is in Youth Leads UK’s DNA and at the heart of all our programmes. Learners should reflect a school’s core values and ethos. Our programmes give learners meaningful and enriching opportunities to connect with the local community, improve staff-student relationships and boost their employability prospects.

Headlines from our recent partnership with Manchester Communication Academy:

• 12 sessions to a group of 13 year 10 students.

• Manchester Communication Academy edition of Xplode magazine comprised of 13 articles, 3 interviews and 1 photoshoot.

• 100% of participants felt more confident in their next steps: applying to college, creating a CV and undertaking a job interview.

“How often do teenagers from Manchester get chosen for the cover of a magazine? How often do we make decisions about editing or the autonomy to put a magazine together? I wouldn’t have thought someone like me would be picked for something like this. It felt like magic. I feel so much better about myself, and it’s given me confidence in who I am.”

–  Programme participant, Manchester Communication Academy