Training and international consultancy

The International Team run training and consultancy in the UK with our members and young people and with partners around the world.

 The British Youth Council has been involved in international work since 1948 and is focused on:

• Global Voice: supporting young people's meaningful participation in international decision-making
• Global Action: supporting youth action in the UK and overseas, particularly through collaborative action and campaigns and intercultural dialogue
• Global Learning: supporting young people to learn more about global issues and connections, particularly through interaction with their peers

For more information on the services we can provide contact James via email at international@byc.org.uk or on +44 (0) 207 250 8375

Below is the range of training, workshops, facilitation and research that we have provide based on our experience and expertise.

National Youth Participation

• National youth participation structures research -Primary research into national youth participation structures around the world, with detailed case studies of Pakistan, Rwanda and the UK. The first study its kind, this research was developed in partnership with Plan UK and carried out with a group of young researchers.
• Bangladesh Youth Parliament -We are currently supporting the development of the first national youth parliament in Bangladesh, advising on potential structures and processes, and delivering training for the first cohort of young parliamentarians.
• South Africa Youth Council -We have written a comprehensive manual and training materials for developing local youth councils in South Africa.

 

International youth participation and global governance

• UK Young Ambassadors - The UK Young Ambassadors project gives young people in the UK a voice at international meetings and events, on decisions that affect them and on issues they care about. The long term aim is to make international representation from the UK more inclusive and effective. www.ukya.org.uk
• Meaningful Participation in International Decision-making Symposium - On behalf of the British Council and the Open Society Foundation we co-organised with Commonwealth Youth Exchange Council a global symposium bringing together over 85 young people, policy-makers, conveners, NGOs and researchers from 45 countries to discuss and make recommendations for more meaningful international youth participation. See www.youthpolicy.org/particpation for details and the Symposium report.

 

Intercultural Dialogue

• Global Changemakers Middle East & North Africa / UK - We managed this project, together with a youth steering group, to develop greater understanding between young people in the UK and ten countries in the Arab region through intercultural dialogue and shared action. Through this project we developed new and innovative approaches to online intercultural dialogue.
• Two Kingdoms - The Two Kingdoms project aimed to stimulate and support intercultural dialogue and community participation between young people in the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In partnership with Minorities of Europe we facilitated dialogue forums in Saudi Arabia and supported five collaborative youth-led projects.

 

International projects and campaigns

• Active Citizens - BYC supports the development and delivery of this project which aims to build trust and understanding and support social action locally and globally.We also lead on delivery of the Training of Trainers programme and have delivered this to 150 trainers from Africa, South Asia and Europe. The project has so far engaged over 5,000 young people in dialogue and social action in 25 countries.
• Millennium Development Goals - BYC is working with partners from the DFID/CSO Youth Working Group to advocate for young people's participation in work to combat poverty and inequality and accelerate progress towards the Millennium Development Goals.
• Votes at 16 - We are member of the expert group of the votes at 16 coalition in the UK and we have taken this campaign to Europe. We work with European partners to share practice and activities and build political support for extending franchise to 16 and 17 year olds.
• Love Europe Right - In a response to demands from members BYC developed a campaign to raise awareness of and challenge homophobia in Poland.

 

Our international training programmes:

BYC offers training and facilitation on the following areas.

Click on the course name for more details.

Course	Course length		Audience		Delivery style
Youth voice and action in Europe	2 hrs	½ day	Young people	Youth workers	Participatory workshop
Global youth action	½ day		Young people	Youth workers	Participatory workshop
Intercultural dialogue and  action	½ day		Young people		Participatory workshop
Power, participation & advocacy	½ day		Young people		Participatory workshop

 

We also develop bespoke training on demand and drawing from our pool of specialists.

• Community mobilization
• Campaigning and advocacy
• Power and participation
• Dialogue
• Ethical leadership
• Global connections and global issues
• Policy analysis and policy dialogue
• Representation
• Skills for social change

 

Policy and practice forums

BYC regularly convenes multi-stakeholder groups to bring young people together with organisations and decision-makers and to share and develop good practice. Forums and events include:

• South Asia: The Next Generation - Regional Symposium Celebrating Diversity, Youth Participation and Intercultural Dialogue in South Asia -The event aimed to create a platform for showcasing and promoting youth-led social action in the region by bringing together diverse groups of young people and supporting their engagement with key decision makers, government representatives and sector specialists.
• 'Youth Voice' - We brought together 30 young people from the UK with experience as representatives to various international forums to formulate good practice and recommendations. 
• Meaningful Participation in International Decision-making Symposium -See above
• 'This Generation' - BYC managed this British Council event that brought together 30 young people who had been involved in one of their international projects
• Intercultural Dialogue with Young People in the UK and the Middle East - BYC convened young people, organizations, researchers and funders to map and explore existing work on intercultural youth work between the Middle East and the UK.

 

Study visits and learning exchanges

We organise regular study visits in the UK for youth councils, youth organizations and youth ministries to explore issues of youth participation, representation and action in the UK. In the last year we have hosted delegations from countries including China, Pakistan, Ghana, Egypt and Nigeria.

 

Consultation and research

Through our membership and networks we have extensive reach with a diversity of young people across the UK. Working with trained young researchers we have carried out consultation and research for organiastions including the Department for Health, Commonwealth Secretariat and the European Commission.