A lot has happened at the British Youth Council this year. From reaching 1.1 million young people in Make Your Mark, the largest youth consultation in the country, to celebrating our 70th anniversary and using this as an opportunity to engage with new Alumni networks.
We also secured funding from the People’s Postcode Lottery to follow up on the outcomes of the Youth Select Committee for the first time – this allowed a work experience action group to be formed who are creating a toolkit for young people.
We’ve also continued to strengthen our youth forums with the NHS and the Bank of England, which have Youth Voice at their core. Finally, we are approaching a milestone as the UK Youth Parliament approaches its 20th anniversary! Your commitment and support has made it possible to deliver this for so many years.
None of this could be achieved without the incredible support of our donors and continued supporters – it was you who made it happen. Investing in the British Youth Council means investing in the lives of young people and creating a world where they are empowered to inform the decisions that affect their lives. So by supporting our cause you are making space for positive social change!
From the British Youth Council Team and all those who benefit from your support, a huge THANK YOU!
At the British Youth Council, we believe young people should have a say on issues that affect them. When young people take part in our programmes and events, they gain essential skills, confidence and knowledge on how they can be heard and create change. The British Youth Council has been successfully giving young people a platform to engage with decision-makers and have a say on issues that affect them for over 70 years. Your support today will ensure we are around into the next 70 years to continue to empower young people to be inspiring change makers.
A former youth representative said: “The British Youth Council has made me a better person on the whole. Hand on heart, it has changed my life. Before, I could not communicate with other people efficiently and did not know about the magnitude of the power of my voice and what other young people can do.
“I now have the ability to publicly speak in a confident manner, including speaking at the House of Commons. It has opened so many more doors, I am now a confident leader. I highly recommend more young people to take part in Youth Voice in the British Youth Council.”
A small regular donation to the British Youth Council of £10 per month would enable even more young people to take part in our programmes, develop their skills and become agents of change. By making a regular donation, you are making an investment into a future where young people are empowered to influence and inform the decisions that affect their lives. Your support is essential in creating a world where young people take an active role in society. Thank you!
As part of Small Charities Week, we are celebrating the fantastic work of the British Youth Council made possible by our generous community of supporters, funders and partners. Thank you.
On Friday the 15th of February, I organised an own clothes day at my secondary school, Ysgol Bro Pedr. The day was a complete success, with pupils and staff alike revelling in the freedom of wearing their own clothes; and supporting a meaningful charity like the British Youth Council. This blog post is to promote this new stream of fundraising for the the British Youth Council, whilst debunking any myths or queries you may have about organising your own fundraising event.
Firstly, it is really, really, easy to organise. Simply ask your Head of Year and Headteacher about the possibility. In my case, they were both more than happy to help, and
Once the important people have agreed, you need to get the word out! Posters, leaflets and emails to registration teachers are the best way to make sure everyone is aware and ready for the big day. On the posters, make sure you say when and why, not forgetting the amount to donate. Personally, I decided to ask for £1 for every pupil taking part, less than the price of your morning coffee, a pound makes the day accessible to all – without breaking the bank!
Next up, you’ve got to let the parents know, a letter home will do and will make sure kids on the day don’t forget (my mum still always reminds me about these things!).
Now, you’re all set and can only look forward to the day. On the day, snap a few pictures of your friends posing awkwardly, this is great for your own school’s publicity on social media, as well as the British Youth Council’s. Ask registration teachers to collect the money during morning registration, then the real fun begins – counting! Fortunately, my school finance department helped me out and very generously counted it all for me. From there, the school banked
My school succeeded in raising £219 for the British Youth Council, which will now be ploughed back into vital youth services and campaigns across the UK.
My own clothes day was an absolute joy. It was so simple and quick to
If you would like to organise your own fundraising event, whether an own clothes day, sponsored walk or bake sale, please do get in touch with our Head of Fundraising, on victoria.ward@byc.org.uk or call us in the office on 0207 250 8374. We would be thrilled to hear from you.
Last week, all donations to the British Youth Council were doubled as we took part in the Big Give Christmas Challenge. We are utterly thrilled to report that because of the generous support of the British Youth Council community, we received over £4,800 in donations. Because of this wonderful support, young people across the UK like Curtis will continue to be able to find their voice and use it to create change. Thank you.
By supporting the British Youth Council, you are investing in a future where young people are empowered to influence and inform the decisions that affect their lives. Your support is essential in creating a world where young people take an active role in society. Thank you!
Your support helps make all of our work with and for young people possible and from everyone in the British Youth Council team, THANK YOU.
On Sunday, 2nd December, seven supporters, including staff members, young people and friends of the British Youth Council embraced the festive season, dressed up as Santa, and took part in the London Santa Run. Raising money for the British Youth Council, the runners were cheered on by a team of staff, friends and trustees underneath a flurry of fake snow.
Kira Lewis, who is a member of the UK Youth Parliament Procedures Group, commented; “I was proud to take part in this year’s London Santa Run, alongside some of the fantastic British Youth Council staff. The organisation has given me a platform to campaign for issues that have mattered most to me over the years I’ve been a member. I’ve really seen the difference the British Youth Council has made locally and nationally, so it’s important to me that I help give back to them through fundraising.”
The runners raised over £1,200 towards the work of the British Youth Council, which is an incredible amount. Support from events like this enables young people from across the UK to find their voice and use it for social and political change. From everyone at the British Youth Council, thank you to our runners, supporters and donors.
If you would like to make a donation to the British Youth Council or sign up to your own challenge event, please contact Victoria Ward our Head of Fundraising on Victoria.ward@byc.org.uk.
Don’t forget, to hear more about ways you can be involved in events like the Santa Run, sign up to our Friends of British Youth Council mailing list here.
Money is evolving, and so is the way we pay, how we stay financially safe and the kinds of financial services we need. We are delighted to be working in partnership with the Bank of England to get young people’s voices heard on the future of money.
The British Youth Council has secured an online session with the Deputy Governor, Ben Broadbent, to get young peoples’ questions answered on the future of money. Ben would like young people to share their thoughts and questions on the future of cash, payments and savings. He will be answering as many questions as possible at 9:15am on 6 December 2018. And the best three submitters will receive an invitation to join the culmination event with Mark Carney in January.
How you can get involved
Please go to the Bank of England Youth Forum page. When you register please include the letters BYC at the end of your display name. You should then leave the first name and surname fields blank. The Q&A will be taking place on Thursday morning so the sooner you submit your thoughts the better.
You can ask anything from questions about cashless systems, why money matters, online security when it comes to payments as well as what the Bank of England does to help the economic climate, how they educate young people about economics and how they involve young people in their plans for the future.
Register now and submit your questions and comments before 6th December!
Once again, this year the British Youth Council will be taking part in the Christmas Challenge organised by the Big Give. Between 12pm Tuesday 27th November and 12pm Tuesday 4th December, all donations to the British Youth Council will be DOUBLED. For example, if someone gives £25, we’ll receive £50, if someone gives £50, we’ll receive £100 and so on…
We are looking to raise £2,000 which will then be matched to give a grand total of £4,000!!
It would be fantastic to get you involved in the campaign so we can support even more young people across the UK have a voice on issues they care about. Whether you support with a donation or simply by sharing our campaign within your networks, your help in giving young people a voice will be gratefully received.
Please save the date and help us reach our target to continue supporting as many young people as possible! We’ll be posting updates nearer the launch date and let you know how you can double your donation!
Read more about how the British Youth Council impacts young people
This year, some amazing things have happened at the British Youth Council. From seeing the launch of an All-Party Parliamentary Group on Votes at 16 to running the Youth Voice Leadership Development Programme as well as launching the Youth Select Committee report on realising the potential of work experience. Not forgetting the incredible result of reaching over 1.1million young people across the UK during the Make Your Mark ballot! 2018 has been full of achievements at the British Youth Council, none of which would be able to take place without the support of our fantastic donors and supporters. You really did make this happen.
By supporting the British Youth Council, you are investing in a future where young people are empowered to influence and inform the decisions that affect their lives. Your support is essential in creating a world where young people take an active role in society. Thank you!
Your support helps make all of our work with and for young people possible and from everyone in the British Youth Council team, THANK YOU.
On Sunday, 15th July, four runners took part in the Virgin Sport British 10K to raise money for the British Youth Council. Braving the 30 ̊C heat and getting into the party spirit, our runners took to the challenge with high energy and enthusiasm and our cheer team made up of staff, trustees and friends were there to offer encouragement at the half-way point.
Collectively raising over £1,000 the challenge event champions smashed their targets and have made a huge contribution to the British Youth Council and young people across the UK. To the runners, donors and volunteers, THANK YOU!
Jo Hobbs, Cheif Executive of the British Youth Council commented “It is fantastic to see so much support for a charity like the British Youth Council. It goes to show that small niche charities can still engage in challenge event fundraising and that people are happy to support our vital work.”
If you would like to take part in a challenge event or would like to organise your own fundraising event, please get in touch with our Head of Fundraising, Victoria Ward on Victoria.ward@byc.org.uk
Over the past couple of years, I have been thinking about impact and wanted to take this moment in Small Charity Week to reflect on what I have learnt and what it means for the British Youth Council.
Three things I have learnt:
- ‘Measuring’ impact is hard. It’s not always recognised in conversations and work around impact but it’s essential to do so. For an organisation there is no simple answer, no magic tool or resource which if you could just find the time to implement will ensure you are consistently delivering and able to evidence the positive impact you are having on individuals and communities. You have to be open to asking challenging questions, be honest in your responses, and be prepared for a process of continuous review and learning. You have to be prepared to accept you might not be having a positive impact, or not in the ways you intend, and then review what this means. This is before you even look at what we are trying to measure, the fact impact may not be seen until years down the line, young people have a multitude of influences and experiences which impact their lives. None of this is easy.
- We should aim to improve not prove. One way to move forward and feel less overwhelmed about the task ahead is to shift thinking from attempting to prove what we do works, to ensuring the quality of our programmes and making improvements where we can. This immediately brings in some breathing space, reduces pressure and challenges the culture that sees monitoring and evaluation as a burden we endure to prove ourselves to others, allowing us to focus attention and energy on what really matters. Bethia McNeil has blogged more about this here.
- Funders aren’t the bad guys. Because of a culture of attempting to prove ourselves to funders, rather than seeking to improve the quality of our work, we have often fallen into an unhealthy cycle that sees us collecting endless data, turning it in every quarter, never looking at it again, never sure that it’s been read, blaming the funder for the whole process. I don’t think this is uncommon and there are definitely examples of poor practice on both sides – we’re still untangling the effects of one funder’s decision a few years ago to add some last minute KPIs to our contract, based on the KPIs for another (very different, much larger) programme they also fund. I have come to the conclusion that the key here is being able to demonstrate a clear plan and how you will test it, allowing you to be open and confident about what you can offer as evidence (and what you can’t). Funders have experience and expertise to share, have the same priority of creating the best opportunities for young people, and appreciate open and honest conversations. Having these conversations is the only way we can change the narrative.
Three things I am looking forward to:
One of the goals of the British Youth Council’s new three-year strategy is that ‘we will understand and showcase meaningful change’. We will be articulating a clear plan of what we aim to achieve across our programmes and testing it. We are fortunate that our CEO and Trustee leading on this area of the strategy are supportive of the approaches above, encouraging a focus on improving quality, ensuring we can continue to achieve the best results for young people. In particular, in the coming months I will be focusing on:
- Creating a theory of change for the NHS Youth Forum We have the first residential of the 2018-19 Youth Forum at the end of the month and have recently recruited two new staff members to work on this project. I have used the opportunity of new energy and ideas to go back to basics, asking what our aims are for this work, and how are we monitoring progress and improving at every opportunity. Our commissioners at NHS England have been included in these conversations and are completely supportive and involved in moving this forward so we can all communicate the impact of this project more confidently.
- Releasing a series of films about our work. In 2017, part funded by Erasmus Plus, we commissioned a film maker to follow us round for a year. He became part of our event team, capturing behind the scenes footage and personal journeys as young people made their way through a year in our Youth Voice programme. We have released some of the films, but have a range still to release throughout this (our 70th!) year to bring to life and share stories about the impact that our work has on individuals and communities.
- Talking and sharing with others. Most of my thoughts and our direction has been shaped in conversation with others across the sector, in particular the work of the Centre for Youth Impact and a recent day led by Generation Change introducing their Impact Accelerator. As a small charity navigating the world of impact, these spaces and networks are invaluable and we will keep seeking collaborations and conversations. I am happy to share what we do (and don’t do), where our challenges are, what we’re excited about and more, so get in touch.
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