Applications to join our Youth Council have now closed
and we’ll soon be announcing our new members
What are the benefits for our Youth Council?
Our Youth Council can amplify young people’s voices across a range of topics relating to careers education and future careers.
Whether it’s helping our charity to influence national policy, representing young people like yourself, or giving feedback to improve our programmes, there’s always a seat at the table. .
What’s in it for young people?
Raise your
public profile
Getting one-to-one training and supervision, including help with public speaking and creating blogs and vlogs.
Extend your
network
Working closely with the Speakers for Schools Research & Policy team and meeting policymakers and employers.
Build your skills
& give back
Contributing directly towards supporting social mobility in the UK while also developing individual skill sets.
There’s lots of other ways to get involved and benefit from our programmes!
Meet last year’s Youth Council
Our Youth Council is a great way to meet like-minded people from a diverse range of backgrounds from all over the UK.
Watch our short video to hear what members of last year’s dream team had to say about working with Speakers for Schools and each other!
Answers to your Frequently Asked Questions
We are looking for up to 20 young people aged 15-17 who attend UK state schools or colleges and are representative of the young people we serve. New Youth Council members will be selected with sensitivity toward gender, race, disability, and geographic area represented. We are looking for 1-2 representatives from each of the following regions: Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Southeast England, Southwest England, London, West Mid England, East Mid England, Northeast England, and Northwest England. As part of the application process, you will have the opportunity to provide evidence to support your suitability for the role. No prior experience or knowledge of Speakers for Schools and its programmes is required but it may help if you are familiar with what we do as a charity and can offer an opinion on how we might do it better! Please note that as part of the selection process, you may be invited for an interview – either online, in person, or on the phone.
The first step of the application process is to register your interest by completing the online form here. Once you complete your details and click ‘Submit’ you will gain access to a quick reference guide that includes more info on the next steps in the application process. Please note that registering your interest does not qualify as a completed application. To formally apply to become a Youth Council member, you will also need to complete and submit a more detailed online application form. Please note that as part of the selection process, you may also be invited for an interview – either online, in person, or on the phone.
The deadline for applications is at midday on the 1st of December 2023. Following this, the team at Speakers for Schools will process and review all the applications received. As part of the selection process, some applicants will be invited for interviews which will take place on the 2nd and 10th of January 2024. After all the interviews have taken place, the Speakers for Schools team will contact successful applicants from the 15th of January 2024 to confirm their appointment and provide further details on the training schedule. We expect all new Youth Council members to be in post by the 1st of February 2024.
If you are successful and are offered a role as a member on the Youth Council, you will be asked to commit to serving on the Youth Council from February 2024 until the following January. Members may serve for up to two consecutive years provided they remain within the age limits of the membership qualifications.
Youth Council members are invited to attend monthly online events and there will also be opportunities to participate in both in-person and online events and meetings throughout the course of the year.
In addition to the regular monthly online meetings, there will also be opportunities to participate in both in-person and online events and meetings throughout the course of the year. These opportunities could include but are not limited to: Roundtable discussions with employers, educators, and/or MPs. Project work, working with one of the departments within Speakers for Schools.
All new Youth Council members will be invited to attend an all-expenses-paid 2-day induction event which is expected to take the form of a residential close to our London office on Wednesday 14th and Thursday 15th of February 2024 (more details will be provided closer to the time). This event will include: A full induction into Speakers for Schools, who we are, and what we do. A full induction into the role and what you can expect from the year ahead. Training to prepare you for the role including training in: Public speaking Creating blogs and vlogs An opportunity to meet members of staff from across Speakers for Schools. Team building tasks to get to know your fellow Youth Council members. Individual supervision to discuss what you would like to gain from your experience as a Youth Council member.
Speakers for Schools will reimburse any travel and subsistence costs incurred with performing duties associated with this voluntary role. This includes all travel and subsistence costs for the 2-day residential in February 2024 and any other in-person events that Youth Council members attend on behalf of Speakers for Schools.
As Youth Council members are aged 15-17, we will require consent from your Parent/Carer for you to take part. We will seek their consent as part of the application process and further consents may be sought for images of you to appear in the press, as well as in Speakers for Schools collateral, and on its website and social media channels for promotional purposes.
Speakers for Schools is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all Youth Council members, whether that is at an in-person event or in a virtual setting. Access the full Child Protection Policy here.
Serving as a Youth Council member is a purely voluntary role and as such is unpaid. There will be opportunities for fully funded training as part of this role and Speakers for Schools will reimburse any travel and subsistence costs incurred with performing duties associated with the role. Following your appointment, you will be invited to attend an all-expenses-paid 2-day induction event which is expected to take the form of a residential close to our London office on Wednesday 14th and Thursday 15th of February 2024. Please note: If you are under the age of 16, you will need to have an adult chaperone, and if you are aged 16 or 17, you can choose whether to bring a chaperone. Speakers for Schools will pay all travel, accommodation, and catering expenses associated with this 2-day induction event for new Youth Council members and their chaperones. Arrangements for travel will be made once a place has been offered. Once your induction is completed, you will be invited to attend monthly online meetings. The dates and times of these meetings will be agreed upon as a group during the induction event. To get the most out of your role, we would advise you to try to attend every scheduled Youth Council meeting. However, if for whatever reason you are unable to attend an upcoming meeting, where possible please let us know in advance so that we can advise the other members. In addition to the regular monthly online meetings, there will also be opportunities to participate in both in-person and online events and meetings throughout the course of the year. These opportunities could include but are not limited to: Roundtable discussions with employers, educators, and/or MPs. Project work, working with one of the departments within Speakers for Schools.
