Youth voice opportunities in July 2023

Devon Youth Council exists to get the voice of young people heard and to make a positive change. We’re continuing to grow and develop our youth council, and there are lots of opportunities coming up that we’d love to have you involved in!

Upcoming opportunities this month include linking up with British Youth Council and The Body Shop to campaign to lower the voting age to 16 and the chance to teach teachers about climate change.

If you’d like to get involved with any of these events, please email ukyouthparliament@devon.gov.uk. You can also sign up to the Devon Youth Council Network here.

Be an Activist – For Our Futures Sake!

The British Youth Council has been working with The Body Shop to call on the government to lower the voting age to 16 in all UK elections. They also want to introduce measures to break down the barriers that prevent civic engagement, voter registration and political education. Head to The Body Shop website for more details of how you can get involved, including signing the petition.

Let’s Get Loud Voters Hub

Research by the British Youth Council shows that young people often cite a lack of political education as a key barrier to voting. That’s why they’ve launched Let’s Get Loud, a campaign to tackle misinformation and present you with the facts.

Check out the voter hub on the British Youth Council website, which is there to offer guidance and support so that you feel prepared to participate politically.

Teach the teacher

Teach the Teacher is a student-led campaign pushing for climate education for all. It helps equip young people with the skills and knowledge to engage their teachers on climate change and the need for climate education for all. So far, they’ve trained over 100 students in 50 schools worldwide to deliver a session to their teachers. After these sessions, teachers are given resources to help them include climate in their teaching. Head to the Teach the Teacher website for more information on how it works and how to get involved.

Join an All-Party Parliamentary Group

All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) are informal cross-party groups that have no official status within Parliament. They are run by and for Members of the Commons and Lords. And on Monday 10 July the APPG for Youth Affairs are meeting. This group has conducted an inquiry into the challenges that young people face when starting their careers and is looking forward to discussing the recommendations – which they hope will empower young people.

For more information or to sign up to join this APPG, please visit the YMCA website.

Free online training

As part of UK Youth Training Week (3-7 July), UK Youth are running a series of free online training sessions on various topics. Events are taking place up to and including 7 July. You can book your place at one of these sessions via the UK Youth Eventbrite page.