Young Advocates for Youth Justice
The Young Advocates project is a youth-led project delivered by the Alliance for Youth Justice and Leaders Unlocked, with the generous support of BBC Children in Need.
The project is led by children and young people between the ages of 14–20 who have lived experience of the youth justice system, and who want to be part of a movement to drive positive change in youth justice around issues that are important to them. The project supports the Young Advocates to play a leadership role and represent children and young people across the country. The Young Advocates project aims to:
Enable children and young people to use their unique expertise to inform changes in policy, service design and practice
Supporting personal and professional development including leadership, facilitation, research and public speaking skills, taking part in shadowing or mentoring, and gaining AQA qualifications
Take a peer-led approach to gather and represent the views of children and young people with similar experiences
Produce youth-centred reports capturing the views of children and young people on different themes relating to youth justice
Present insights and recommendations to decision-makers and professionals working within the youth justice system
Act as a sounding board to inform the work of the Alliance for Youth Justice
The term ‘Young Advocate’ is intended to encourage embodiment of an advocacy role beyond the group’s meetings, within each young participant’s community and wider society.
From the start, the project has been driven by the Young Advocates, enabling them to lead the research, gather the findings and put forward solutions to the issues they identify. This focus on coproduction has been aided through the ongoing support at meetings from the Young Adult Advisors on Criminal Justice who also have experiences of the justice system and took part in a similar project with Leaders Unlocked.
We were delighted to recruit a core group of Young Advocates over the Summer of 2020, despite the challenges posed by COVID-19. The young people involved represent diverse backgrounds and experience, and are from different parts of the country. We will provide regular updates on their work, so please keep an eye out for more details on how the project develops and ways to get involved.
Interested in becoming a Young Advocate?
Our Application Guide contains further information about what the role involves, and how to apply.
You can apply using the Application Form; and you can contact Amania at amania@leaders-unlocked.org with any queries, or to send through your application.
