Youth Panel host live online Q&A session for voluntary community organisations on best ways to engage with young people

To celebrate International Youth Day, The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of youth activity in the UK, hosted an online live event in front of an audience of voluntary community organisations from across the country to explore how they can harness the power of youth voice.

The event was attended by more than 130 people from different groups and organisations. The live Q&A session also marked the first event hosted by the fund’s Young People In The Lead panel (YPIL). The panel, which is made up of 12 young people aged 16 to 25 from a diverse range of backgrounds and lived experience, was set up several months ago to work alongside The National Lottery Community Fund to share their expertise regarding funding for youth-focussed community projects and organisations.

The panel was joined by a range of voluntary and community groups that support young people across the UK, sharing with them their personal stories and motivations behind joining YPIL and discussing the importance of youth voice in funding decisions impacting young people.

Kicking off with an introductory video and presentations by members of the YPIL team, the inspirational young people shared advice and tips for organisations to best support young people. These ranged from the importance of transparency in organisations to the need for diversity within funding decision making for youth projects.

The audience was also treated to a poem by panel members Jemimah Olaniyi, 22, and Cain Green, 20, emphasising the importance of youth voice. Like the rest of the YPIL team both Jemimah and Cain are involved in National Lottery-funded projects. Jemimah volunteers with the Wildlife Trust through Our Bright Futures and Cain is part of the Clarion ambassador programme through #iwill both of which are funded by The National Lottery Community Fund.

Jemimah Olaniyi said: “I joined YPIL to encourage impact and change and create opportunities for young people. I think youth voice is important because it brings adults and young people together.”

Joe Rich, Head of Youth Voice at The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “The National Lottery Community Fund is the biggest funder of youth activity across the whole of the UK. When people are in the lead communities thrive and this is never more so than with young people, who have an important contribution to make to their communities both now and in the future.

“Our aim with the panel is to bring young people to the core of what we do and ensure that youth voice is present throughout our grant making. We’re delighted that today’s event was a huge success with more than 130 people from different groups and organisations in attendance paying close attention to the thoughts and experience of our panel members - it perfectly demonstrated the power of youth voice.”

Cain Green said: “I joined YPIL because it’s something I’ve always wanted to be a part of, and it reminds me every day why young people are extremely important and shouldn’t be overlooked. It keeps my passion strong, helps to build my confidence and allows me to meet amazing likeminded people.”

During the event attendees were encouraged to tweet using the hashtags #TNLComFundevent and #ypildoneit where they were given the opportunity to share anything they found to be interesting or eye-opening during the hour long event.

The event further emphasised The National Lottery Community Fund’s commitment to putting young people in the lead and at the heart of decision making when it comes to funding for projects and organisations. The YPIL panel is providing young people with a unique opportunity and is building on the success of funding to key youth programmes and partnerships, such as the #iwill Fund and Our Bright Future.

The #iwill Fund is an England-wide joint investment that brings together £50 million in funding from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and The National Lottery Community Fund, creating a central investment pot. The #iwill Fund launched in November 2016 to support the #iwill campaign’s goals in England, aiming to make social action part of life for as many ten to 20 year-olds as possible by 2020, by distributing investment through working with other funders.

Our Bright Future is an ambitious and innovative partnership led by The Wildlife Trusts which brings together the youth and environmental sectors. This £33 million programme, funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, is formed of 31 projects across the UK.

To find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk