Five reasons to join the Future Voices Group

Hi! I’m Ellen, and I work in the Youth Inclusion team at Youth Futures Foundation. My job is all about supporting young people to feel confident, listened to and included when working with us.

Here at Youth Futures Foundation, we’re working to make it easier for young people to get and keep good jobs, especially young people who face more barriers or have difficult experiences along the way.

We want to build a future where every young person can achieve good work – but we can’t do that without including the voices that matter most: yours.

To make real change, we provide a national platform for young people to share their honest experiences of looking for jobs, leaving education or training, and accessing support.

We believe your experiences should shape the decisions that affect your future, and that’s why the Future Voices Group (FVG) exists – a paid group of young ambassadors aged between 18-24 who draw on their lived experiences to help to shape and influence our work

So, here are five reasons why I think you should apply…

1. Gain skills and experience for your future. During the programme, you will develop skills you can use in work, education, and life in general. These include communication and relationship-building, problem-solving, teamwork, presenting and pubic speaking, and networking. You don’t need professional experience; we’ll provide training and support.
2. Get paid for your time. We know your time and energy are valuable. As a Future Voices Group member, you’ll be paid £14.80 per hour – the London Living Wage – wherever you live. You will work with us for ten hours a month, with the potential for additional paid hours.
3. Be supported throughout the programme. Our friendly, dedicated staff team will support you every step of the way. This includes regular one-to-one check-ins and adjustments to meet your needs. Support, wellbeing and accessibility are really important to us.
4. Work on creative projects with other young people.The programme isn’t just meetings and talking… the FVG exists so we can work with young people to change the systems that impact them. Alongside other young people, you could help to create videos, blogs, artwork, spoken word pieces, and campaigns that are seen and heard by people who can make a real difference. Read the open letter written by last year’s group.
5. Take part in unique opportunities to help change the system. Your insights can help make things better, not just for you, but for young people across the country. Previous Future Voices Group members have spoken at parliamentary events, been interviewed by journalists, contributed to research, and spoken on panels at high-profile conferences.