Meet our Ambassadors

What led you to be here today and prompted you to want to join the FVG?
A rollercoaster of a year, and a luckily placed instagram advert that finally made me think I had a chance of my voice being heard.

What are you up to now?
Studying chemistry A level and core maths as a year 14 (re-sat a year), and now getting to work with the FVG!

What is the most important thing in your life right now?
Making sure that no other young person has to go through the same experiences I have now, and in the future (and my cats!!).

What sort of changes do you want to be involved in making as part of the FVG?
Better access to fair and safe work for care kids/ care leavers- espcially those who have struggled with substance abuse, as well as young people who have SEN/ mental health issues

What led you to be here today and prompted you to want to join the FVG?
I'm passionate about raising awareness of young people's mental health and wellbeing in employment, having had my own challenges with my mental health.

What are you up to now? (e.g. In work/study/looking for work/volunteering)
I'm in my final year of completing a 4-year degree apprenticeship, where I work for a large mental health charity whilst also studying my degree in Business Management (Social Change).

What is most important to you in your life right now?
I value working in an organisation where I can make a difference using my own experiences to help others, and connection with my family, friends and colleagues.

What sort of changes do you want to be involved in making as part of the FVG?
I'd like to advocate the importance of alternative ways of employment (e.g. apprenticeships, internships, T-levels) and making sure these are accessible to all young people.

I heard about the Future Voices Group through the Traveller Movement, a charity that I intern at.
I had a look online to research the group and I decided that it would be a good opportunity for me so I applied.

Right now I'm studying and interning and I'm looking to find relative part time work.

The most important thing in my life right now is expanding my knowledge and experience in different things such as Business and Politics in a relatively short amount of time.

I would like to be involved in helping more young people become more conscious about politics and have them get involved

Hi! I'm Elijah and I'm currently studying A-level Psychology, Sociology and English Literature and hope to go on to university to study Psychology and Education. My goal is to work in Educational Research and tackle to societal disadvantages people face while trying to access good quality education and how we as a society can improve the education system for all people. I am excited to work within the Future Voices Group to help tackle the youth unemployment struggle in the UK from it's core, which I believe is education. I am extremely interested in the wider view and intersectionality of employment and how I can use my voice to advocate for marginalised communities most effected by these issues.

Too often, marginalised young people are excluded from meaningful employment or not appropriately supported whilst working.

Youth Futures Foundation's approach to tackling this issue - by integrating young people at the heart of their work - really resonated with me, as often young people are excluded from decisions that directly affect them. I am delighted to be involved in an opportunity to help empower and support young people like me.

After some time out after graduating university, I have started working as a Policy Assistant for the Green Alliance (an environmental think tank). I am also a Youth Engagement volunteer for the British Red Cross.

Having now completed my formal education, I want to continue learning from others and build more empathy and resilience, so that I can apply myself to meaningful causes and dedicate my time towards addressing social issues.

I want to be part of tangible, sustainable and intersectional change, to help shed light on and amplify the voices of those facing multiple barriers at once. I want to not only help remove barriers to employment, but also ensure that there is enough support in place that young people are able to retain the jobs that they worked so hard to secure.

I joined the FVG to help bring about systemic change to lower the disparity in employability and education between certain groups in society, I am currently studying Politics, History and Psychology at A-level and wish to go on to study Sociology and Social Policy at university. I am apart of my local youth council and the BYC NHS Youth Forum as I believe there is not enough participation in social policy from young people; It is important that we engage with the world around us as we are the future.

What led you to be here today and prompted you to want to join the FVG?

I wanted to join the Futures Voices Group because I have a plethora of insights and real life experiences to share about my journey to finding employment. Hopefully I'll be able use my voice to represent others like me who need someone to speak up for them. The FVG is the perfect forum for listening and then taking action.

What are you up to now? (eg. In work/study/looking for work/volunteering)

I graduated in 2020. I've had a few roles since then, currently I work for a technology consulting company as a digital consultant. I'm interested in anything digital/product.

What is most important to you in your life right now?

Balance! Navigating life as a young adult and balancing all the challenges that comes with this is quite tricky. Being career driven, whilst also finding time for family, friends, hobbies is the key challenge I'm working on in right now.

What sort of changes do you want to be involved in making as part of the FVG?

I want to empower young people to influence the youth employment landscape. Often programmes built to help young people are created without the input of young people. The FVG looks to change this, and hopefully we can be an example to other decision makers across the country.

I decided to join the FVG as having seen the barriers young people are facing when getting into employment and I wanted to help young people to concur these barriers and by joining the FVG I think I can make a meaningful change by giving my ideas to help identify and solve the issues currently faced by young people getting into employment. I am currently in my first year at university studying law. The thing that is most important to me right now is learning new things and exploring new opportunities.

What led you to be here today and prompted you to want to join the FVG?

As a long-time proponent of youth advocacy, when i heard about the work of the youth futures foundation and the opportunities being offered, I knew i wanted to be part of brilliant team working to influence what is one of the most pressing concerns among young people today - being able to find stable, fulfilling, meaningful employment.

What are you up to now?

I'm currently working towards completing my environmental practitioner degree apprenticeship, studying part time at Kingston University whilst working within the construction industry.

What is most important to you in your life right now?

I'm working on living less out of habit and more out of intent. I've been coming back to my love of music and the arts, and I can often be found wandering round a gallery or old building somewhere, usually with a big mug of tea.

What sort of changes do you want to be involved in making as part of the FVG?

Supporting more young women into the workplace and making the apprenticeship pathway more accessible to all are definitely things that I would love to improve through working in the future voices group.

I'm Nedilson Da Silva and I am passionate about education, bodybuilding, martial arts and helping other people. I'm in university right now doing my law degree on my way towards becoming a lawyer . I'm driven to give my time to help others, it makes me feel fulfilling and complete. Always learning and working towards one day being able to fulfil my dreams. Within the FVG, I hope to be able to make a real difference to the society, bring a light to those that believe everything is lost and bring awareness towards a problem that concerns not one but all of us and shape the decision making. Ensuring that less young people feel the need to give up from their dreams and the need of going in the wrong direction to get what they want due to their current circumstances.

One of the reasons is that I love helping others, also helping young people who are confused as I was one of them .

I study computer science at a College, I also work with KRAN (Kent Refugee Action Network) helping the young people.

The most important thing in my life is my family, specially mum and dad.

Help the young People to achieve what they want, and give them the support they need.

I am so glad to be part of the new FVG cohort! My passion for young people and their access to employability, education and empowerment is what has influenced my interest in the FVG. As I enter my second year of university studying history and politics, I am excited to explore the career options available in policy making and politics itself. This season of my life is about taking risks and ensuring that each day I am showing up as the woman I hope to be in 5 years. My aim as I join the FVG is to learn as much as possible from those around me, to challenge the status quo and to be honest throughout the process.

What led you to be here today and prompted you to want to join the FVG?
The experience of discrimination that myself and my peers face, as well as my interest in social movements and advocacy, made the FVG a really exciting opportunity for me. I was really interested in the opportunity to confront these barriers.

What are you up to now? (eg. In work/study/looking for work/volunteering)
I am a social sciences student and I volunteer for SHOUT's texting support service.

What is most important to you in your life right now?
My family, pursuing my education, and doing my part to make a positive difference for others.

What sort of changes do you want to be involved in making as part of the FVG?
Tackling the barriers to employment that young people face - particularly disabled and neurodiverse people who are disproportionately likely to face discrimination and poverty.

I was motivated to join the FVG because, as an autistic individual who has also struggled with mental health issues, I found that, upon finishing university, I faced numerous challenges in the world of work and employment. My past and current experiences have made me passionate about tackling the issue of youth unemployment, particularly in young people with disabilities. I also want to bring more attention to the incredible pressure young people seem to be under in modern society, which I think is one of the major contributors to the rise in mental health issues we have seen in recent years.

At the moment I am working full time, but I am also considering a potential career change. I also volunteer with Ambitious About Autism, the National Autistic Society, and Great Ormond Street Hospital, and regularly try to use my lived experiences to improve understanding and awareness of autism and eating disorders.

The most important thing in my life right now is to somehow make lasting change and help others who are going through similar struggles to my own. I feel strongly that so many people's talents go unrecognised and are overlooked because of a lack of support, and believe we need to create an environment where everyone has the opportunity to fulfil their potential, and lead a happy life.

While I am part of the FVG I really want to empower young people with complex mental health issues and disabilities. I want to be a part of creating an environment that allows a much more diverse range of individuals to thrive, in all aspects of life, rather than a culture that embraces a 'cookie cutter', 'tick box' approach.

What led you to be here today and prompted you to want to join the FVG?
The heavy emphasis on putting the first-hand experiences and opinions of young people at the forefront, allowing for the voices of young people to be far than tokenistic, as we are empowered to work on behalf of fellow young people facing the same barriers when it comes to unemployment.

What are you up to at the moment?
At the moment, I am studying at university

What is most important to you in your life at the moment?
Right now, my focus is on my studies, faith, and personal development

I applied to join the FVG because I am committed to helping young people from underserved backgrounds achieve their full potential. I am currently at law school. Gaining knowledge and skills that will enable me to serve others with increased effectiveness is an important goal currently. Through this role, I aim to contribute toward developing a holistic and comprehensive understanding of what constitutes a 'good' job for young people.

Hello my names Tyler and I am a future voices ambassador.
I have committed to starting this important journey due to many reasons. First and foremost, i myself have Dyspraxia which is a learning disability.

This has motivated me to take on this role to show that people with disabilities can help just as much as someone without one and never let anyone tell you otherwise.

My sole purpose of doing this role is to be a voice for others who are struggling accessing employment as-well as people who have hidden disabilities.

I currently work in retail, proudly serving the local community with a smile and a friendly face. I am committed to my current job but truth be told, I would love to take a big role supporting others in need.

Finally, I would like to create awareness to these big topics and I really do hope more employers sign to the disability confident scheme to prevent discrimination and also discuss the disadvantages that people may face in regards to barriers to employment.

I would like to see a future where people are treated equally in all environments and increased employment with youth  and give them an equal opportunity to access employment and thrive within there chosen career or job

As someone who identifies as part of the BAME and international student community in the UK, I have lived experience struggling to secure a job myself, and understands the tremendous amount of stress and anxiety that comes alongside this process. Thus, just as many young ambassadors from FVG in the past, I am motivated to be part of the solution, and advocate for better, efficient, and meaningful solutions that tackles youth unemployment issues once and for all.

As a fresh graduate, I am going to start my first job working for SEO London as its Corporate Law Programme Coordinator, supporting outstanding candidates from BAME or social mobility qualifying backgrounds to secure a career in law. In the meantime, I am also actively volunteering for CIVICUS as its Youth Action Team Member, supporting and amplifying the voices of young people/youth-led organisations worldwide.

To me, being able to serve my community, alleviate the suffering of others; and at the same time to live a balanced and happy life would be some of my key priorities at the moment. I always believe that every action and step, no matter how small they are, could eventually play a major role in the creation of a better world in the future!

As part of the FVG, I am determined to gather and amplify the concerns and struggles young people face while seeking employment, and trying to live a better life within our society nowadays. Furthermore, by collaborating with lawmakers and various stakeholders, I look forward to proposing and advocating for significant policy changes in the country's youth employment policies – ensuring that they are truly inclusive and equal for all.

1. Throughout education, the world of work was something that could feel very limiting to me. Whether it was down to the work I wanted to do feeling impossible or not having the confidence to pursue meaningful work. FVG is somewhere that wants to help improve this for people and bring more accessibility.
2. I am currently in my final year of university studying music production.
3. getting enough rest and food and spending time with my friends and family.
4. There's lots of media surrounding work being inaccessible for minority groups. However this rarely matches up with peoples lived experience of the world of work. As a trans person I believe that the change should come directly from these communities and we should recognise the damage when it doesn't.

What led you to be here today and prompted you to want to join the FVG? I wanted to join FVG since I felt the career advice in education wasn't effective.

What are you up to now? (eg. In work/study/looking for work/volunteering) Right now I am volunteering and studying at sixth form.

What is most important to you in your life right now? Focusing on balancing my work with home life, I am focusing on my relationships.

What sort of changes do you want to be involved in making as part of the FVG? I want to inform young people on how to be confident in the workplace.