Future Forward Partnership with Young People: The Diana Award Young Advisors
As a charity dedicated to supporting young people, we believe it's crucial that our work is not just for young people, but shaped by them—reflecting their needs, priorities, and voices. In 2022, we were thrilled to receive funding from The National Lottery Community Fund to expand our youth voice initiatives.
This three-year project aims to strengthen youth participation by co-creating a comprehensive framework with young people. Through this, we’ll ensure that their voices are embedded in every aspect of our work, empowering them to help shape the future of our organisation.
In Year 1, our Young Advisors conducted research across The Diana Award, speaking to staff and young people to identify key recommendations for how we could improve youth voice within the organisation.
Year 2 of the project saw the Young Advisors put these recommendations into practice by collaborating with staff on mini project trials focusing on areas which had been identified for improvement in Year 1. Some of these projects included:
In Year 1, our Young Advisors conducted research that revealed young people needed more support and upskilling when engaging in policy activities with The Diana Award. In response, during Year 2, our Young Advisors worked closely with our Policy Manager to co-create a resource designed to equip young people with the tools they need to actively participate in policy discussions.
As part of this process, our Young Advisors led focus groups to gather insights on what young people wanted from the resource. Finalized earlier this year, the resource will be provided to young people as they begin their policy journey with The Diana Award. Its goal is to demystify the policy process and boost young people’s confidence in contributing to policy work.
You can access the completed resource here.
In Year 2, our Young Advisors teamed up with our Marketing & Communications Coordinator on several key projects. One highlight was their co-production of our World Mental Health Day campaign video — you can watch the full video here. Following this, the project team piloted a new initiative, allowing young people to have direct input into the decision-making process for our social media content.
Our Young Advisors worked closely with HR to establish a formal ‘Youth Voice and Participation’ section in all future job descriptions. This outlines best practices for staff at every level of the organisation, ensuring that youth voice is embedded in our culture from the outset.
Our Young Advisor, Harman, developed a resource to empower and support young people in sharing their stories as part of their social action work. After presenting it to staff across The Diana Award and incorporating their feedback, the resource was finalised. It is now used to guide all young people participating in storytelling activities with The Diana Award.
The final year of our project sees our Young Advisors continue collaborating with staff on projects to boost youth voice within the organisation. Following the success of the Year 2 trials, our Young Advisors are continuing to work with our Policy manager throughout our policy review process as well as continuing their work in our marketing and communications team. Other projects include:
As part of our Youth Insight Report, our Young Advisors took part in a peer research project – conducting research with young people in their communities to understand their barriers to participating in politics. They then analysed and presented their findings at our Youth Voice in Politics event in July.
One of our main pieces of work of our Young Advisors project involves the development of The Diana Award Youth Voice and Participation Charter. Stay tuned for updates on our finalised charter!
Alongside their fantastic youth voice work, we have offered our Young Advisors a series of skills sessions to support them in their own social action initiatives. These upskilling sessions have included sessions focused on: Fundraising, Digital Marketing and Impact & Evaluation. Our Young Advisors have also participated in public speaking opportunities, including delivering Anti-Bullying Ambassador training to young people.
Hi, my name is Beatrix. I am incredibly excited about starting the role of a Young Advisor. I am a young forest school leader and have worked with youth organisations local to me. I am passionate about allowing all young people to share their views and opinions in order to build more positive future. I am also very interested in teenage mental health and passionate about ensuring that all young people are supported and understood.
My name is Arthur, I’m 16 and from Cardiff. I have been a Young Advisor since the start of the project, and it has been a fantastic opportunity to champion youth voice within the Diana Award and beyond. Some of my highlights so far are getting involved in the Youth Voice in Politics report as a peer researcher and contributing towards a young people’s guide to the policy process. I have a strong passion for children’s rights, advocating for article 12 of the UNCRC: the right to be heard and listened to. I believe in young people’s ability to imagine, create, and design the systems that work for them, whilst having fun along the way.
The Diana Award were the first organisation to help me believe that my voice mattered and I was capable of helping to create change, so it is a huge honour to be able to continue working with them as a young advisor for year 3 of the youth voice project. We have seen so much meaningful change at every level of the Diana Award since this project started, with some personal highlights being supporting with recruitment, contributing towards our youth voice in politics report, and our Young Advisor social media revamp!
I believe strongly in the power we all have to be a part of creating positive change, and working with Diana Award staff and other young people has only fuelled my drive and commitment to social justice more. It is the perfect place to start finding your voice in any area of social action work that you care about.
My name is Gracie and I am a 17 year old, aspiring medical student, studying A-Levels in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and English Literature. I am passionate about youth voice and ensuring young people feel heard and valued.
The Young Advisors project is special to me as I could continue working with a charity that I’ve been involved with since I was 12 and reflect on my experiences in youth voice and social action. Youth voice has enabled myself and other young people to take ownership on the discussions and issues that affect us, which is something that I’m keen to make more accessible during my time as a Young Advisor. Some of my highlights include working on the safe storytelling resource, the residentials and the insight sessions. In my spare time, I’m trying to find a hobby or something new to keep me busy!
I am very proud to have been a young advisor for the past 2 years and cannot wait to see what the next year of the project holds! I have so many highlights of the project so far like being a peer researcher for the Young Voices in Politics project, helping facilitate an Anti-Bullying session for secondary school students and generally being a part of a community of my peers who are equally as passionate about what we do! I cannot wait to see where a collective passion for youth voice leads us!
I am passionate about youth voice because I truly believe that we cannot do a best for young people, if we do not talk to young people. They should be included in all aspects of organisations or charities that work to support them. Who knows better than the young people who are living it?! That's why I enjoy being a Young Advisor, not only do I get to be part of a team who lead peer research for a Youth Voice in Politics report and created Safe storytelling resource, but The Diana Award have given me support within supporting my own career development and that's when you know you’re working with a charity with people who actually care.
Hi, I'm Aaliyah, hailing from Birmingham, and I'm passionate about making a real difference for young people. My journey as a changemaker began with a drive to create spaces where youth voices are truly heard. This led me to launch a podcast dedicated to empowering young people, giving them a platform to share their stories, challenges, and triumphs. For nearly four years, I've had the privilege of working with UK Youth and the Diana Award, where I've been deeply involved in initiatives aimed at supporting and uplifting the next generation. This year, I took a significant step forward by joining the Young Advisors Program, where I continue my mission to influence the systems that impact young people's lives. I believe in the power of youth voice because I've experienced firsthand what it's like to be sidelined by a system that's supposed to serve you. With my experience and passion, I'm committed to ensuring that no young person feels left out or unheard. Together, we can build a society that truly reflects and supports the needs of its youth.
Hi! My name is Cody Jackson - I am 15 years old and live in a wonderful city called Milton Keynes and I have been representing Youth Voice for over two years in the MK Youth Council but am happy to be doing my best to go further and reach a decision makers on why youth voice is vital. I am currently also a youth activist for bite back which is an activist program trying to fight the big food giants and to end junk food advisement.
I am overjoyed to be joining this project because I am a great believer in the power of young people to change the world. I believe that if The Diana Award can optimise its impact on young people, then the change will manifest itself in new diverse ways. My background within Youth Work as a Youth Worker and as member of various Youth initiatives gives me a unique outlook on the opportunities but also the challenges young people face, which I then intend to implement into my work to ensure that every young person is involved in our work and nobody is left behind. The ability to shape one’s own future from the start is something which young people have and when they have great guidance we can expect amazing things to arise from them far surpassing anything we believed possible.
I am excited to be part of The Diana Award’s Young Advisors project, having worked extensively in the youth, voluntary, and social action sectors over a number of years. I am currently a student, and have enjoyed working on research and policy projects regionally, nationally, and internationally. I am enthusiastic about learning within the wider team of Young Advisors and also about working to review The Diana Award’s current processes to improve its wider offerings.
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The Diana Award recently launched our first Youth Insights Report, focused on Youth Voice in Politics. To ensure youth involvement from the ground up, we involved Peer Researchers throughout the process to help connect us with the stories and experiences of young people. Follow Peer Researchers Gracie and Arthur, as they journey towards improving levels of youth engagement in politics and discuss the power of young people as facilitators, analysts, and champions for change.
The second Young Advisor residential was a fantastic chance to evaluate recommendations to increase the levels of youth voice and participation, build activities that are meaningful to young people and celebrate the way in which young people are at the heart of The Diana Award.
The Diana Award hosted the first residential with the Young Advisors, part of our Future Forward Partnership with Young People, funded by The National Lottery Community Fund. Continue reading for more details on what exciting things these amazing young people got up to!
