After celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2018, I believe it is fair to say that the British Youth Council has become a well-established and respected organisation over the years...
After celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2018, I believe it is fair to say that the British Youth Council has become a well-established and respected organisation over the years. Originally an initiative set up by the British Government’s Foreign Office to send representatives to the first ever World Assembly of Youth, the charity has now adopted a very specific aim – to empower young people under the age of 25 and give them influence to inform decisions that affect their lives.
BYC run many different campaigns allowing our generation to access a wide web of different platforms to express our opinions including: a network of around 620 youth councils and community forums run by young people for young people; NHS youth forums in every English region for us to assist health trusts in communicating and caring for younger people in the best way possible; young mayors in certain urban areas to shadow their adult counterparts; and finally, the group that is most likely the best known, the UK Youth Parliament where up to 369 teenagers are elected by their peers - totalling in excess of half a million voters nationally - allowing them to directly take the fight to the government in the House of Commons.
Our campaigns have a lot in common as UKSCN demands, Teach the Future suggestions and the UKYP manifesto (created through Make Your Mark) all include tackling the climate and ecological crisis, a curriculum to prepare us for life and voting reform – with Make Your Mark educating children on voting and preparing them for adult life. This is why, as a national volunteer and the Member of Youth Parliament for West Wiltshire for 2020-21, I am very happy to formally announce that the British Youth Council is now an official supporter of the Teach the Future campaign!
We cannot wait to further our work under our six suggestions to the government with this increased platform and array of new opportunities given to us by such a leading group as BYC.
Charlie Sweetman, 13
Teach the Future campaigner and UKSCN volunteer
Member of Youth Parliament for West Wiltshire 2020-21