What is a Youth Action Team?

A Youth Action Team is made up of young volunteers aged 16-25 who
will help develop, influence and support the vinvolved teamˇ¦s
activity.
Youth Action Teams aim to place young people at the heart of an
organisation ˇV by empowering them to make decisions, by giving them
meaningful choices, and by involving them at every stage of the
organisationˇ¦s operations.
Their leadership and influence is not only central to effectively
increasing volunteering opportunities for young people, but it is
also imperative to the design and sustainability of projects.
Youth Action Teams recognise that young people bring a fresh
dimension, providing opportunities to promote a young personˇ¦s
perspective on development and evaluation of all aspects of your work.

What will a Youth Action Team do?

The Russell Commission identified the importance of positive peer
influence in engaging more young people in volunteering. Youth Action
Teams can act as a catalyst for youth action by:
„« Promoting the benefits of volunteering to their peers and
recruiting young people to get involved;
„« Developing and reviewing consultation surveys to seek young
peopleˇ¦s views about what matters to them and what difference they
would like to make in their communities;
„« Identifying community issues and developing and leading
exciting, unique voluntary projects to address them (vcashpoint
funding is a great resource for these activities, and there may be
other local sources of funding to support youth-led action);
„« Inspiring organisations to involve more young volunteers, and
providing training and top tips to help them shape their projects;
„« Getting feedback from young people on their volunteering
experiences and contributing to content and discussion forums on
www.vinspired.com; and
„« Raising awareness of the difference young people are making
through their volunteering and organising celebration events to
recognise their contributions.

This could be achieved through:
„« Supporting the vinvolved team to generate new opportunities
within a range of organisations, e.g. running workshops on youth
participation or on how to consult with young people;
„« Producing recruitment and promotional materials;
„« Delivering presentations or providing training at seminars,
conferences and local community events;
„« Monitoring the vinvolved team; and
„« Peer mentoring or buddying.

„Ď Are you 16-25 years of age?
„Ď Interested in making a positive impact on your career and
your local community?
„Ď Would you like to boost your CV with valuable experience,
training and accreditation?

If you have answered yes to the above then why not sign up to the
Staffordshire Youth Action Team? Contact: Karen Foster on 01785
242782