Youth Engagement
We believe that we will only be able to make education fairer if young people currently experiencing the education system are involved in shaping it’s future.
Therefore, we support young people with lived experience of barriers to education to become co-leaders of the movement towards a fairer education system. Our youth engagement work includes supporting young people to develop leadership skills, amplifying young people's ideas and lived experience and building the capacity of our members, policy makers and the wider education sector to meaningfully involve young people in decision-making.
Youth engagement is not a single programme – it’s a golden thread that runs through everything we do.
Youth Steering Group
Our Youth Steering Group (YSG) brings together passionate young leaders from across the country to shape our strategy, hold decision-makers to account, and lead change in education.
The young people in the group lead converstions with ministers and policymakers, co-design and chair sessions at the Fair Education Summit and Youth Summits, and advise on our collaboration work with members.
Fair Education Youth Summits
Our Youth Summits – both national and regional – bring together hundreds of young people to share experiences, influence policy, and strengthen their skills for social action.
Led by the Youth Steering Group, these events are platforms for connection, collaboration and leadership.
Youth-Led Policy & Campaigns
Young people are at the centre of our policy and influencing work – sharing their experiences, shaping recommendations, and leading campaigns.
This includes bringing youth voices to policymakers as part of our open letters and policy campaigning, as well as co-creation of storytelling content and digital campaigns.
Supporting Members
We equip member organisations to meaningfully embed youth voice in their work. This includes 1:1 support tailored to your organisation, a Youth Engagement Working Group to share best practices and resources, and practical training sessions on co-creation and power-shifting.
Youth in Collaboration
Young people are active partners in both our place-based collaborations and thematic collaborations.
From identifying local drivers of inequity in their communities, to shaping solutions on Early Years, Literacy and Tomorrow’s Jobs, youth voice ensures that change is rooted in lived experience.
Skills & Opportunities
Through our Alliance, young people access placements, training and development opportunities – building networks and confidence to lead change within and beyond education.
This includes paid work placements with Alliance members, skills workshops on media, campaigning and leadership, and pathways into youth advisory and trustee roles.