Youth Steering Group
Impact stories: S
Name: S
Age joined the Youth Steering Group: 18
Home Region: West Midlands
S joined the FEA Youth Steering Group in 2023, aged 18, and graduated in 2025. During their time as a member of the Youth Steering Group, S gave a speech at the House of Lords, attended IncludeEd and the My Life My Say Next Gen Conference.
Why did you join the Youth Steering Group (YSG)?
At my old school, I didn’t have the best experience. I used to have daily meltdowns and negative views of myself, and I wasn’t getting the support I needed.
At my new school, they’ve been so supportive, and they helped me settle in. I’ve been given a safe place I can always go to, and there’s always someone I can talk to. My grades have improved massively, and my mental health has improved so much, along with how I view myself. I feel really lucky to have had such a positive experience at my new school.
I joined the Youth Steering Group because I wanted to change things for future students so that they don’t have to go through what I did. No one should have to experience that in school.
How have you found being on the Youth Steering Group overall?
I’ve genuinely loved being part of the Youth Steering Group, and it has given me so many opportunities and so much confidence. It’s also given me a real sense of drive and the ability to reach my goals and feel good about myself. I feel like I can make a difference, that I can change things.
Two years ago, I struggled just to wake up in the morning and go to school. Now, I’ve been able to travel to London for training days and even speak at the House of Lords - that’s such a massive accomplishment for me. The Youth Steering Group has pushed me to do things I never would have imagined myself doing, and it has completely changed how I see myself and what I’m capable of. It’s pushed me to the extreme, in the best way possible.
If you had to pick one thing that's been a highlight of your time on the youth steering group, what would it be?
I think my highlight has to be the House of Lords event. The whole experience around it was just incredible. Even the training days leading up to it were filled with so much joy. I often struggle with socialising in everyday situations, but being surrounded by people who were all passionate about the same things and working towards a collective goal made it feel completely different.
One of my favourite moments was the taxi ride from the training venue to Pizza Express the night before our House of Lords speech. Everyone was buzzing with excitement, making short video clips, just enjoying the moment together - it was such a special experience. Then, when we got to the event, even the networking side of things felt different. Normally, I find it hard to approach people, even my peers in school, but somehow, when it came to speaking with all these important people, I could do it, and that made me feel like I belonged in that space.
When it was time for my speech, it just went so well. The moment everyone started clapping, I felt this huge sense of achievement that stayed with me for the rest of the day. I was enjoying it so much that I nearly missed my train because I stayed behind, just talking to people. It was honestly such an incredible experience.
What do you think has been the Youth Steering Group’s most impactful activity?
It’s hard to pick just one thing. On a personal level, I’d say giving the speech (My Maiden Speech at the House of Lords). The training days and even travelling alone - those were really big moments for me. But in terms of something on a wider scale, I would probably say the Fair Education Youth Summit.
I also loved the Annual Summit. The job market where you could go around, meet different people, and ask, "Hi, what do you do?" was great. Everyone’s careers sounded so interesting, I kept thinking, "I want to do that!"
It’s hard to choose just one thing that was the most impactful. Everything was in its own way.
What skills do you feel like you've developed during your time on the Youth Steering Group?
The number one skill I've developed has to be public speaking.
Also, teamwork - just learning how to work in a team effectively. We had a media training session, and networking was a big part of it too. That helped.
Independence is another big one for me. I don’t know if that counts as a skill, but it’s something I’ve developed. Travelling alone and managing things for myself has been a big step.
And confidence, just becoming more sure of myself.
I’m sure I could go on and on. If I sat here thinking about it, I’d probably come up with a whole list of skills that the Fair Education Alliance Youth Steering Group has helped me with!
Our Youth Steering Group provides leadership on youth engagement across the Fair Education Alliance. Members are involved in the work across the Alliance, from collective action and policy influencing, to communications, events and support for our award winners.