Listening to young people

At SYC we know that young people and their families are the experts. They know what will make their own lives easier, so we make sure everything we do is based on what they tell us. We also make sure that their views are heard, to help influence and improve other services that they access.

SYC's Action Group

Our Action Group is for young people who are current or recent users of our service who want to have more of a say in running SYC. Young people who apply to join our Action Group get access to training courses, group work sessions, external voice and influence opportunities and accreditation. They join the group for two years, taking on more of a leader/mentor role for a second year if they wish, helping to support new members of the group.

People in this group help to recruit new staff; form our regular SYC Activity Fund panels; give presentations or input to strategic boards; help to co-facilitate training courses; meet with local MPs and city councillors and even once met the Prime Minister; host our events and conferences; help co-produce resources for local and national services; regularly meet with members of our Board of Trustees to guide their work; and participate in our annual strategic planning meetings to help plan the future direction of SYC. Members of the group aged 18+ also have the opportunity to become Young Trustees on our Board if they wish to. You can find out more about their many achievements in our:

We want to say a huge thank you to all of our Action Group members for the time and commitment they give – we couldn’t manage without you!

Other ways we listen

Alongside our Action Group, we try to give all of the young people we support a say in how things run, both within SYC and in other services too. We do this through:

  • individual and group evaluations

  • regular informal chats and conversations

  • involvement in local, regional and national consultations on issues that affect their lives

  • opportunities to meet MPs, funders (people who give money to SYC) and other people who can make changes for young carers and for young people affected by substance misuse in their family

  • invitations to events, to have a say in other services for young people and families

In 2022, we signed up to the Power of Youth Charter, to show our dedication and commitment to giving young people a voice and involving them in decision making across the organisation. You can read our commitments here.

We also use all of the information we get directly from young people to inform our work with professionals, our strategic work and our research.