The Centres at YMCA George Williams College

Want to learn more about how to gather evidence from young people, and capture stories of their experiences and journeys equitably and ethically? Join us for our free training session 'Youth Voice in Impact Evaluation' on 13 November! Looking to certify your learning? We are excited to be able to offer this session with an accredited qualification, awarded by NCFE! 🏅 Book now to avoid disappointment! 👉 https://bit.ly/49ZcWgz

NEW: We’re pleased to share the final report on a ground-breaking Multi-Site Trial evaluation, investigating the impact of mentoring on children and young people at risk of involvement in violence. Delivered alongside our partners Centre for Evidence and Implementation, Bryson Purdon Social Research, and supported by Youth Endowment Fund, the three year project achieved its primary purpose in demonstrating the feasibility of using a Multi-Site Trial approach to test the impact of interventions delivered by small organisations. Though the evaluation found no impact of short-term mentoring on the primary measure of mentees’ behavioural and emotional problems, there were positive impacts on socio-emotional outcomes such as self-confidence and problem-solving. The College played an important role in this evaluation, contributing a bespoke version of our data portal and working closely with 17 community-based youth organisations delivering mentoring. This robust and rigorous evaluation is testament to the work of those organisations to engage in this innovative study and to support young people. Read the full report here 👉 https://bit.ly/3YkC0L9

Data is an extremely powerful tool that can bring your organisation's impact story to life... If you know what you're looking for. 🛠️ Join us for our next free training session on 22 November, which supports you to determine what 'good' data looks like for you, the different types of data and tools that may be meaningful for your context, and how they can help build a strong portrait of your organisation. Sign up here 👉 https://bit.ly/4dL9pEu #Training | #Support | #Data | #LearningAndDevelopment

Today I'm launching the recruitment for my second group of Youth Ambassadors. I'm looking for 16 passionate and articulate young people, aged between 16 and 17, to champion the views of England’s children. Find out about the role, and apply online 👇 https://lnkd.in/eD27aWyD

✨It's back... ✨ Back by popular demand, our sold-out Youth Voice and Participation Course returns this January! This course is designed for anyone seeking to build knowledge and skills to successfully embed youth voice, participation, and co-design into their programmes and services. Alongside likeminded learners, you'll cover: 🔍 The rationale for and benefits of youth voice and the current UK context for youth voice and participation; 🏅 The range of youth voice and participation in the UK; 🛠️ How to deal with common issues that arise in youth voice activities; and ✍️ How to plan, deliver and evaluate a youth voice or participation project Don't delay, book your place today 👉 https://bit.ly/3A806kb Or get in touch with us at training@ymcageorgewilliams.uk for further information. #YouthVoice | #Training | #LearningAndDevelopment ✨

📣 Lots of #trustee opportunities this week! Here's the fresh batch: 🎨 Arts Derbyshire is recruiting trustees to oversee the overall governance and administration of Arts Derbyshire, the strategic arts charity for the county. Deadline: 25th October 🎵 Open Up Music is recruiting a trustee to open up music to young disabled musicians and tackle musical inequality. Deadline: 18th November 🎒 Gledhow Primary School is recruiting a governor with a background in Building Management along with Health & Safety to contribute to board activities and help the school improve educational outcomes. Deadline: 15th November 💙 Granton:hub is recruiting trustees to shaping the future of Granton Hub and support the local community. Deadline: 13th November 🦅 The Bird of Prey Project is recruiting trustees, especially with a fundraising background, to help conserve wild birds of prey, and the biodiverse ecosystems they live in. Deadline: 28th February 🖼 Sherborne Museum is recruiting 3 trustees provide strategic direction to the charity which aims to tell the story of its rich heritage through their collections. Deadline: 6th December 🕊 Mousehole Wild Bird Hospital Cornwall is recruiting a treasurer to ensure money and property are properly managed. They care for sick and injured wild birds in Cornwall. Deadline: 30th November 🌎 Youth Environmental Service is recruiting trustees who believe in the power of young people. It is a new programme for young people to spend a year doing paid work at environmental organisations across the UK. Deadline: 29th November 👷♀️ Construction Youth Trust is recruiting a trustee focusing on safeguarding and community development to help enable young people to access opportunities in construction and the built environment. Deadline: 22nd November 🖇  Find out about these opportunities and more on our website: https://lnkd.in/ebBQBmu

🌱 Are you currently engaged in or delivering youth voice activities? 🗣️ Do you offer or fund opportunities that support young people to have their voices heard? 🤝 Are young people represented within your organisational structures or programmes? Just a few weeks left to share your evidence and resources as part of our Youth Voice Call for Evidence! This autumn, we're developing a free Youth Voice Observatory: an online data bank where you can find, search for, and analyse information about youth voice activities from across the UK. And to ensure our Observatory reflects the rich tapestry of #youthvoice practice occurring across the UK, we've launched a call for evidence to draw together the latest and most relevant sources of youth voice data and evidence. Find out more and submit your evidence here 👉 https://bit.ly/477IocF 📌Closes 4 November

YMCA George Williams College greatly welcomes the Secretary of State Lisa Nandy's commitment to co-deliver a new #NationalYouthStrategy. Read our full statement from the College's Interim Executive Director Geethika Jayatilaka below.

I know it is a LinkedIn cliche to say how exciting work is…but hear me out, this piece of work actually is. So many young people across the UK are being asked about their views on what matters to them and there are lots of young people who are not even asked. We’re currently working on a searchable repository of evidence and data that allows anyone to see who has been heard, where and on what topic and (perhaps more importantly) who is being missed. There’s a huge number of young people focussed organisations contributing to the discussions about what this should look like and how it should function…. and loads of evidence coming together as part of the build. DM me for more information but if you’re reading this and #youthvoice or #youthwork is your interest and you’re not yet connected, now is a good time to find out more. Here is our call for evidence for the observatory on LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/e5iKMwP8 [linkedin.com] And on our website, (if easier) https://lnkd.in/ehz9qN88 [ymcageorgewilliams.uk] You may also be interested in looking at our Resource Hub, where we collate more hands-on guidance for those interested in running youth voice activities: https://lnkd.in/eHFPyR5X [ymcageorgewilliams.uk]