Youth Voice

Young people are experts in their own experiences. So, how you can involve young people in shaping activities that truly work for them? Here, you’ll find what youth voice means and why it matters in sport and physical activity. 

Youth voice is about giving young people a real say in what gets planned, where it happens, and how it feels to take part. It’s not just asking “what do you want to do?”. It’s about listening, acting on what they say, and creating an environment where they feel seen, heard and valued. 

Think of it as co-creating activity with young people, not for them. 

“Youth Voice” refers to the principle of listening to and acting on the voices of children and young people about the things that matter to and affect them. All children and young people have a voice, and it’s our job to help them use it, and help other people to listen.  

Every young person has the right to express their views, feelings and wishes in all matters affecting them and to have their views considered and taken seriously.   

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) sets out the rights of the child, and the responsibilities of adults to uphold these rights. It protects their right to have their voice heard, as well as their right to play.  

Undertaking youth voice activities can feel daunting, but it’s a great way to make sure that we’re providing positive experiences of physical activity for children and young people. It’s not just about what we’re offering, but where, when, and how.  

When young people help shape their own experiences, they’re: 

• More likely to show up because it feels relevant to them.
• More confident to speak up because they feel ownership.
• More connected to their peers, leaders and community.
• More likely to keep moving now and in the future.

A great place to start is our Engaging Young People: a toolkit. This will give you lots of information on why listening and responding to young people is important. As well as some of the things to consider when putting together youth voice activities. 

“The simplest explanation is that if you are serving a particular group – in this case, young people – then that group are the experts. Engaging people with lived experience means that your offer will be more likely to meet their needs. We also want to know if we have been successful in our aims. And who better to tell us, than the young people we’re supporting?” 

Here are a few simple ways to get the ball rolling: 

• Speak to the young people. Ask about what they enjoy, what they don’t, what they want to see more of. (The Engaging Young People: a toolkit has lots of fun activities for you to collect this information!) 
• Don’t jump in with your own ideas straight away. It could unintentionally shut the conversation down. 
• Make changes based on what you hear. Even the smallest tweaks will show young people that you’re listening. 

Once you’ve taken the first step, it’s time to turn up the volume on youth voice and build it into everything you do. Here are some ways to make it a regular and meaningful part of your sessions: 

• Build youth voice into your planning.  
• Keep checking in! Make feedback a habit. 
• Tell them what you did because of what they said. Letting young people see the impact of their ideas builds trust, shows them respect and keeps the conversation going. 

Our Engaging Young People: activity cards include lots of different ideas on engagement and youth voice activities you can try with your young people. Everything from icebreaker games, to creative design activities, and active evaluation ideas. Don’t be afraid of getting things wrong. It’s better to try, learn, and adapt than to let fear stop you from asking the questions.  

If you don’t already work with young people, you can try asking local youth clubs or schools if they have a youth panel you could approach. Or you can look at data and insight from other youth voice work that’s happening. A great resource is the #BeeWell findings based on responses from over 42,000 young people in 103 secondary schools across Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth, and Southampton.