Partner Organisations

Why become a Youth Engagement Partner?

Youth engagement is an integral component of young people's health and an evidence-based strategy to achieve positive health outcomes and enhance academic achievement. When young people are engaged in decision-making, they feel connected to their educational environment and community, they build relationships with their peers and adults, and they learn new skills. They are more likely to make healthy decisions, have healthy behaviours and take fewer unhealthy risks. When young people are involved in shaping services their engagement and participation becomes far more meaningful and outcomes for organisations are far more likely to be successful.

Why is youth engagement important?

The value of youth engagement and the voices of young people as service users, residents and the next generation of Cambridgeshire is implicit in our Local Authorities aims and priorities. As a result we are committed to enabling all employees, partners and contributors to the authorities work to value and respectfully support the voice of young people and to acknowledge the positive contribution they can make to Cambridgeshire and the wider society.

What are the aims of the YEP?

• To ensure the voice of young people is heard through supporting a broad range of young people to influence, shape and directly be involved in the commissioning of local services.
• To ensure the voice of young people is recognised as being invaluable to the creation and evaluation of local services and successful outcomes.
• To ensure young people are appropriately supported in social action and through volunteering to learn and grow as active citizens of Cambridgeshire able to make a meaningful and positive contribution to their community.

How will the partnership achieve this?

• Provide sustainable activities that help community cohesion, intergenerational understanding and build local community capacity to meet young people’s needs, especially for those who are more vulnerable.
• Creation of Youth Advisory Boards (YABs) in each Cambridgeshire District where a diverse range of young people meet bi-monthly with representatives from local services such as the district council, police, health providers and schools. They will discuss issues identified as a priority, by young people, through a large consultation and create positive social action projects to enable change, learning and positive development.
• The YAB will work towards Cambridgeshire’s mission statement: “Our vision is for Cambridgeshire to be a county of strong, growing, prosperous and inclusive communities supported by excellent services where people can fulfil their potential; live longer, healthier lifestyles; and influence decision-making”.
• Training for young people to become Young Commissioners and Young Inspectors whereby they are involved in the creation and evaluation of local services.

Young Peoples Interview Panels

Why involve young people in recruitment and selection?

Children and young people bring a skill set to the interview panel that is different to that of our professionals. They help to strengthen the interview process by looking for qualities in a candidate that professionals may not look for, therefore, increasing the chances of hiring the best quality candidate. As a result of this, outcomes for children and young people can be improved.

For more information on how to involve young people in your recruitment please contact Ella Rolfe, Youth Voice Coordinator, ella.rolfe@cambridgeshire.gov.uk. Ella has produced a toolkit that will support you involving young people in this process.

Consultation with Young People

Allowing young people to have their say can often make them feel more empowered and demonstrates that professionals respect young people and their opinions. It can also strengthen the relationship between professionals and young people, giving young people more confidence in professionals and services, as they feel listened to.

You can consult with young people to involve them in the development of a service, a project or to ensure co-production through:

• Focus Groups
• Questionnaires - young people creating the questions or completing them

You can access young people through the Youth Engagement Partnership, you must sign up as a partner, you will then be able to make a request through the partnership login portal.