Youth Council – Our Voice and Influence group (Ages 13-17)

Our Adopteens Youth Council aims to gather the voices of teenage adoptees on issues affecting them and use this to influence how people understand and work with adoption. We provide members the opportunity to listen to others’ views, express themselves (if and when they want to), be creative, build skills, and gain confidence. The Youth Council has worked on topics such as;

• • Adoption-friendly schools
  • Life story work
  • Safe use of social media
  • What they want from social workers
  • What they want prospective adopters to know.

Youth Council members have also spoken at national conferences, talked on the radio, and have also worked with a filmmaker to produce their own film ‘Voices’ which explores their thoughts and experiences on being an adopted teen. If you would like to see any of the films we have produced or the work we have created you can access them here RESOURCES

Interested in joining the youth council (Ages 13-17)

Members tend to attend some of our social events  first to meet other members and test out if the vibe is for them.  We regularly recruit members to the Youth Council and we contact all members when we are recruiting to see who might be interested. We then hold an information evening for all those interested in joining and check to see if the you are comfortable with sharing ideas and discussing adoption issues, and whether you are willing to attend 4-6 meetings a year.

The meetings are currently held in Leeds on a Sunday and we ask members to arrange their own way to and from the meetings. Adopteens Project Workers support Youth Council members to add this experience to their CVs. Written references can also be provided. 

Benefits of Joining 

• • Paid £5 per hour in vouchers
  • Meet a diverse mix of people who have shared experience
  • Gain lots of skills; teamwork, presentation, public speaking, creative skills, listening skills, and much more
  • Influence policy and practice around adoption 
  • Lunch provided – usually dominos pizza
  • Celebration event at the end of the year
  • Be part of a service that is nationally recognised and highly regarded

When you join the Youth Council we will give you a youth council agreement which details what you can expect from us and what we expect from you whilst you are a member of this group.

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