At the end of September, the Youth Employment UK staff team got together with the Executive Board and the Youth Ambassador board.
In the last year the staff team at Youth Employment UK has grown and has welcomed new directors. This was the first time we were all finally able to meet in person, it was so exciting to finally all be together and to talk through and input into the up coming strategy.
The Youth Ambassador Board had some thoughts to share after a really brilliant and exciting strategy planning day:
Sophie : In order to have a voice on issues that matter to you it’s important to have a seat at the table.
At the Youth Employment UK board day it was incredibly exciting as a Youth Ambassador to be given not only a seat at the table, but also the opportunity to work closely with the executive board members and Youth Employment UK team. Together, we were able to brainstorm ideas to improve the way we do things so we can have an even greater impact and reach even more young people next year. My key takeaway from the day was to have faith in your thoughts and ideas, no idea is too big or too bold when working as part of an amazing team!
Amran : Today showed me that Youth Employment UK not only cares about problems that young people face but also about finding solutions to these issues.
I feel confident moving forward in life behind an organisation like Youth Employment UK. Days like this put youth unemployment more in the spotlight , meaning more attention to the topic which is just what our society needs!
Harvey : It was so lovely to see everyone in person again and work together to build a strategy for Youth Employment UK’s future plans.
It was fantastic to meet up with the Ambassador Board and Executive Board last week for the first time in 18-months. The strategy session led by Carla was fun and engaging, it was great to be able to collaborate with other Board Members and the Youth Employment UK team and get to know each other better. It made me realise how much I’ve missed in-person events!
Jack : Overall it was a great day and I cannot wait for the next one!
The Board away day was great for me as we got to meet up in person as the Youth Ambassador Board for the first time. We had a really great session discussing the Youth Ambassador training feeding in our own ideas and views.
The thing I enjoyed the most was the joint session with the Executive Board and the staff team on the Youth Employment strategy for the next few years. It went really well and I liked going through it together. We did some Blue Sky Thinking on what Youth Employment UK could do if money was no option and came up with some really wacky ideas.
Ciara : The session was really useful
I was able to sit down with the rest of the Youth Ambassador Board to review and input into the Youth Ambassador training programme. At the board meeting which included the whole staff team and the Executive Board, my role was to bring my perspective as not only a Youth ambassador but also as a young person. I was able to add team working skills in the discussions as well as being able to improve and work on my debating skills.
The session was really useful as I learned what the future aims of Youth Employment UK are, what a strategy meeting is and what some of those important questions are. I also learned how to discuss different ideas with people who are in different departments of the organisation. I loved bringing my perspective as a young person on what I think were positive ideas and where I thought improvements could be better or might not quite have hit the mark.
Read more about our Youth Ambassadors here.
