What is the YES Youth Advisory Board (YAB)?
The Youth Advisory Board (YAB) is a new initiative from Youth Enquiry Service (YES) to promote and amplify the voice of young people aged 13-25 in High Wycombe.
Alongside the YES Board of Trustees, they share a commitment to ensuring that YES delivers its services to the highest standard across High Wycombe and the surrounding areas. By actively participating in decision-making, they help shape the organisation’s direction.
Board members are able to:
Work alongside professionals to provide advice, ideas and help YES make informed decisions from a youth perspective.
Influence decision making at trustee board level to ensure YES is moving in the right direction.
Co-produce communications and projects with YES to reflect the needs of young people.
Gain opportunities for personal development through skills training and valuable experiences.
Who can join the YES Youth Advisory Board?
YES is looking for young people between the age of 13 – 25 who live, study, or work in High Wycombe to become a board member of our Youth Advisory Board. We are selecting 8 young people to be a part of the board – especially those who have a passion for the youth voice in Wycombe.
We are also looking for young people who are team players and who are willing to partake in social media, events and activities that YES attend.
What will you get from being part of the YES Youth Advisory Board?
As a member of our Youth Advisory Board, you will:
Discuss issues with professionals: You will work closely with professionals at YES, to help them understand what young people think about the services we offer.
Develop your knowledge, skills and experience: You will gain valuable skills and experience, including leadership and public speaking skills. We will support you with your personal goals. You will be able to use this experience for your CV, and when applying for jobs or courses.
Meet new people: You will work alongside the other members on the YAB, YES staff members and Board of Trustees and will have opportunities to network with other professionals and service users across High Wycombe whilst attending events.
Make a real difference: You will be co-leading with our Board of Trustees on important decisions that affect the future of our service. You will be involved in developing new ideas and solutions to positively impact the youth of High Wycombe.
If I join, what will I have to do?
Between November 2024 and October 2025, members of the Youth Advisory Board will:
Partake in advisory board meetings (2-3 hours long) and working groups (1.5 hours): Youth Advisory Board meetings will be held monthly on a day that suits all members, and food will be provided. Working group meetings will be in-person or online and mainly focus on potential projects or ideas that have come from the YAB meeting. There will be support if you are unable to attend or have any difficulties.
Take part in skills training: Youth Advisory Board members will be given practical training to build key skills such as public-speaking, meeting facilitation and chairing. There will be many training opportunities for you take part in.
Present ideas and insights to Youth Enquiry Service: As a board you will work collaboratively to share your ideas and insights with YES, whilst working with the Board of Trustees and staff team to implement these.
Help Improve Youth Enquiry Service: You will be our leading voice for Youth Enquiry Service – we want to be a youth led and focused charity and you will play a huge role in achieving this.
Will I be reimbursed for my time?
Youth Advisory Board members are not paid roles; however, food (such as pizza) and drinks will be provided at our YAB meetings, and lunch will be either provided or reimbursed when you represent YES at events.
There is an end of term gift (a £50 MyWycombe gift card) for members who have attended at least 8 out of the 12 meetings.
How do I apply?
All applicants should apply via the application form to provide key information (eg. address, date of birth, contact details and diversity information). The form can be found below.
https://forms.office.com/e/QvHyx4eczE
As a part of this form, you will be asked to choose how you want to apply. There are 4 options, and you can choose what suits you best:
In writing: To apply in writing, you can complete written answers using the application form mentioned above.
Video: To apply with a video, you can create a short video (no more than 3 mins) to tell us who you are, why you want to join the Board and what you hope to bring to it. Please email your video file with your name in the title to Brandon.Tester@yeswycombe.org (you can use We Transfer if the file is too big to email).
Imagery: To apply with imagery, you can create a collage or piece of artwork to tell us who you are, why you want to join the Board and what you hope to bring to it. Please email your image file with your name in the title to Brandon.Tester@yeswycombe.org (you can use We Transfer if the file is too big to email).
Phone: To apply by phone, you can select this option in the online form, and we will contact you to arrange a time to gather your answers by phone.
The deadline for applications is 10th November 2024 but please apply as soon as you can as we are running an ongoing application process and will be contacting applicants within one week of application if they have been selected for an interview.
Please fill in the application form and email any additional files to Brandon.Tester@yeswycombe.org. If you have any questions or would like any support with the application form, please get in touch with Brandon, who will be happy to support you.
What happens next?
Once we receive your application, we will carry out simple telephone or video call interviews with a shortlist of applicants. All applicants will be informed within 1 week of submitting their application whether they have been selected for an interview.