Youth Advisory Council

Embedding young people's voices at the centre of our work.

What is YAC?

To bring voices of young people from across our network and beyond to help shape everything we do, ranging from assessing grant applications and award nominations to developing our five-year strategy.

We are committed as an organisation to continuously develop our youth engagement focus and deepen our work with our Young Advisors to ensure they contribute meaningfully to the growth and success of Ormiston Trust.

Currently, we have a fantastic group of approximately 15 current students, Ormiston alumnus, #iWill Ambassadors and external young people with social action experience living across England who meet online every six weeks.

Two young people presenting a Network of Organisations slide to adults in a formal meeting room

8 student-led projects funded

Directly funded 8 student-led projects in England via the YAC's Make a Difference Round 6 (MAD6) programme.

50+ young people involved

Over 50 young people have been part of our Youth Advisory Council or focus groups.

30+ project applications assessed

To date, Young Advisors have reviewed over 30 individual grant applications from our schools and partners.

3 young people hosted for work experience and internship

So far, we have hosted 3 young advisors as part of work experience or summer internship opportunities.

Benefits of becoming a Young Advisor

There are many benefits of becoming a Young Advisor, including:

Meet like-minded young people

Meet other like-minded young people with a passion for youth-led change and leadership

Access social action opportunities

Get involved in issues that matter to you and your community

Develop skills

Develop transferable skills and experiences

Get rewarded

Be rewarded for your time contributions to the YAC

Group of students and Ormiston staff gathered around a Connections: Building Community Bridges installation in an urban public space

Join Us

Are you a current or former Ormiston student aged 14-21, or a young person with student leadership or youth social action experience

Who would like to work with us to make a positive difference? If yes, then we would love to hear from you!

Please read the recruitment information below and if you are interested, complete the webform and we will be in touch.

Apply to join

What Happens Next?

We’ll review your application within 2 weeks
Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an informal chat
Successful applicants join our next induction session

Work With Us

We are always interested in engaging with wider youth and education sector partners to share best practice and exchange learning around youth engagement and student voice.

Please contact Dr Ray Wang, Lead for Youth Engagement, Partnerships and Programme Development if you would like to chat about any potential collaborations at rwang@ormistontrust.co.uk

Teachers and students collaborating over documents in a secondary school library

Power of Youth Charter

We are a proud supporter and match funder of the #iWill Movement.

As a Power of Youth Charter signatory alongside all four of our sponsored organisations, we committed to empowering our young people to create meaningful youth-led change for their peers and communities.

Read Our Commitments