Voice and Influence

Young People’s Voice

The RYWU co-ordinates UK Youth Parliament in the South West region. The 33 Members of Youth Parliament and 52 Deputies meet regularly as a regional group and produce an annual regional manifesto setting out their main priorities for the year. Every year new MYPs participate in a regional residential to help them understand their new role. South West MYPs  also take part in the Annual Sitting for UKYP and an annual debate in the House of Commons.

We support young people in having a voice in local, regional and national policy making, working with regional bodies to enable young people to be represented in regional events.

We organise training for those working with children and young people to support involvement of young people in decision making. Toolkits and materials and participation videos produced through these training programmes can be downloaded from our web-site.





Youth Participation Network

This regional network is open to workers whose role includes promoting young people's voice and influence, and is a great forum for sharing information and keeping up to date with developments in participation. The network meets three times a year, with regular updates between meetings. For further details, please contact Sharon Adams, Youth Work and  Participation Specialist.

Participation Projects

The Sounds Positive Project, funded by Big Lottery Fund is helping us to support young people's voice in the media in the South West region and promote positive images of young people.

somewhereto_  is a project to match young people with dreams and aspirations of a creative, social or sporting nature with spaces where their dreams can become reality.  With funding from the Legacy Trust we are collecting a bank of potential spaces and invite young people to register their interest in finding the right space for them.  To view the spaces available in the South West, please click here.

Voice of youth organisations

The Regional Youth Work Unit promotes youth work through our Youth Work Works publications. We represent the interests of youth work providers and commissioners in our relationships with regional and national bodies.  We co-ordinate regional responses to relevant government initiatives and host and promote regional consultation events for the youth work field.