Lead where you stand, because real change starts right where you are.

From Experience to Impact.

We don’t just centre youth voice for the sake of it, we do it because the people closest to the problem are often closest to the solution.

YOUTHOOD’s Young Leaders Board is made up of 14–25-year-olds who have lived through the systems we’re working to change; from schools and social care, to youth justice, housing, and health. They’ve navigated the barriers, gaps, and inconsistencies that too often define the adolescent experience. Now, they’re using that experience to build something better.

This isn’t leadership for show. It’s leadership with purpose.

Our Young Leaders help co-design YOUTHOOD’s delivery work and campaigns, contribute to policy development, and shape how we create spaces that feel safe, accessible, and real. They help make sure our work reflects not only what young people want, but what they’ve lived through and learned from. Because when systems don’t work, those who’ve felt it most should be the ones helping fix it.

That’s why we don’t just invite young people in.
We build with them, and we lead where we stand.

How We Lead Together

Our Young Leaders don’t just contribute ideas, they shape how YOUTHOOD operates. But meaningful youth leadership doesn’t mean doing everything; it means understanding where power is shared, where it's held, and where it's influenced. That’s why we’re clear about the different types of leadership within our model: some things are youth-led, some co-created, and some staff-led with transparency and accountability. This clarity ensures we build trust, balance, and purpose into how we work together.

There are areas of our work where Young Leaders take full creative and strategic ownership, with the YOUTHOOD team offering support behind the scenes. This includes developing the annual Young Leaders Agenda, a guiding set of priorities that reflect the issues young people care about most. Young Leaders also lead on designing events and creative resources for peers, advising on how we make our spaces feel inclusive and safe, and influencing how youth voice is embedded across the charity. These areas are driven by the insight, values, and lived experiences of the Board itself.
Some parts of YOUTHOOD’s work are co-created, built in true partnership between Young Leaders and staff. Campaigns like Katalyst and Off Topic are shaped through shared planning and delivery, while youth consultations, policy ideas, and public messaging are crafted together through dialogue and collaboration. From shaping how we talk about our work to making sure our partnerships align with youth values, this is where shared ownership thrives, rooted in trust and mutual respect.
There are also areas that must remain staff-led, particularly where legal responsibility, compliance, or risk are involved. Governance decisions, charity structure, financial oversight, safeguarding systems, and core organisational planning are managed by the CEO and senior team. However, transparency remains central to our model. Young Leaders are invited to share insight, involved in key decision-making, and supported to understand how these structures work, because building youth power includes demystifying the systems behind the scenes.