Contact the Participation Team

The Participation Team promotes the participation of young people in democracy and decision-making and in the community.

Also of interest...

The Participation team promotes the active involvement of young people in democracy and decision-making and in their communities. Our key partners include the Local Government Association, the Department for Education and Skills and other national and local government organisations, as well as Participation Works and The Big Lottery Fund.

We have two key principles about participation. First, that children and young people have the right to have their views heard and taken seriously through a process of dialogue; and second that this dialogue should lead to tangible change.

The team includes a pool of trainers and consultants, who work with the participation project officer, development officers and team manager to design and deliver relevant training and support packages to a wide range of organisations in the statutory and voluntary sector, national, regional and local.

Promoting children and young people's participation, influence and place in society:

In local, regional and national policy and practice

  • Training
  • Consultancy
  • Presentations
  • Campaigns

In governance and management of youth-serving bodies

  • Standards for active involvement: Hear by Right
  • Publications and good practice resources

In the development of communities and cultures

  • By promoting active citizenship, inclusion and community cohesion

By supporting young people's informal learning and skills

  • Skills for children and young people on active involvement: Act by Right and community leadership training

We offer training and consultancy to national Government Departments and to local authorities and other organisations that are working with young people and that are aspiring to include them in developing and delivering services. This support includes:

  • Board and Directors: presentation or short seminars on the rights of children and young people and the potential benefits of their active involvement; hearts and minds and introducing the Hear by Right strategic planning tool for taking forward children and young people's participation in the work of the organisation.
  • Staff development: from half or one day starters on the what/why/how of participation of children and young people, including the wider context and action planning by participants; can include follow up days, considering progress, barriers etc and moving toward considering organisational issues to help establish the culture of sustainable involvement.
  • Strategic planning: introducing Hear by Right's standards framework for the strategic mapping and planning for the active involvement of children and young people in the organisation's work. A process as long or as short as required and linking to the above two, but requiring senior agreement and buy in to the process.
  • Skills for children and young people: using Act by Right, an accredited resource developed with young people for promoting skills for the active involvement of children and young people in making change happen. The Participation Team works closely with organisations to help design, deliver and evaluate relevant training for children and young people themselves, as well as undertaking training directly as needed.
  • Support materials: the participation team has produced a range of support materials to promote and help establish best practice on the active involvement of children and young people. Some can be downloaded from www.nya.org.uk/participation.
  • Promotion of good practice: we are committed to promoting and enabling good practice through our Hear by Right web pages, national publications and through The NYA pages of the weekly youth work magazine, Young People Now. We are a lead partner in developing the Government supported online participation practice centre for promoting effective and sustainable participation practice and policy. See the Hear by Right web pages: www.nya.org.uk/hearbyright.

Team Contact details

  • Bill Badham, National Programme Manager, Hear by Right, Act by Right, What's Changed Neighbourhod Renewal, votes@16 Tel: 0116 242 7409
  • Lisa Souter, Information Officer, What's Changed, Hear by Right, Act by Right Tel: 0116 242 7475
  • Harry Wade, Development Officer, Participation Works, Hear by Right, Act By Right, What's Changed, Tel: 0116 242 7405
  • Zelda Heney, Development Officer, Hear by Right, Act by Right, What's Changed, Schools Tel: 0116 242 7434
  • Fran Farrar, Development Officer, Hear by Right, Act by Right, What's Changed, Libraries, Health Tel: 0116 242 7434
  • Jake Manning, Development Officer, Participation Works, Hear by Right, Act by Right, What's Changed, Tel: 0116 242 7443
  • Jackie O’Brien, Project Officer, Participation Works Tel: 0116 242 7410
  • Melody Hossaini, Project Officer, Participation Team, Tel: 0116 242 7437
  • Nicola Colligan, Team Administrator, Participation Team, Tel: 0116 242 7406
  • Helen Cutting, Administrator Participation Works Tel: 0116 242 7455
  • E-mail the Participation Team trainers.




Young Researcher Network website
Youth Work 4 Health
Find out more about Hear By Right and What's Changed
Youth Information