Youth Members
Youth advocacy and engagement sits at the heart of our organisation and informs everything we do.
We support and encourage our youth members to participate in local community decision-making. For example, some of our youth members are representatives on the Derby Youth Voice Council, thereby influencing youth policies and strategies for the city.
We help our young members to build relationships with Derby’s decision-makers and to inspire other young people to take action on vital issues. They are also given the opportunity to network with other youth organisations. Read how Derby school pupils raise thousands for children caught in Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We even have youth representation, with full voting rights, on our Board of Trustees.
Our Mentors
“My journey through life hasn’t always followed ‘routine’. I have taken risks, stepped out of my comfort zone and changed direction which has shaped me in many different ways. I would like to use this experience as a mentor to develop, coach and support young people who might be at a crossroads or needing some guidance for their future.”Our mentors are a diverse group of professionals who live and work in Derby. They bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to their mentor roles. Our mentors have a wide variety of professional backgrounds – engineering, science, education, healthcare, social work, commerce and industry – which brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to their role. Our mentors completely understand the challenges and opportunities our young people will meet in their careers. This means they have the necessary skills to support and guide our young people in pursuing their career aspirations. Our mentors are lifelong learners who, throughout their careers, have underpinned their professions with training and qualifications. They have developed, grown and succeeded – also learning from their failures along the way. Consequently, they fully understand the progression paths that our young people are on and know how to support and guide their educational aspirations. Our mentors are well-prepared which requires them to:
- be DBS cleared
- undertake NSPCC Child Protection and Safeguarding Course
- undertake Prevent training
- complete mentoring training
- participate in monthly supervision and support sessions with a designated supervisor
Our Educators
We are fortunate to work with experienced teachers who volunteer, in their spare time, to provide extra study sessions for our young members. These teachers tailor their delivery to fill identified skills gaps and build confidence in learning. There is a strong emphasis on maths and English since these qualifications are essential for progression in education and careers. We have also increased the number of educators from STEM backgrounds so that we can help our young people to succeed in these subjects
Board of Trustees
Carol Campbell – Chair of Trustees, Founder and Director (RMN, RGN, Cert Ed. BSc (Hons), MSc)
Carol is passionate about helping young people to build bright futures. She is committed to delivering transformational changes. She is deeply committed to youth work, life skills development, and youth equality. Carol is a university postgraduate and university lecturer in Health. She is also an Independent Panel Member for a Fostering Panel and a school governor.