Improve your Practice Programme

Through this programme, we support youth workers to develop their skill and effectiveness in encouraging young people to participate.

Through expanding the range of methods they have to use and through receiving feedback from peers on their user involvement practice, participation workers’ confidence grows in their ability to help young people influence decision-making.

After participating in this extensive programme, your youth workers can expect:

• Increased confidence in their ability to help vulnerable young people participate in decision-making
• An expanded toolkit of methods to use with young people to encourage effective user involvement
• To receive support and advice from other youth workers concerned with youth participation
• To be able to develop the confidence of the young people they work with and their ability to both influence the important decisions that affect their lives and make a positive contribution to their community.

How the programme works: We run this programme with between eight and twelve youth workers from a particular geographical area. Monthly sessions are held for a one-year period.

During these sessions, participation workers:

• Reflect on their own practice and receive support and advice from their peers
• Learn by listening to the experiences of other workers and from the process of offering support and suggestions
• Receive training in new methods they can use to improve their own participation practice
• Discuss issues and concepts concerning authentic youth participation

At the end of the programme, participants have the confidence and ability to act as mentors to other youth workers in their area.

For more information on how you or your youth workers could improve their participation practice with young people, please email us at ypp@ica-uk.org.uk.

Facilitation Training For Youth Workers

ICA:UK offers a range of training courses to enable Youth Workers to develop their skill in facilitating meetings, workshops and events. For more information see our public facilitation training courses, or you can arrange your own in-house, tailored training.