Who better to help us capture the voice, views and experiences of children and young people but young people themselves?

Using your skills, knowledge and experience, you can help us design and develop tools, workshops, surveys, and activities to capture what children and young people think of a service and what improvements need to be made.

Why do we need YDA?

We want to make sure we’re providing the very best for Darlington’s children and young people, and your voice can help to shape what that looks like.

We would love for you to join us to give your thoughts on our services and future projects to make them as amazing as possible for you.

From the start of the process, right up to the final evaluation, it would be great to know what you think.

Who can be a YDA?

Our YDA Board should be made up of children and young people across a range of ages. This includes:

• Anyone aged 13- 19-years-old
• Care leavers aged up to 25
• Young people with a EHCP or SEN support plan aged up to 25

We hope to create a Board with a wide and diverse membership of between 8 and 10 young people, from a range of backgrounds and with a variety of interests, hobbies, experiences and aspirations.

Some young people maybe living away from home, be care leavers and some may have disabilities or care for family members. However, all should be passionate about making a change for the better and getting the best outcomes for children and young people.

What commitment will be required?

We know young people have many commitments such as school, college, hobbies, family, and friends, so we have tried to make the application process as easy as possible.

One you've done the training, the amount of time you spend on projects will depend on your interest and your availability.

Most projects will take place on evenings, weekends and during school holidays, so you won’t need to take time off school or college.

Interested in becoming a YDA?

Complete an expression of interest form and forward to[email protected]