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Youth Combined Authority
Your city region needs you!
Last year, Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram established Liverpool City Region’s first ever Youth Combined Authority (YCA).
Over the past 12 months its members have been meeting online in small groups to discuss the five Mayoral priority areas: Economic Development, Employment and Skills, Energy and the Environment, Culture, and Transport.
They’ve also been meeting with other young people from across the city region and feeding their views back to the Combined Authority, in order to influence its policies and decisions.
As some people have moved on there are now a number of vacancies on the YCA so if you live in Halton, Knowsley, Sefton or St Helens, and are aged between 13 and 18 (or 13 and 25 if you have special educational needs and or a disability), then we want to hear from you!
An audio descriptive version of the video is here
What are the benefits?
There are lots of benefits to being a member of the Liverpool City Region Youth Combined Authority.
Some of the most important are:
- You get to have your say over the big decisions that will shape the future of our area
- As our group will be youth-led, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to shape how the group works and the issues it focuses on. If you’re part of a youth group or association already, it provides a platform to highlight some of the work you’ve been doing to a bigger audience
- It gives you lots of opportunities to develop and enhance key life and job skills like communication, understanding people, problem solving, to name but a few.
- The Liverpool City Region Youth Combined Authority will form part of the National Youth Combined Authority (NYCA), meaning you’ll have the chance to meet and work with young people from across England
- You get the chance to make new friends and meet people with similar interests to you
- Being a member of the group will enhance your CV
FAQs
Two hours per week with commitments to weekend meetings/events from time to time. There may also occasionally be tasks to do or catch ups to hold outside of these meetings.
Opportunity to have a say is great as a young person.
- Makes you feel close to power, like you have a voice
- Group is accessible, you don’t have to go through long-winded processes to be elected etc.
- Allows you to develop important life skills around research, communication etc.
- Helps you to build confidence.
- Helps you to build skills for work and for life more generally. Looks good on your CV too!
- Fun to meet people from diverse backgrounds who have similar interests
- Helps to broaden your horizons and understand in more detail what is happening
- Outlet for interest in certain issues, e.g. politics, climate etc.
- Fun to debate
We want the YCA to be youth led so it will be determined by the group. Please be aware that you would need to commit to that chosen day of the week. Meetings would take place in the evenings during the week, but as some YCA members will need to travel home from school or work, they will take place after 5pm. We’ll ask you for your general availability on your expression of interest form.
We understand that from time to time, you may not be able to attend. However, as a rule we say you won’t be able to miss more than three sessions, unless this has been discussed with us in advance and there is a valid reason for your absence.
No, meetings will be outside of school/college time. Any commitments for school or for education will be acknowledged, e.g. if you have to go on a school trip, parental concerns around exam preparation etc. and we will work around these.
The meetings will be mainly online but we would like to meet in person at least once a term. We understand that members of the YCA will be from different parts of the city region so we would base any in person meetings in a location accessible to public transport, e.g. the offices of the Combined Authority where the Metro Mayor is based.
Yes, although the exact process for this is still to be finalised. You would either be provided with a ticket in advance or reimbursed later.
Meeting will be a mix of fun activities, debate, training, media awareness. Emphasis on the fun!
Lots of the themes will be linked to the work of the Metro Mayor and the work of the Combined Authority so you get to have your say and influence the decisions he makes. (E.g. transport, climate, jobs and skills, housing). You’ll also be able to raise the issues that matter to you in your areas and use the group to raise these with the Metro Mayor.
You will be assigned particular tasks and jobs but these will vary from project to project so that you can develop different skills and confidence.
Yes, you will. They will be associated with the work that the CA and Metro Mayor are working on, but there is also an opportunity for you to bring ideas and campaigns of your own to the table.
Yes! We are here to help you to develop any skills you would like but also help you develop skills that will enhance career/life prospects, e.g. building confidence, public speaking, planning, research etc. The group will be a safe space to give your opinions and will be inclusive to all regardless of your background or ability. The group will be run by experienced youth workers. We want everyone to be able to have a voice.
The list is huge! This can range from learning how to run a survey to understanding your local area, through to being involved in events. You’ll have so much fun that you won’t even realise you’re learning and growing!
We would like to be able to work with you for two years, regardless of your age. For example, even if you turn 18 within that two-year period, we’d still want you to continue to be a member of the group.
You will need to complete an application and your responses to the questions will form a big part of the decision. A group of young people who the CA have already been working with will also be involved in making the decision. We will also need to consider ensuring that there is a fair representation of young people from across the city region so every borough (out of Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral) is represented.
As this is a new development, this is something we can discuss with you and you can help to shape what the next steps should look like.
No, it won’t be a barrier. On the application form, we ask you to tell us your needs so that we can best support you to be involved.
Yes, you can. Please tell us what support you need.
The link to the application form is here.
Yes please, there is a question on the application form for your parent/carer/guardian to give their consent and contact details, so we can inform them of any marketing, media, travel processes.
The deadline for applications to join the group is Sunday 24th July 2022 at 6pm. You will find out whether your application has been successful by August. The first meeting of the YCA would be September.
If you don’t get into the first YCA, we would still want to engage with you. The Youth Combined Authority is just one element of the Metro Mayor’s approach towards youth engagement. In addition, we have set up a network called Metro Mayor’s Youth Impact. It’s a more informal way in which young people and youth organisations engage with us. If you are not successful, you will become a member of Metro Mayor’s Youth Impact. You’ll hear from us from time to time to time with different opportunities to get involved in the work of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, e.g. via surveys and workshops. This will give you the chance to develop skills and ensure your voice is heard. This option might be more suitable if you can’t to commit to being a member of the YCA but still want to be involved.
As a general rule, we say that the group is for young people from 13 to 18 or 13 to 25 if you are from a SEND background or a young person who is looked after or in social care or support. We are however accepting applications from young people from the age of 11, so if you aren’t yet 13 – but are really keen to get involved – we’d encourage you to apply.
