British Youth Council

As the National Youth Council of the UK, the [http://www.byc.org.uk British Youth Council (BYC)] aims to support all young people in the UK to exercise their right to participate in decisions which affect them and to have a voice on issues about which they have a strong opinion.

BYC promotes the active citizenship of young people, working with them to develop their skills and abilities to participate in decision-making and controlling recourses, encouraging them to work together to take collective action.

BYC is an organisation that represents young people in the UK under 25. Run by young people for young people, BYC exists to represent the views of young people to government and decision-makers at a local, national, European and international level; and to promote the increased participation of young people in society and public life.

Founded in 1948, BYC is an umbrella body for around , [http://www.byc.org.uk/submenu.asp?id=7&menuid=51&subid=62 150 member youth organisations] representing approximately 4-5 million young people. These include local youth councils and large youth organisations such as the Scouts, the National Union of Students and youth wings of Trade Unions.

BYC is about the voice of young people - representing themselves through activities such as [http://www.byc.org.uk/submenu.asp?id=3&menuid=36&subid=325 Young People in Parliament Events] , having their voices heard by politicians and policy makers.

BYC champions positive images of young people's actions and views through our media volunteers, trained to promote the work of young people and BYC, and through initiatives that celebrate young people's achievements such as the Royal Society of Arts Young Leader Awards.

BYC supports young people on many different levels, such as providing young people with [http://www.byc.org.uk/v v volunteering opportunities] , [http://www.byc.org.uk/submenu.asp?id=6&menuid=65&subid=79 other opportunities 4 young people] , newsletters to keep young people up-to-date with what's happening through the [http://www.byc.org.uk/submenu.asp?id=5&menuid=15&subid=70 BYC BULLETin] and [http://www.byc.org.uk/submenu.asp?id=3&menuid=84&subid=376 X-ACT e-news] , [http://www.byc.org.uk/menubyc.asp?id=5&menuid=15 In the News] -news relevant to young people and more! BYC works on a [http://www.byc.org.uk/menubyc.asp?id=1&menuid=7 global level] as well.

BYC provides a wide range of [http://www.byc.org.uk/menubyc.asp?id=6&menuid=34 training courses] to meet the needs of young people; enabling them to make a difference.

British Youth Council (BYC) is also a member of the European Youth Forum (YFJ) which brings together National Youth Councils and Organisations from around Europe

External links

* [http://www.byc.org.uk/ BYC Official Website]