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A group of young people laughing together outside on a bench. Group includes two black girls (one in a wheelchair), one black boy, and a white boy.

Our Activist Programme

YoungMinds Activists raise their voices about mental health and create change. Find out more about our Activist programme, what our Activists do and how to get involved.

 

Applications for our Activist programme are now closed.

Three people holding a placard which says 'creating change'. The person on the left is holding a small placard 'youth power' with the person on the right in a wheelchair holding a placard 'activating change = youth voice'

Activists are volunteers aged 14 to 25 who are passionate about mental health or have experienced challenges related to mental health in their lives. They campaign to create positive change, and help shape and influence the work we do.

Our Activists come from a range of backgrounds, cultures, ethnicities, sexualities and religions – everyone’s welcome and the diversity of our Activists is part of what makes the programme so exciting.

Applications for our Activist programme are now closed. To be the first to hear about new opportunities to work with us, sign up to our newsletter.

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About the Activist programme

A young Black woman in a wheelchair talking to a young Black man on a bench in the park. The woman is laughing while the man explains something.

The Activist programme is designed to support young people to: 

  • connect with their activism
  • learn new skills
  • get involved in campaigning for change
  • try new things
  • discover new interests and talents

Take a look at some of the skills and experiences our Activists gain on the programme.

  • I felt really alone and powerless in my struggles. Joining YoungMinds as an Activist gave me an avenue to make change.
    Georgia, Activist
  • It was the first moment I felt like I had real influence. It was special because, when you have depression, you don’t feel like much of what you do has an impact on the world.
    Aaliyah, Activist
A Black teenage boy wearing a hearing aid speaking to a white non-binary teenager. They are walking on the street outside a shop. Both people are smiling.

What do Activists do on the programme?

Our Activists take part in the programme for a minimum of 12 months, but most stay on for the full three years of the programme.

There are lots of opportunities on the programme to get involved with the work of YoungMinds, connect with other Activists and build plenty of new life skills and experiences.

Take a look at some of the opportunities they get to take part in.

Activist commitments

Activists are expected to make the following commitments on the programme:

  • Social Action Week

    Attend a minimum of four Social Action online sessions. Attending these sessions is an essential part of the programme.

  • Induction training

    Attend four online induction sessions to set you up with the skills you'll need for the programme.

  • Workshops

    Take part in at least eight workshops every year.

  • Activist care circles

    Participate in two care circles across the year.

  • Influencing

    Take part in one of our external influencing opportunities every year.

  • Social media

    Follow our Activist pages on social media and join the conversations there.

  • Digital participation

    Take part in at least four digital participation opportunities every year (e.g. an online survey).

Whenever Activists volunteer with us in-person, they have their travel costs paid and refreshments provided. All Activists are invited to join our Alumni Network when they graduate or leave the programme.

Activists have our full support - our team are extremely passionate about keeping youth voices at the heart and centre of what we do. We work with Activists to bring about powerful opportunities to support young people to uplift their stories and inspire social action!
Shanea Oldham

More opportunities for young people

Take a look at some of the other ways you can get involved as a young person with our work.

 

  • A white non-binary teenager laughing with an older Black woman in a professional setting.

    Become a Youth Adviser

    Youth Advisors work alongside YoungMinds staff, making sure that everything we do is done in partnership with young people.

  • Three people sitting and laughing on the sofa.

    Join our Youth Panel

    Our Youth Panel discuss the big picture questions about our organisation and shape the future of our work.

  • A person writing in a notebook.

    Write for YoungMinds

    Take a look at the opportunities we have to share your mental health story by writing for YoungMinds.

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