BYC is the National Youth Council of the UK giving young people a voice, influence and opportunities to take action on the issues they care about.
BYC has been around since 1948; more than six decades of empowering young people to have a say and be heard.
In 2008 we celebrated 60 years of our activities - that’s a lot of young people, youth issues, music, fashions, governments and politics.
We empower young people aged 25 and under to influence and inform the decisions that affect their lives. We support young people to get involved in their communities and democracy locally, nationally and internationally, making a difference as volunteers, campaigners, decision-makers and leaders.
We are young people – and our charity aims to help other young people, whatever their background or barriers they face, to make the world a better place for us all.
– Youth-led networks – BYC runs a number of youth-led networks and programmes – including the UK Youth Parliament, Young Mayor Network, Local Youth Council Network, National Scrutiny Group and Youth Select Committee – which encourage young people to get involved in democracy and campaign to bring about change.
– Campaigning and consulting – BYC seeks to represent the views of young people and our members to stakeholders and decision makers at a local, national and international level. This work is based on the rolling BYC Manifesto which outlines our beliefs and aspirations.
– Training and recognition – Our training programmes empower young people with the skills, knowledge and confidence to bring about change. We also recognise young people who have made a significant contribution to their community through our high-profile award schemes.
– International work – Through our international youth participation young people learn about global issues and connect and share with other young people around the world. They are able to take part in discussions and influence decisions made at an international level.
– Our huge membership of local youth councils, national youth organiastions and wide range of smaller youth-led and youth-serving organisations.
– By mobilising through our membership we have just consulted with nearly half a million young people for our ’Make Your Mark’ campaign.
Funded by eth UK Government, members, grants, Youth in Action/EC, paid service provision and corporate support.
