Win a Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, Ipod or Top Vouchers!

You could win any one of these in 5 minutes and get your views on youth unemployment heard in just 5 minutes by taking the Edge Learner Forum survey.

The Edge Learner Forum’s Youth Commission investigation has 1 big focus: Employability. Our investigation wants to be a new solution to ‘the scourge of unemployment’ currently afflicting young people up and down the UK. It is a familiar situation for hundreds of thousands of young people, desperate to kick-start your career but held back by the recession and other factors beyond your control. Well now if you are 15-25 get your voice heard on the issue, we will bring the findings to Government to represent your views and you could easily win a great prize too.

The link for the survey is www.youthcommissionsurvey.co.uk

Looking for young leaders for exciting national programme

UnLtd is currently looking for young people aged 16-25 who would like the opportunity to join one of our Youth Leadership Teams, working in preparation to launch an exciting new national programme.
 
The opportunity offered is to play a key role in a programme which aims to engage over 20,000 young people across England, with a budget of £5 million pounds across 5 years.
 
The programme gives young people the opportunity to help themselves by helping others through their own entrepreneurial projects. By acting in a socially entrepreneurial way, young people can transform the way they are seen.
 
As part of the YLT you'll gain a range of new skills and experience, deciding which young people will benefit from the money as well as taking charge of promoting the entire programme and reaching out to young people to take part. It is entirely youth lead and you will be working as part of a team with other young people throughout the year.
 
This is your chance to get directly involved, have your say and put your own mark on a transformational project that will reach out to thousands of people and change young peoples’ lives.
 
The conclusion of the work will form guidelines of how to engage with young people which will be distributed to over a thousand major services and brands. The work you have helped produce will ultimately help to change the negative perceptions of young people.
 
So if you are eager to become a young leader or can recommend a young person to be involved in the programme please download an application pack to find out how young people can gain from being part of this exciting new opportunity. 

What do you think about the way that technology can empower young people?

Please click here to have your say!

The Youth of Today programme is conducting a survey of 13-25 year olds around the world to better understand how young people use information and communication technologies (ICTs). We are conducting the survey as part of our work on a publication on the subject (coming March 2010). Participation is very important and will influence the recommendations we make to educators, organisations and policymakers. It should take about 10 minutes to complete.

 The Youth of Today (www.theyouthoftoday.org) is a two-year project that aims to increase the quality, quantity and diversity of opportunities for young people as leaders of change in their communities. The project is being led by a consortium of seven organisations including the British Youth Council, the Citizenship Foundation, Changemakers, the National Youth Agency, the Prince’s Trust, the UK Youth Parliament and the Young Foundation. It is funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families and Communities and Local Government.

Launching The Youth of Today Campaign in Birmingham

Today, Tru Streetdance, a Birmingham streetdance company for 8 to 25 year olds, performed in Lionel Street to launch The Youth of Today Campaign, which recognises exceptional youth leadership and aims to inspire the next generation of young talent across England.  

The Youth of Today, a DCSF-funded body, has shortlisted the group for bringing together young people from different backgrounds in Birmingham. The streetdancers aim to empower young people through dance, giving them self-esteem and motivation. They perform and teach in schools, colleges, universities, youth centres and prisons.

A young woman called Toffee set the group up when she was 17 and it has been growing for 10 years now. Toffee now intends to pass on the leadership baton to another young person  - causing a ripple effect of youth leadership through the generations.

Toffee says it's not just about creating brilliant dancers - it's about running a business and creating young entrepreneurs to continue her work.

The Youth of Today will fund training for new Tru Streetdance members.  Tru StreetDance is in the final six out of 107 applicants for the funding.

The Youth of Today, of which Changemakers is proud to be a partner of, has some new research to support the launch. Visit: www.theyouthoftoday.org for more info.

Martin Luther King, Moses and Simon Cowell are three of our all-time greatest leaders

The Youth of Today survey, commissioned by The Prince's Trust, reveals that England footballer John Terry also made the teens top 10, whilst X Factor judge Simon Cowell won the same vote as Mother Theresa and 16th century Monarch Henry VIII.

The survey of 1,095 13 to 19-year-olds coincides with a new Government backed campaign to create a generation of inspirational young leaders.

England captain John Terry comments: 'I've always liked to lead by example. I take great pride and responsibility in being a leader. To organise and help others is one of my strengths. It's also great that young people see me in that way - I feel very privileged to be mentioned with some of the world's great leaders.'

Helping to launch The Youth of Today campaign, John Terry adds: 'It can be tough for young people at the moment. Projects like this that develop self-esteem and leadership ability are really important.'

Ghurka champion Joanna Lumley and business guru Sir Alan Sugar also made the teens' top 10, while Barack Obama and Nelson Mandela came in the top three with Martin Luther King.

Joanna Lumley comments: 'I'd never thought of myself as a leader but I am thrilled and touched that young people think of me that way. It goes to show that if you're passionate enough about something you can shine a light on the subject and make things happen.'

The Youth of Today campaign will encourage hundreds of young people to become leaders, from sports coaches to public speakers, as well as inspiring many more across the country, and creating opportunities including shadowing Government Ministers.

According to the survey, 70 per cent of teenagers claim they are more likely to be inspired by someone they know than by a celebrity, challenging popular perceptions of British youth.

Two in three (67 per cent) believe there are more celebrities setting a bad example than good today. Sixty four per cent are inspired by someone in their family.

Adam Nichols from The Youth of Today comments: 'People think that youth today only aspire to be like celebrities but they're wrong. This campaign will give young people more inspiration closer to home.'

He adds: 'Shows such as The X Factor prove that Britain really does have young talent - but we cannot rely on The X Factor alone. We need to find new ways to unearth the next generation of potential.'

Seven leading youth organisations have joined forces to launch The Youth of Today campaign, led by The Prince's Trust, including the British Youth Council, Changemakers, Citizenship Foundation, National Youth Agency, Young Foundation and the UK Youth Parliament.

The Youth of Today, funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, aims to increase the quality, quantity and diversity of opportunities for young people as leaders of change in their communities.

Joanna Lumley adds: 'There is more pressure on young people today than ever before. We need to discover and encourage young leaders who will rise up in these difficult times and show that there is no problem too big to be sorted, nothing to be afraid of, and that help is available from the most unexpected people.'

The top leaders were chosen largely because they were inspirational and had helped others, with other popular qualities including fairness and intelligence. Bill Gates also featured in the teens' top leaders.

For more information, visit www.theyouthoftoday.org

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