Youth Advisory Board Member

Join Sculpt as a Youth Advisory Board Member!

About us

Sculpt is a UK-based charity providing research, training and work-experience opportunities that empower young people to shape their own futures and those of their communities. As the role of young people in the organisation is crucial, we have an independent Youth Advisory Board (YAB) that evaluates and steers our work. The YAB consists of young people from different backgrounds and experiences who are aware of the problems facing young people today and want to do something positive about them.  

About the Youth Advisory Board

Sculpt’s YAB is a group of passionate young people with a keen interest in youth issues who bring their insight and voice to the issues we work on. Their role is to constantly review, monitor, and quality control our work in order to ensure it remains youth–led and effective. 

Members of the YAB support us by:

• Providing a voice, ideas and insight to help ensure our work is relevant to the needs of young people

• Working together to advise and provide insights on social issues from a variety of perspectives

• Applying their life experiences in the development of socially positive causes

• Problem-solving and evaluating existing decision-making to refine ideas and initiatives

• Helping us raise awareness of our work among other young people

What we can offer you:

• Valuable volunteering experience and a chance to work as a collective team to do rewarding work 

• Chance to develop a variety of highly transferable skills, from leadership and decision-making, to conflict management, communication and more

• Opportunity to gain valuable insight into how a charity is run and to engage with a diverse team of professionals, the CEO and board of trustees 

• Learn about a variety of different societally impactful projects

• Opportunity to represent Sculpt at conferences and events     

If you are interested in the problems facing young people, joining Sculpt’s YAB is a great way to gain experience volunteering in an advisory role at an NGO, as well as to influence the work we do. 

Current YAB team: 

We currently have six YAB members. Within this, we have a Chair of the YAB, Vice chair of the YAB, and 4 general members. 

What would I do? 

The YAB meets monthly to discuss Sculpt’s current work and projects, as well as hear about the different opportunities available to Advisory Board members. An agenda is prepared and shared in advance. Meetings are usually held online but we sometimes meet in person. 

As a member of the YAB, you will gain first-hand experience of being part of a youth-led organisation. From providing input into and evaluating our programmes, to designing new campaign and social media ideas, you will have the opportunity to develop your written and communication skills and shape what we do to serve young people. All training offered by Sculpt is open and free to Advisory Board members. Please note that being a YAB member is a volunteer role. 

Travel expenses for in-person meetings are reimbursed, and we make adjustments where needed to remove barriers to participation. This can include providing support/ assistance for online participation or covering the costs of a personal assistant/carer or interpreter/translator if YAB members use one, for example. 

About the open roles

We are currently hiring for YAB General Members. Please read the role description below to determine if it will fit your interests and experiences. However, please do not be discouraged from applying if you have limited prior work experience or knowledge in these areas. We are most interested in finding candidates who are passionate about our work and are eager to learn.

YAB General Member

As a YAB General Member, you will ensure that Sculpt pursues its organisational objectives, provide strategic direction to the organisation’s work, and attend meetings and prepare for them in advance if needed. There will be opportunities to get involved in various areas of our work across fundraising, programme design and evaluation, policies, communications, and social media. 

The Sculpt team will help facilitate the collaboration with the YAB and bring you opportunities to contribute to. At the same time, we are always open to hear your thoughts and advice on how we can continue being effective and responsive. You will be well-supported by us, other YAB members, and the YAB Chair. 

Looking for young people 14-25 years old, with a focus on those 14-18 years old (but young people up to 25 years can apply).

We also want to add that members must be available for an online meeting once a month at either lunchtimes or early evenings. - this is to manage expectations as the younger age people will have less control over their own diaries/timings as it will depend on school, parents, hobbies etc

How to apply

We can’t wait to receive your application and learn more about you! Please make sure to include:

●     A short CV (max. one A4 page)

●     A cover letter explaining your interest in the position – this is more important than having prior experience! (max. one A4 page) 

Upon successful appointment, two character references will be requested. These do not have to be from previous employers. We want to hear from someone who knows you and can speak to your character and abilities.

Sculpt is an inclusive organisation and we embrace diversity because we know that bringing together people with different experiences, perspectives and backgrounds will lead to even greater results for young people. We encourage applications from young people from all backgrounds, identities and lived experiences including those who are LGBTQIA+, Black, Asian or another minority ethnicity, disabled, young carers, refugees, and from low-income backgrounds.

The application deadline is 8th of December 2024.

We look forward to hearing from you!