British Youth Council (BYC)

What is the BYC?

BYC membersThe British Youth Council (BYC) the views of young people to the government, decision makers and the media. It's an umbrella body and is made up of a large number of youth groups, including uniformed organisations, political parties, youth clubs and the National Union of Students. There's more information here: www.byc.org.uk.

The BYC has four aims:
  • provide a voice for young people
  • promote equality for young people
  • help young people be more involved in decisions that affect their lives
  • advance young peoples participation in society and civic life.
As the largest uniformed organisation in the UK, Girlguiding UK sends a full delegation to BYC meetings. The delegation is made up of Senior Section members selected from each Country/Region. As a member of the Senior Section you could be part of this! Through BYC your views can be taken forward into the wider community, you can have your voice heard and make a difference.

Recent BYC activity

BYC Annual Council Meeting, 3 September 2011: London
Members of the BYC meet every year to prioritise campaigns for the coming year, and to elect the trustees of the charity. The day began with a review of the past twelve months, given by President of the BYC, Liam Preston. The BYC has managed to increase its press coverage and continue the work it is involved in despite difficult financial times for the charity sector. Membership of the BYC has increased by 23 per cent in the past year. We then had a discussion of over fifty potential campaigns, which we then had to rank in order of importance.

The top three campaigns for the coming year are
- Votes at 16
- Affordable public transport
- End poverty in our communities

We then elected the trustees of the BYC who will work to push these campaigns in the media and with the government.

Tell us your views!

The BYC delegation need your views and ideas so that we can best represent you - our members! They gather the views of our members at regional events through workshops and surveys but are always keen to hear from people directly - you can contact the delegation by emailing byc@girlguiding.org.uk. or visit www.byc.org.uk.