Have Your Say. Make a Difference. Join the YouCan Advisory Group

Matthew Project
10 hours ago
2 min read

Are you a young person currently supported by the YouCan service, or have you been supported in the past? Do you want to help shape YouCan so it can provide the best possible support to young people?

The YouCan Advisory Group gives you the chance to share your ideas, make real changes, and have your voice heard. You’ll work alongside our team to help improve the service for other young people affected by a family member’s drug or alcohol use.

The next meeting is on Tuesday 10th March, 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm, and we’d love for you to join us!

What is the YouCan Advisory Group?

The YouCan Advisory Group is a space where young people help shape how the YouCan service works. It’s all about listening to your ideas, experiences, and suggestions so we can improve support for young people affected by substance use in their families and reach those who need our support.

This group is open to young people aged 11+ who are currently supported by YouCan or have been in the past. When you join, you’ll work alongside staff to help make decisions and improvements.

What happens at meetings?

Meetings usually take place every two months online and last around one hour.

Sometimes, if we’re working on a project together, we might meet more often. Occasionally, we meet in person or take part in a fun activity as a thank you for your time and input.

What will you have your say on?

You don’t need to have all the answers, just your honest views. Together, we might explore things like:

How can YouCan be more inclusive and welcoming for everyone?
How can we reach more young people who need support for a family member’s substance use?
How can we make social media, leaflets, and our website more young-people friendly?
What works well already, and what could be better?

Your experiences can help improve support for other young people in similar situations.

What’s expected from you?

If you join the advisory group, we ask that you:

Care about making a positive difference for other young people
Share your ideas, opinions, and experiences
Work with us to improve the service
Try to attend sessions every two months

There’s no pressure. If you miss a session because of exams, college, work, or life, that’s completely fine.

What’s in it for you?

Joining the YouCan Advisory Group can help you:

Meet other young people with similar experiences
Build confidence speaking in a group
Gain experience for your CV, college, sixth form, university, or job applications
Have a safe space to talk about things that matter to you
Help improve support for yourself and other young people