Youth Voice Network – FAQs for young people

The Youth Voice Network is for young people – that's anyone aged 11 to 24 living in England or Wales.

We want our network to have lots of different people in it from all kinds of backgrounds. When you join, we’ll help you feel comfortable and ready to take part.

If you’re under 16, your parent or guardian will need to give their consent for you to join.

Yes. We'll always make sure there are lots of ways for you to take part, no matter how you're feeling. We always want you to feel safe and comfortable.  

If you've signed up to do something, but then don't feel up to it, that's no problem. You can always take part another time – we'll be here.

We'll always make sure you feel safe and comfortable taking part in events or opportunities.

Before an opportunity, we will:

• Let you know the time, date and location, as well as what we might talk about, so you can decide whether the it’s right for you.
• Send you a consent form (for your parent or carer to sign too if you're under 16).
• Get you to fill in a health form (for your parent or carer to sign too if you're under 16) – this is where you can tell us about your mental health and what you'd like us to do if you need help or support. It will also include an emergency contact number for us to ring in case we're worried you might be at risk of harm.
• Answer any questions you have.

During an opportunity, we'll:

• Make sure there are enough staff members there.
• Make sure you understand when we might need to ring your emergency contact or break confidentiality to keep you safe.
• Support you to do what's best for you. If you need to stop or take a break, you'll have our full support. A member of staff will contact you to check in on your wellbeing.

After an opportunity, we will:

• Send you a voucher to say thank you.
• Send you a feedback form.
• Let you know next steps.
• Help you find support if you need it. We might recommend one of our Local Mind services or share useful resources.

If there's anything we can do to make it easier for you to take part, get in touch at [email protected]  

We do sometimes share what young people say – in our reports, campaigns, on our website, in a video or podcast, or on social media.

We'll always ask your (or your parent or guardian's) consent before we share anything publicly. 

Usually we share things anonymously, so they won't have your name or any information about you. If we'd like to share your name or photo, we'll always ask you first. 

If you say yes to sharing something publicly and then change your mind, we'll always do our best to remove it from the public. However, we might not always be able to do this – for example if a report has already been printed and shared.

We'll keep what you say confidential, unless we're worried about your or someone else’s safety.

If this happens, we may need to talk to your parent or guardian to make sure you get any support you need. We'll always try and talk to you about this first.

Contact us at [email protected] and ask for our confidentiality policy if you'd like to find out more.

It's the law and our organisational policy that we have to get consent from your parent or guardian if you're under 16.

If you're worried about this, let us know at [email protected]. We'll talk it through with you and see if there's anything we can do. 

To keep everyone safe, only people who are members of the Youth Voice network can come to our events or opportunities.

If you'd like to bring someone along for support, such as a parent, carer or trusted adult, please let us know by contacting us at [email protected]

Of course you can! The Youth Voice Network offers lots of opportunities for you to develop your skills – like working in a team, speaking in public, or writing. It also shows that you're passionate and working hard to champion young people's mental health.

We're always happy to write you a reference, if we can. Just get in touch at [email protected] or with the Mind staff member you've been talking to. 

We don't currently offer work experience at Mind. The best way to take part in our work is through the opportunities in the Youth Voice Network.

Under GDPR laws, you have the right to access all the information that we hold about you.

If you'd like to see this, email our Supporter Services team at [email protected].

You can read more about your legal rights to access your personal information here. 

No, it won't cost you any money. It's free to join. And if you take part in any events or opportunities, we'll pay for your costs – like food or travel. 

If you take part in one of our events or opportunities, we'll give you a voucher to say thank you. The voucher and the amount depends on the opportunity.

Sometimes we offer things like training and development opportunities to say thank you too. 

Just email us your new email address on at [email protected]

You can have up to 2 emails to your account. If you'd like to add an email, just let us know. And tell us if there's one you'd prefer us to use.  

We'll let you know when your email has been updated.

You can leave the Youth Voice Network at any time. Just click the unsubscribe button at the bottom of one of our emails. Or send us an email at [email protected]