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Youth Combined Authority
Your city region needs you!
The Youth Combined Authority (YCA) meets online in small groups to discuss key issues affecting the Liverpool City Region.
These are split into five areas:
- Economical Development and Growth
- Employment and Skills
- Energy and the Environment
- Culture
- Transport
The group empowers the voice of young people in the Liverpool City Region by giving the opportunity for them to feed their views back to policy leads at the Combined Authority, influencing decision-makers.
Fill in the form below and a member of our team will contact you.
If you want to use your voice, why not consider joining?
We want to hear the opinions of young people from all backgrounds to represent the communities across our city region.
All you need is to be is aged between 13 and 18 (or 13 and 25 if you have special educational needs and or a disability) and live in the Liverpool City Region – that’s Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens or Wirral.
Interested in being part of the Youth Combined Authority?
Fill in our form below and we'll get in touch with more information.
Not sure it's for you?
Scroll through to hear from some of our members about why they joined…
FAQs
Two hours per week with commitments to weekend meetings/events from time to time. There may also occasionally be tasks to do or catch ups to hold outside of these meetings.
There are lots of benefits to being a member of the Liverpool City Region Youth Combined Authority. Here are just a few. You get to have your say over the big decisions that will shape the future of our area while tasking advantage of lots of opportunities to develop and enhance key life and job skills like communication, understanding people and problem solving.
The YCA is youth-led, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to shape how the group works and the issues it focuses on and if you’re part of any other groups, it also provides a platform to highlight some of the work you’ve been doing to a bigger audience enhancing your CV.
We form part of the National Youth Combined Authority (NYCA), meaning you’ll have the chance to meet and work with young people from across England.
And above all else, you get the chance to make new friends and meet people with similar interests to you.
The group meets online from 8pm to 9:30pm on Monday evenings during term time. There are occasional in person meetings at Mann Island in Liverpool City Centre that we will also let you know about.
We understand that from time to time, you may not be able to attend. However, as a rule we say you won’t be able to miss more than three sessions, unless this has been discussed with us in advance and there is a valid reason for your absence.
No, meetings are outside of school/college time. Any commitments for school or for education will be acknowledged, e.g. if you have to go on a school trip, parental concerns around exam preparation etc. and we will work around these.
The meetings are usually online but we also meet in person around once a term. We understand that members of the YCA will be from different parts of the city region so we base any in person meetings in a location accessible to public transport, e.g. usually the offices of the Combined Authority where the Mayor is based.
Yes, although the exact process for this is still to be finalised. You would either be provided with a ticket in advance or reimbursed later.
Meeting are a mix of fun activities, debate, training, media awareness. Emphasis on the fun!
You will be assigned particular tasks and jobs but these will vary from project to project so that you can develop different skills and confidence.
Yes, you will. They will be associated with the work that the CA and Metro Mayor are working on, but there is also an opportunity for you to bring ideas and campaigns of your own to the table.
Yes! We are here to help you to develop any skills you would like, but also help you develop skills that will enhance career/life prospects, e.g. building confidence, public speaking, planning, research etc. The group is a safe space to give your opinions and will be inclusive to all regardless of your background or ability. The group is run by experienced youth workers. We want everyone to be able to have a voice.
The list is huge! This ranges from learning how to run a survey to understanding your local area, through to being involved in events. You’ll have so much fun that you won’t even realise you’re learning and growing!
We would like to be able to work with you for two years, regardless of your age. For example, even if you turn 18 within that two-year period, we’d still want you to continue to be a member of the group.
This is something we can discuss with you and you can help to shape what the next steps should look like.
No, it won’t be a barrier. We can talk through your needs so that we can best support you to be involved.
Yes, you can. Please tell us what support you need.
Yes. We’ll run through the details we need when we contact you after we receive your expression of interest form.
The Youth Combined Authority is just one element of the Mayor’s approach towards youth engagement. There is also a network called Metro Mayor’s Youth Impact. It’s a more informal way in which young people and youth organisations engage with us. If you are not successful, you will become a member of Metro Mayor’s Youth Impact. You’ll hear from us from time to time to time with different opportunities to get involved in the work of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, e.g. via surveys and workshops. This will give you the chance to develop skills and ensure your voice is heard. This option might also be more suitable if you can’t commit to being a member of the YCA but still want to be involved.
As a general rule, we say that the group is for young people from 13 to 18 or 13 to 25 if you are from a SEND background or a young person who is looked after or in social care or support.
