Questions and Answers
During the briefing event, there were lots of questions that were asked. Forgotten the answer, or struggled to find a pen, don’t worry... we’ll endeavour to get all your questions online, with answers of course! If your question isn’t on here, drop us an email on info@youngadvisors.org.uk and we’ll stick it on.
How do you set up a YA project?
You can find all the information you should need in the I want to set up section of the website. Remember, you can always call in if you have any additional questions.
How can you recruit young people to become Young Advisors?
As mentioned in the briefing event, time scales are tight, so you might want to head hunt your Young Advisors on this occasion. There are however lots of tips on our recruitment fact sheet.
Is there a job description for Young Advisors?
Yes, it is intentionally very broad so their work can be truly youth led. Click here to get a copy.
Can Young Advisors work beyond their NDC neighbourhood?
Yes. Young Advisors can work locally, regionally and nationally. The charity will help tap them into national work, and local YA projects can team up for regional pieces of work. Encouraging Young Advisors to work at different levels will help support their professional development.
Does being a Young Advisor affect their or their families benefits?
Welfare advice is a complex field with ever changing rules and regulations. You should work with a local benefits advice team to get the most accurate information. Our advice from Job Centre Plus however is:
‘If the young person is claiming Job Seekers Allowance then they should inform the Jobcentre that they are working 4 hours and earning £8. It could then be deducted from the young persons JSA but would not affect the parents benefits/income. There is also a chance that Jobcentre will tell them they have to be prepared to give up the 4 hours if they were offered a full time position otherwise they could lose their entitlement to JSA completely.
If they are not claiming any benefits ie they are under 16, then its not a problem at all, just like having a paper round.
If the young person is at college and claiming EMA , again it's not a problem for them or the family.’
What are the conditions when you employ someone under the age of 16?
In response to your questions, we have developed a FactSheet to help give you the basics of employing young people aged 16 and under.
How do you ensure that Young Advisors are not seen as a grass?
The job of a Young Advisor is not to support enforcement, but to find solutions to regeneration problems. It is important that they are supported in this aim, and not seen as a mechanism for intelligence gathering on their peer group. Remember young people who are very close to the problems in neighbourhoods and communities will be better placed to find innovative solutions.
Can you use NDC money to illustrate sustainability?
Yes, NDC funding can be used to enhance the sustainability of your Young Advisors project. You should consider however what will happen after NDC funding, and make sure they are creating a sustainable model right from the beginning. The best, most sustainable projects operate a full cost recovery model where young advisors charge for all the time they work.
How do we include and support those that are excluded?
Much of the direct delivery in ensuring your team is inclusive will be delivered by you and your team of mentors. The charity will complete a pre-training meeting however to ensure the learning is accessible to all participating young people.
How do we maintain protection or manage self disclosure?
It is recognised that many young people will make their points through self disclosure. This forms part of the training, encouraging young people to be aware of how much they disclose, how they do it and when.
How many hours a week are leads likely to have to put into the project?
Having a team of good mentors will reduce the amount of time required by the lead individually. It is common that during the initial set up stages, leads might spend up to 1-2 days per week setting up the project. Once the project is established however, this could be as little as half a day per week. It is important to recognise however the more support the project receives, the better its achievements.
Could the training programme be accredited?
The training is currently recognised by central government as enabling young people to work as Young Advisors. The charity is growing this recognition initially with the ASDAN awarding body.
What are the costs of training non-residentially?
The costs are relatively similar. There are economies delivering to 3 groups in one residential. Delivering to one group in a non residential means the training costs are no longer split 3 ways. The Young Advisors Charity would highly recommend delivering through a residential setting as it helps support the informal networks between YA projects, and offer a greater sense of importance to the initiative.
How can thematic Young Advisors be used as a revenue generator?
A model used by many YA projects is thematic Young Advisors. This is where a team will be made up of YAs who as well as generic YA work, will carry a specialism. You might therefore go to the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership in your authority and ask them for £2,000, this would pay for the YAs hours for a year assuming they worked 4 hours per week at £8 an hour. Asking for £3,000 would cover their training and residential costs as well... hey, why not be cheeky?
How do we manage arranging time off school for the YAs?
You can find a sample letter on page 23 of the Scheme Guidance. Schools, should they know the initiative well, are often keen for their students to be involved in such activity as it maps very closely to their PSHE/Citizenship work.
How de we recruit mentors, what is their role, do they get paid and how much time will it take up?
Mentors should be recruited from a broad cross section of organisations as this will help embed a culture of participation beyond the reach of the host agency. Try and get some senior staff on board as this will help affect change. Mentors are there to provide pastoral support to the Young Advisors. There is lots of help, support and guidance for mentors in the Induction Pack. It is recommended that the first piece of work for the Young Advisor is something that will benefit the mentor as this will cement the relationship, and give them something meaningful to work on. Mentors are not typically paid, and the amount of time should be agreed between the YA and the mentor.
Links to other elements of the Site:
To go back to the NDC home page, or click on a YA logo to go back to the YA home page.
As and when you ask questions, we will endeavour to get them online so everyone can benefit from the answers.
Want to see the presentations from the NDC Briefing Event?
The dates and information you will need to scheduling your training dates
Some pictures from the briefing day
There’s no such thing as a silly question...
