East Sussex Youth Voice Group

We are pleased to announce that, following consultation with young people, we have developed a new model of an East Sussex Youth Voice Group. This will replace the East Sussex Youth Cabinet as of May 2026.

The new election process has been designed to ensure that young people aged 11-18 from across the county and from a wide range of backgrounds have meaningful opportunities to influence decisions that affect them.

The election process brings together:

Young people elected through schools to represent pupil voice within each district and borough, and
Young people elected from existing specialist youth voice groups are central to decision-making.

Elections will take place in the week of the 27th of April. All schools in East Sussex will be notified in February and asked to register. For more information, contact participation.team@eastsussex.gov.uk.

#EastSussexYouthVoiceGroups

Timeline of activities:

February	School registration
February/March	Promotion of the opportunity to stand for election
April/May	Election week begins on 27th April 2026
May	Election results and School Democracy Awards announced
June	The new East Sussex Youth Voice Group begins

The East Sussex Youth Voice Group will consist of up to 16 young people aged 11–18, made up of:

1. Six geographically elected representatives (via schools)
Young people will be elected through schools to represent the five local authority areas, proportionate to the number of children and young people living in each area, including:

Eastbourne – 1 representative
Hastings – 1 representative
Lewes – 1 representative

Rother – 1 representative
Wealden – 2 representatives

These elections will take place within schools, giving pupils a direct opportunity to stand for election and vote for their peers.

2. Up to ten representatives from specialist youth voice groups
In addition to the school-elected representatives, up to ten young people will be elected from established specialist youth voice groups across the county, ensuring that voices with lived experience are represented. These include:

· Children in Care Council (CiCC) –

Youth Vocals
Young SEND Ambassadors

· Mental Health Support Teams

Youth Hubs

· Care Leavers / Leaving Care

These young people will be elected from within their own groups.

3. Three UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) representatives will be elected from the six young people chosen through the school elections. UKYP is funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and brings together more than 300 young people nationally through representation and campaigning.

The East Sussex Youth Voice Group will meet 6 times a year to work on projects and campaigns that young people vote for in an annual survey, as well as being internally decided by all East Sussex Youth Voice Group members. They meet with other youth groups and organise events. They also talk to local leaders to help make things better for young people.

Throughout the year, there is an opportunity for a 1-hour consultation slot, when adults who make important decisions can meet with the East Sussex Youth Voice Group. They share what they are working on and listen to what young people think. To book a slot, please email the Participation Team.

How East Sussex Youth Voice Group works:

Group members find out what young people think by using:

Surveys
Workshops
Events
Creative consultation

They tell the adults in charge what young people say, and work together to make things better for everyone.

The East Sussex Youth Voice Group will work with our Children and Young People’s Trust Partners:

NHS organisations and the Integrated Care System
Police
East Sussex Fire and Rescue
Schools and settings
District and Borough Councils
Government departments
East Sussex County Council services – libraries, transport, school improvement and early help
Businesses - nurseries, museums, galleries
Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise organisations.

Projects and campaigns:

Recently, young people have worked on projects and campaigns that include:

Health and Wellbeing
Jobs and the economy
Tackling domestic violence

Environment, climate change and sustainability
Mental health and emotional well-being
Knife crime prevention
Addressing race equality
Improving transport

As a result of the campaigns, we:

Made surveys and events that let young people share their thoughts
Informed of the refresh of the Children and Young People's Plan
Informed the Sussex Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing strategy
Informed the Children’s Services climate change strategy
Helped to develop the Schools Race Equality Guidance
Launched Top Ten Tips on Mental Health for parents and teachers
Helped to develop and launch the 3-iD Card

Current members of the UK Youth Parliament (MYPs) are:

Eastbourne and Coastal:

Mabel Young

Bexhill, Hastings and Upper Rother:

Henry Kicinski-Mason

Lewes and Wealden:

Martha Crompton

Email participation.team@eastsussex.gov.uk if you would like to contact a member of the Youth Parliament.

Support for Children and Young People's Voice:

The Equality, Participation, and Strategic Partnerships team supports the Youth Voice Work.

Participation colleagues within this team at East Sussex County Council are:

Atiya Gourlay: Lead - Equality, Participation and Strategic Partnerships
Helly Green: Project Manager, Equality and Inclusion
Lead – Children and Young People’s Participation
Participation Officer SEND
Participation Officer Youth Vocals and CiCC
PA and Participation Officer Care Leavers Council
Participation Lead MHST service

Email the Participation Team for more information about specific groups

Youth Voice Hopes and Values

We have developed an East Sussex Youth Voice Hopes and Values message, which has been co-produced with young people from youth voice groups in East Sussex during recent joint meetings.

Young people shared their thoughts and ideas about four important statements: Kindness, Courage, Commonality, and Inclusivity. They hope this will help others think about how they listen to and work with young people in East Sussex.