New young people forum to influence guardian editorial and BT Campaign

New young people forum to influence guardian editorial and BT Campaign

The BT Young Voices project is searching for a panel of young people to create a new youth website. The scheme, a partnership between BT and The Guardian, has been designed to give young people a safe and secure environment in which to discuss and influence the issues that matter to them. The panel will consist of 12 to 15 young people, between the ages of 11 and 21 years old. Supported by the Guardian’s team of online experts, the panel will be responsibility for creating the project’s website and will guide the subsequent online community. It will also hold regular meetings with Guardian journalists to discuss editorial matters and will get the opportunity to influence the BT Better World Campaign, which aims to give every young person in the UK a voice.

In addition to helping young people to express their points of view, the website will also provide a vehicle for young people to influence adult thinking. BT and The Guardian are committed to listening to and acting upon the issues raised through the website, and will direct other opinion formers to the site. The BT Young Voices project forms part of the BT Better World Campaign, which aims to ensure that all young people in the UK get the skills and opportunities to improve the way they communicate. As such, two panel members will be chosen from among the children of BT’s 100,000 employees.

Beth Courtier, head of BT’s Charity Programme, says: “This is an exciting initiative which demonstrates our commitment to actively engage young people and give them a voice through our Better World Campaign. We also thought this was a perfect opportunity to open up involvement in the campaign to our employees and their children.” Nominations for the panel are now open and will close on 31 January 2007. The shortlist will be announced in February 2007 and the panel will be announced in March. Work will begin on the website in Summer 2007 and will be launched later in the year.

Read the complete Press Release