Young People Leadership & Volunteering
National Youth Voice Forum
Badminton England are all about creating positive experiences for all, and that includes young people! The National Youth Voice Forum brings together young people aged 13-21 to share their thoughts and ideas and is used to ensure the voice of young people is heard. The Forum guides the work we do, ensuring our sport is an inclusive and welcoming place for all young people.
The National Youth Voice Forum was launched in 2022 with a group of 14 young people who helped to shape the badminton offer for young people for 18 months. The National Youth Voice Forum was restructured in late 2023/early 2024 where committee roles were open for applications, existing members had the opportunity to formalise their involvement in the Forum and new members were welcome to apply.
The current National Youth Voice Forum has 15 members who are involved in decision making and project development. The Forum consists of a Chair, Vice Chair, Communications Officer, Treasurer, 2x Funding Officers, 3x Social Media Officers, 2x Insight Officers, 2x Diversity & Inclusion Officers & 2x Wellbeing & Welfare Officers.
- Young people 13-21 who want to make a difference
- Someone comfortable working in a team whilst also being confident in leading and influencing others
- Someone who wants to use their experiences to help young people be heard
- A person who loves a challenge and working with others to overcome them
- Someone with a keen interest in badminton and wants to help shape the future of our sport
- ​Raise the profile of young people in badminton
- Represent young people from your region, capturing their feedback and opinions and ensuring their voice is heardÂ
- Support Badminton England to make our sport one that is attractive and accessible to young people
- A great opportunity to contribute to the future of badminton
- A whole load of opportunities to develop your skills and experiences (including volunteering at National events)
- A chance to work with and learn from other young people from across the country
- A chance to be part of the World’s most prestigious badminton tournament – the Yonex All England.Â
Young Leader Academy
The aim of the Young Leader Academy is to equip young leaders, aged 13-16, with essential skills and knowledge to support delivery in their clubs and community by attending two days of training and completing tasks related to their area of interest as a volunteer. The young people will be provided with information and training on a variety of volunteering roles within badminton, share learning and become more actively involved in volunteering. They are also encouraged to raise the profile of badminton using the skills they have developed, engage their peers, influence others and seek further opportunities to volunteer.
Click here for further information on the 2023-24 Young Leader Academy or watch our short video opposite!
The main benefit, according to our Young Leaders, was the opportunities that followed their Academy attendance to put their skills into action. This included; volunteering, coaching (school and club), career enhancement prospects through adding experience to CV’s, and utilising their new found confidence and social skills. ​
Here’s what our previous Young Leaders have said about their favourite parts of the Academy:​
“Opportunities which have become available from this Academy, e.g. helping people at school with GCSE badminton, and gaining experience by going into schools and coaching badminton.” ​
“More opportunities e.g. umpire for nationals and other volunteering opportunities.” ​
“Helps to develop confidence later down the line, as well as developing social networks.”
A few examples of the opportunities that Young Leader Academy members have had and what they’ve learnt:​
“I assist 7-11 year olds at local club. I add on from what coaches have said and ensure they are in a focused environment. I deliver one-on-one sessions with GCSE students to assist them further because of the skills learnt within being a Badminton Young Leader.” ​
“From the Academy, I now use games at my local club when coaching; this enabled me to develop techniques of explaining things to assist them further.’’
In 2023-24, four Regional Young Leader Academies are being delivered across the country in the North, South, East and West.
Please find details of the Regional Academy dates & venues below:
- North Regional Young Leader Academy – Saturday 3rd February & Saturday 24th February 2024 (both days 10am – 3.30pm) at Garforth Leisure Centre (Ninelands Lane, Garforth, Leeds, LS25 1NX)
- South Regional Young Leader Academy – Saturday 13th January & Saturday 9th March 2024 (both days 10am – 3.30pm) at Davenant Foundation School (Chester Road, Loughton, Essex, IG10 2LD)
- East Regional Young Leader Academy – Sunday 14th January & Saturday 24th February 2024 (both days 10am – 3.30pm) at Oundle School Sports Centre (Milton Road, Oundle, Peterborough, PE8 4AB)
- West Regional Young Leader Academy – Sunday 10th March & Sunday 21st April 2024 (both days 10am – 3.30pm) at Bristol Grammar School Sports Centre (Elmdale Road, Bristol, BS8 1SL)
Applications are now closed for the 2023-24 Young Leader Academy and will reopen later in the year for the 2025 Academy.
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