Youth Governance: Have your say!

The CBA are working to encourage more young people to get involved in our archaeology activities. Keep reading to find out how...

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Youth Advisory Board: Have your say!

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At the Council for British Archaeology (CBA) we are keen to embed young people’s insights into our organisation and outreach projects, our goal is to remove barriers to young people’s participation and facilitate a youth-led approach through a Youth Advisory Board

What is the CBA? What is the CBA?

The Council for British Archaeology (CBA) is an educational charity working throughout the UK to champion archaeology and to help people experience and participate in archaeology. As the voice of archaeology in the UK, we bring together community groups, commercial units, academics and heritage organisations to create and share opportunities to discover, take part in and be inspired by archaeology.

The CBA is a membership organisation, bringing together institutions and individuals to create a unique forum for the British archaeological community. The organisation works across the UK, alongside twelve CBA Groups in Wales and England and through our sister organisation Archaeology Scotland, along with branches of the Young Archaeologists’ Club. The CBA publishes British Archaeology magazine, an award-winning bi-monthly publication focusing on archaeological endeavours around the UK.

CBA Youth Engagement

The CBA’s Young Archaeologists’ Clubs (YAC) make up the CBA’s flagship youth engagement project working with children and young people aged 8-16. The clubs, of which there are over 75, lie at the heart of our work to support youth engagement and early career archaeology. Led by over 500 volunteers and attended by more than 2,000 young people, our YAC groups engage young people with the heritage of their local area through hands-on activities.

Wider youth engagement is, however, central to CBA’s future strategy. Our aspirations are to support young people of all backgrounds and abilities to engage in archaeology to better understand the places where they live in an ambitious programme of youth engagement, collaboration, volunteering, and partnership.

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Youth Consultation

In 2022, working with youth voice specialists Sound Connections, we commissioned a report to understand and engage with young people. Based on what young people told us we have now developed a new project to embed young people's voices into the CBA.

What did young people tell us? What did young people tell us?

Survey Results

We had 86 responses to our survey. Who responded?

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There was an enthusiastic response to the suggestion of a youth advisory group, with 73% of respondents eager to take part!

As part of the youth advisory group, respondents also had some brilliant ideas for what they’d like to do:

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They also shared useful feedback on when they’d prefer to meet:

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Focus Groups

Young people really valued having their voices heard – and we learned valuable insights through them too. These were the key things we learned:

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So, what next?

You spoke, we heard! From these findings, we’ll look into:

  1. Thinking about language and avoiding jargon – rather than referring to a ‘steering group’, we’ll consider terms like an ‘advisory group’ and make it clear what we expect from participants.
  2. Reaching out to young people both within the CBA and to those not currently involved when advertising the advisory group.
  3. Having a simple, accessible and supportive application process when recruiting for the advisory group, giving candidates interview questions in advance and providing constructive feedback for unsuccessful applicants.
  4. Organising regular short meetings – both in-person and online – making sure we rotate the time and day to fit in around people’s commitments and keeping records for anyone unable to attend.
  5. Reimbursing people for their time by seeking additional funding and making sessions accessible to everyone regardless of socio-economic status and ability, providing any required support.
  6. Continuing to make archaeology more diverse and accessible by providing opportunities for skills training and career development, focusing on local history and community, and working towards decolonialisation.  
  7. Seeking funding to provide a budget for the youth advisory group to explore and develop their ideas.

Stay tuned so see how the project develops as we strive to integrate young people’s voices into the CBA and bring about further inclusion, diversity and equity.

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The CBA Youth Advisory Board

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We are now looking to recruit 12 people, aged 18-25, to represent young people from different backgrounds across the UK. Whether you are a budding artist, a keen gardener, or a computer whizz, we recognise the value in everyone’s experiences and the positive contribution you can make to the Youth Advisory Board. We are looking for young people who are passionate about making a change in society, eager to upskill, and use their voice to make a difference at the CBA, in the archaeology and heritage sector, and beyond. As an organisation, there is so much we can learn from young people, and equally, we want to support their own personal development too.

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How much time should you commit?

We would like our Young Advisors to attend monthly online meetings, which will most likely take place on a weekday evening or weekend. These will usually last about 1 to 1.5 hours.

Alongside this, our Young Advisors may be asked to commit more time to work on specific projects, provide their thoughts and feedback on important issues, or to participate in training sessions between monthly Youth Advisory Board meetings.

If you are unable to commit to this, you may be interested in joining the CBA as a Young Associate (see below for more info).

Young Advisor Role Description and Person Specification Young Advisor Role Description and Person Specification

Role Responsibilities and Main Duties

We would like Young Advisors to attend monthly online meetings, which will take place at an agreed time, most likely on a weekday evening or weekend. These will usually last about 1 to 1.5 hours.

Alongside this, you may be asked to commit more time to work on specific projects,  provide your thoughts and feedback on important issues, or to participate in training sessions between monthly Youth Advisory Board meetings. Our Young Advisors will also support the CBA’s Board of Trustees and senior management in decision making around the governance of the organisation, and ensure youth voice and participation are deeply embedded within the organisation and the sector more broadly.

One of the tasks we would like the Young Advisory Board to support us with is around the development of the Young Persons Pathway, which will support participation in archaeology for people aged 16-18. We really value young people’s opinions and experiences, and would like the pathway to be created by young people, for young people.

There is also room to develop and work on other projects, and we encourage Young Advisors to use their own interests to shape the direction of our sessions.

Person Specification

We are looking for young people who are:

  • 18 to 25 years old
  • Able to commit to a monthly meeting, of about 1 hr to 1.5 hrs
  • Reliable and enthusiastic
  • Motivated to make change in society
  • Able to contribute their thoughts, ideas and expertise to the Youth Board, CBA and our partners
  • Eager to learn new skills and have different experiences
  • Interested in the power of youth voice
  • Have an interest in archaeology and heritage (being an expert is not necessary)

Give it a go!

We are holding a 30 minute taster session on Saturday 29th July at 11am and Thursday 3rd August at 7pm. This will include an introduction to CBA staff and the Youth Governance project, and there will also be a chance to ask any questions you may have.

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Sign Up!

Young Advisors

If you are interested in being a Young Advisor at the CBA, please complete our online form by Monday 7th August at 11.59pm

You are welcome to submit an application in an alternative format, such as by video, or you can fill out the application form with a member of our team over the phone. If you have any questions and/or access requirements, please contact us at [email protected]

After completing the online form, a member of our Youth Engagement Team will be in touch to organise a chat about the role.

We particularly encourage applications from people who are underrepresented in British archaeology and heritage, including those from Black, Asian and Global Majority backgrounds, people with disabilities, LGBTQI+ people, women, and people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

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Young Associates

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As a Young Associate, you will receive the monthly CBA Youth Newsletter with articles, jobs and volunteering opportunities from the CBA and beyond. There will also be opportunities to participate and contribute to projects being run by the CBA and our partners.

More info about being a Young Associate More info about being a Young Associate

As a Young Associate, you will be able to stay in the loop with things happening at the Council for British Archaeology (CBA) and within the sector. Unlike the Young Advisor role, there is no minimum time commitment, so you will be able to tap into the CBA’s youth participation network and opportunities whenever it suites you!

Our Young Associate option is available to anyone aged 16-25.

Why join?

CBA Youth Newsletter

  • Exclusive content such as articles and videos
  • Information on things going on in the sector
  • Volunteering and job opportunities
  • Working alongside the Youth Advisory Board on specific tasks or projects
  • Opportunities to be part of focus groups

Incentives

  • Increase awareness of youth participation work in the archaeology and heritage
  • Opt-in opportunities

Young Associate Sign up!

If you are interested in being a Young Associate at the CBA, you can sign up at any time by completing our online application form.

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Our Youth Governance: have your say! project is funded by Historic England and The Headley Trust