Leeds City College

Two of our former journalism students are celebrating becoming trustees of a major charity.

Emma Burke and India Chahal first got involved with The Youth Association through the Peer Research project in 2022-2023.

The initiative saw students at our Quarry Hill campus receive training in interview techniques, research methods, scriptwriting and more – and conduct interviews with other young people for a weekly podcast.

India and Emma both found the experience – the project was a collaboration by The Youth Association and the college’s Student Life enrichment team – really inspiring. It concluded with their group producing a short film, highlighting creative opportunities for young people across Leeds, that was shown at the Royal Armouries Museum.

Committed to opening up opportunities for others

Keen to continue working with charity after the project ended, the pair (both now 20) applied to become Young Trustees, and each attracted enough votes to land the role.

Emma said: “The Youth Association has provided me and many other young people with the opportunities to create and lead our own projects, which has really helped so many people.”

Looking back to her time on the Peer Research Project, she added: “We all came up with the ideas ourselves and planned everything from scripts to how we would film. The Youth Association provided us with all the tools and connections we needed to make our idea a reality.

“Experiences like this not only help young people with CVs and university applications but they also build up important life skills such as confidence, taking responsibility and social skills. They also involve the local community, which I believe to be very important.”

Spreading the word – here and overseas

Based in Wakefield, The Youth Association describes itself as ‘Yorkshire’s youth work charity’ and has been working with young people, on everything from life-changing skills development to fun activities, since 1904.

Since becoming a Young Trustee, India has taken on an active role within the organisation.

Her work has even included representing the charity internationally, during a visit to the Netherlands with Cultuur In De Wijk. She has also joined interview panels for new staff members and contributed to discussions about how the organisation’s work is delivered and developed.

A transformational experience

The college’s Student Voice and Social Action Lead, Lindsey Topham-Whitton, said: “The Peer Research project and podcast club turned into an incredibly powerful opportunity for the learners.

“Emma and India’s continued engagement with The Youth Association has led to vital development, and even the opportunity to become young trustees there. Experiences like this equip learners with incredibly versatile skills that can be transferred to any workplace.”

Lindsey is keen for other learners to get involved with the charity too, and learn more about the important work it is doing – through, for example, initiatives like Lads at the Back. This community research programme is focused on helping tackle the problem of young men being more likely to disengage from education.

It is asking 16-23 year olds in Leeds and Wakefield for their thoughts on why the problem exists, and to take part in sessions to discuss possible solutions.

Visit https://youth-association.org/ for more details.