International Youth Representatives Election 2025

International Youth Representatives (IYRs) are ambassadors representing the Award’s alumni and participants on the Association’s International Council. They are a key element of the Association decision–making process, bringing a diverse and crucial youth perspective to the discussions and development of the Award.  Click here to see recruitment pack.

Once you have accepted and committed to being an International Youth Representative and returned your consent forms, you will be granted an official email address, with a linked Teams account for internal and external communications. We have designated channels for specific events and focus groups, so you will only receive the information that is relevant. You will also be able to communicate with a wider group of Global Youth Award Ambassadors to discuss issues and share your ideas!   

Once you have confirmed your availability to attend an in-person event we will share the details in your calendars. We will arrange an online briefing call, at a time that suits you, with the team running the event and any other IYRs or youth ambassadors who will be attending. During this call you will find out more about what the event involves, meet your Foundation point of contact who will be on hand to support at the event, and have the chance to ask questions so you feel confident with your role.   

The staff team will organise your transport, accommodation and visas (if required) in advance. Often food and refreshments are provided at the events, but if you do need to purchase meals, this will be agreed with you in advance, and you will be supported to complete an expense claim form to refund any additional costs.   

There is additional support available for anyone who needs it which includes:   

• Writing to your school / college / university to request permission for your absence if the event overlaps with your studies   

• Foundation staff available to meet you on location   

• We will work with you on a 1-to-1 basis if additional support is required and we will work to remove any barriers which may prevent you from being able to attend.   

We would encourage you to attend as many of events as possible. The provisional dates for the majority of these are already confirmed and will be shared with you in the Welcome Pack, which is sent out at the start of the cohort. We request that everyone attends the International Youth Representative online session which will take place in May 2025 and the online handover sessions from the outgoing cohort, which will take place in between June 2025 and November 2025. We send out availability surveys in advance of each online meeting, so we know who will be attending. We may be able to record the session for you if you are unable to attend.   

We will regularly share opportunities to attend in-person events, but if you are unable to attend, please let us know in advance.   

This is a voluntary role, and you will have other commitments outside of the International Youth Representative role. We do encourage you to think carefully about whether you can commit the time required to make sure both you and the Foundation gets the most from this opportunity.    

We understand that work and studies will always take priority, and we will work with you to ensure you can make the most out of this opportunity, whilst effectively managing your time.  

The Alumni Officer (Seren Atis) will be your designated point of contact throughout the cohort and all communication will come directly from her. She is based in the UK and contactable via email, phone or WhatsApp. If you require any additional support or reasonable adjustments to ensure the programme is accessible, please speak to Seren who will be happy to help.   

No, you do not need any previous public speaking experience. Sharing your Award story and working on youth advocacy is one aspect of the role, but there is no expectation for every IYR to stand on stage and present in front of an audience. We are looking for young people who are truly passionate about the Award, have insights from Award participants and holders in their region, speak about their needs, discover life after the Award, and there are numerous opportunities to make a difference behind the scenes as well. We provide training which will help build your confidence when it comes to public speaking, and whilst there are several opportunities to speak in front of larger audiences, there is no expectations for everyone to do this.   

Applications will be reviewed by a committee that contains The Foundation’s staff members, current and previous cohort of The International Youth Representative (IYRs), some members of the International Council Representatives and four National Award Office members per region once the application window closes on 28 February 2025. This review will take place in March 2025. It is important that the IYRs reflect the diversity of young people taking part in the Award across their region and the globe. We will ensure representation from Americas, Asia-Pacific, Africa and EMAS (Europe Mediterranean and Arab States) region with IYRs representing a range of backgrounds, religions, cultures, genders, abilities and perspectives. Successful applicants will be passionate about the Award, willing to share their experiences and work with others to make positive change. All successful and unsuccessful applicants will be contacted via email in early April 2025.