What is the Youth Voice Board?

The Alopecia UK Youth Voice Board is a dedicated group of young people who represent the voices, experiences, and opinions of others within the alopecia community.

They are passionate about raising awareness of alopecia and are comfortable sharing their journeys publicly. The Youth Voice Board works closely with the charity staff team to ensure Alopecia UK’s work remains relevant and impactful for young people today.

As part of their role, they help create resources such as our public social media content (check out their Instagram page here), help host Youth Network meetings, and get involved in research projects when needed. In the future, we hope to create a Youth Network digital newsletter. Most of our Youth Voice Board members also attend our annual Alton Towers event—a fantastic chance to meet up face-to-face and connect in person.

Who can sign up?

Any young person aged 13-21 living with any type of alopecia in the UK can apply. If you are under 18, parental permission will be required to join.

At Alopecia UK, we are committed to ensuring the Youth Voice Board is inclusive, representative, and welcoming to all young people with alopecia. We actively encourage applications from those who come from a wide range of backgrounds and lived experiences, including but not limited to:

• LGBTQ+ young people
• Ethnic minority groups
• Young people from religious and cultural communities
• Carers and those from low-income households
• Those living with additional health conditions and/or disabilities

We are especially keen to hear from young men with alopecia. Currently, our Youth Voice Board has very little male representation, and we recognize that this impacts what we can achieve for young men within our community. If you are a young man with alopecia and this opportunity interests you, we strongly encourage you to apply!

Places will be allocated to ensure the diverse lived experiences of young people with alopecia across the UK are represented.

What would I be doing as part of the Youth Voice Board?

We ask that our members commit to four meetings per year—held in October, January, April, and July. The exact dates will be shared directly with members via our Instagram chat. During these meetings, we’ll take part in a mixture of activities aimed at upskilling you and improving the charity’s work. This could include:

• Public speaking workshops
• Activities focused on creating social media content
• Idea-sharing sessions
• Developing new resources
• And more!

We aim to hold one face-to-face meeting per year, typically as part of our Alton Towers event in April (although exact details will be confirmed closer to the time).

At Alton Towers 2023, the Youth Voice Board had the opportunity to present to all attendees during the lunchtime break. Each member introduced themselves, shared their role within the charity, and took part in an interactive activity. They created posters spelling out the word “ALOPECIA,” with each letter representing a positive and encouraging word that promoted inclusivity. Each member took a letter and shared their chosen word, creating a powerful moment of awareness and encouragement. 

In 2024, our Youth Voice Board became journalists! During the Alton Towers lunchtime break, members interviewed people with lived experience of alopecia, gathering their views and opinions. This involved working together to develop and agree on a set of interview questions, ensuring consistency across all interviews. It required openness, confidence, and communication skills to take on the role of an interviewer. The group then created content from the recorded videos—an incredible way to amplify voices within the alopecia community.

📸 See pictures below from the Youth Voice Board presentations at Alton Towers in 2023 and 2024! 

As a Youth Voice Board member, you will also:

• Act as a representative and voice for young people with alopecia, bridging the gap between the community and the charity.
• Share your story on the blogs section of our website.
•  Help create engaging social media content to share on both our Youth Voice Board Instagram page and the wider Alopecia UK social media pages.
• Work towards developing content for a Youth Network digital newsletter.
  Help host online Youth Network meetings, including social/support sessions and webinars.

*We appreciate there will be times due to illness or pre-existing plans where this may not always be possible but we will try and provide the dates as far in advance as possible to try and ensure the majority of our members can be at every meeting.

By joining the Youth Voice Board, you will have the opportunity to:

• Build new connections and friendships with other young people who understand what it’s like to live with alopecia.
• Receive a letter of recommendation from Alopecia UK to support future applications for higher education and employment.
• Gain valuable volunteering experience, which can complement educational schemes such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award.
• Have your thoughts, opinions, and ideas heard, helping shape the work of Alopecia UK.
• Access exclusive opportunities to develop new skills, build confidence, and expand your expertise, all of which can strengthen your higher education applications and CV!

Is it the same as the Youth Network?

No, the Youth Network and the Youth Voice Board are different, but they are connected.

The Youth Network is a supportive community for young people with alopecia, offering a space to connect, share experiences, and build confidence. By being a Youth Voice Board member, you are also part of the Youth Network, but Youth Voice Board members take on more of a leadership role and have additional responsibilities.

The Youth Network is a great option if you:

• Want to meet others of a similar age with alopecia.
• Would like to gain tips, advice, and confidence.
• Want to be part of a supportive community but don’t wish (or aren’t currently able) to take on a leadership role.

The Youth Voice Board is for those who are happy to:

• Be public about their alopecia.
• Represent and be a voice for others in the alopecia community.
• Commit time to contributing ideas, creating content, and shaping the charity’s work.

Both groups offer valuable opportunities, so it’s about choosing the right fit for you!

---

How do I sign up?

If you feel you are ready to commit the time and energy to be part of the Youth Voice Board here is what happens next:

1. Step 1: Complete the Application Form

   Click here to fill out the application form on SurveyMonkey.

   You can apply at any time throughout the year. Once you’ve submitted your application, Jen Davies, Alopecia UK's Support Coordinator and Youth Programme Lead will be in touch to confirm we’ve received it and guide you through the next steps.

   Step 2: Submit a Supporting Statement

   As part of the next step, we’ll ask you to provide a supporting statement to help us learn more about why you’d like to be involved in the Youth Voice Board. You can submit this in any format that suits you—written, voice recording, video, or another creative approach! Further details on what to include and how to submit it will be sent once you've applied.

   Step 3: Attend a Taster Meeting

   You’ll be invited to the next Youth Voice Board meeting as a ‘taster session’ to get a feel for how things work. These meetings take place four times a year (October, January, April, and July), so the timing of your taster session will depend on when you apply.

   Step 4: Make Your Decision

   After attending your taster meeting and submitting your supporting statement, you’ll have the chance to decide if you’d like to continue. If at this stage you feel it’s not for you, that’s absolutely fine!

   Need a Chat Before Applying?

   If you’d like to have an informal chat before or during your application process, we’re happy to arrange this. You’ll have the chance to speak with Jen Davies and a few current Youth Voice Board members. If this would be helpful, please contact us at [email protected] to arrange a chat.