Hello

Welcome to the virtual home of the Northern Ireland Youth Forum (NIYF)

Here you can find loads of information about the work of the NIYF… some news features on the work of the NIYF staff, including the Big Deal team… contact details for the NIYF staff team, and information about how you can get involved in the work.

NIYF is all about young people having a say in the decisions that affect them. We work with young people helping them get clear about their issues and offering training and support to make sure they are heard.

We work with youth workers and organisations to support them in putting young people in the driving seat when it comes to setting a direction for their organisations and taking decisions along the way.

Finally, we work with adult decision-makers to help them understand what young people are telling us about the services that they run and how to make those services better.

You might have heard the word ‘Participation’ mentioned in the last while, maybe in your school or college. To us participation means getting involved involved in decisions that are made about you and that matter to you. NIYF is all about Participation. We’ve spent the last 30 years helping young people change the way in which adults think about their ability to make good decisions, or to manage money – our message is that young people have an opinion, that they’re interested in being involved, and that they must be listened to.

We hope you like the site, and that you find it helpful and informative. If you would like to find our more about our work please don’t hesitate in contacting us directly at info@niyf.org . You might want to think about becoming a member of the Youth Forum, if so check out the ‘Get Involved’ page as there’s more information there.

We hope you enjoy the site, please do get in touch, we’re really friendly!