There’s always a bit of nervous energy when a new group comes together for the first time.
That was definitely the case when our new Youth Ambassador Council met – young men in Sydney and Brisbane joining up for the day via video link.
At first, things were a little quiet.
Fair enough too. Most of them had never met, and suddenly they were being asked to share ideas, talk about leadership and work out what they wanted this group to become.
But as the day went on, the conversations started to flow.
The boys got to know each other, shared more of themselves and became much more comfortable putting their opinions out there.
Starting with leadership
We kicked things off by talking about leadership.
How do you lead yourself?
What strengths do you bring to a team?
How do you work with people who think differently from you?
The boys explored different leadership styles and spent time thinking about the kind of leader they want to be over the year ahead. One shared that leadership is being open, and letting everyone speak. Another agreed that good leaders measure their value by the impact they have on others and how they can empower others.
Joel, Youth Worker at Top Blokes, shared, “ Young people will often count themselves out when we say the word leader because they think they are young or hold no ability to make decisions in their own lives. For us at Top Blokes, if we want these young people to lead others, they have to lead themselves first.”
Working out what matters
From there, we moved into values.
The boys were asked to think about what matters most to them and how those values show up when things get a bit more complicated.
Things like loyalty, respect, accountability, honesty and having the courage to speak up.
We gave the boys space to explore what matters to them, hear different perspectives, and explain why they see things the way they do.
Letting them speak for themselves
Later in the day, the focus shifted to youth voice.
The boys talked about what they want adults to better understand about young men, what young people should have more say in and what they hope to contribute through YAC.
Some of those conversations happened in small groups. Some happened on camera.
None of it was scripted.
We wanted to hear what they actually thought, in their own words.
Joel added, “When someone shares real truth, we encouraged, uplifted, and championed that young man. It’s important to remind young people that they are the experts in their own experience. If they don’t tell their truth, no one else will.”
That gives us a great starting point too. Over the next year, we’ll be able to come back to some of those conversations and hear how their ideas, confidence and leadership develop.
One group. One shared purpose
By the end of the day, the boys had taken all those conversations and turned them into a shared purpose for YAC:
The Youth Ambassador Council is a group of leaders who are a voice for young men. We help shape the future of Top Blokes and collaborate to create spaces where young men belong.
That feels like a solid place to start.
YAC is there so young men aren’t just part of Top Blokes programs but they have a say in where we go next.
Our third Youth Ambassador Council will help us shape ideas, challenge our thinking, contribute to our programs and advocacy, and tell us what young men are actually seeing and experiencing.
This first meeting was really about getting comfortable, building trust and finding their feet as a group.
Joel added, “I saw that the boys could completely be themselves, that their unique journeys and stories were celebrated in the space we had created. Each time a boy shared, we got to see a bit more of their life and how they view the world. Our boys found common ground; whether you were a rural boy or a city boy, the challenges they face are similar, even though their context is different.”
Now they’ve got a shared purpose.
Next comes putting it into action.
