We have a set of assumptions about involvement and working with young people which underpin all our work including Youth Voice, the most relevant are shown below:

• The more young people can be engaged in deciding about their own lives, their environment and their communities the more likely they are to successfully move into independence
• When young people have tangible evidence that they can succeed and change their own world for the better they make rapid progress on their journey
• The more young people can contribute to the running of St Basils the more effective and relevant we will become and young people will see that they can influence the world around them
• Young people need to understand their experience both from an individual perspective (the inside) and from a collective perspective (the outside) by joining these two perspectives together young people can develop a critical analysis of the world they live in.
• Positive social networks reduce the risk of further exclusion, increase the range of resources and skills available to a person and helps to smooth out the inevitable up and downs of growing up.
• Services and networks that reflect a young person’s cultural and emotional world make it more likely that they will form positive relationships and find positive role models.
• Services that are seen by others as socially valued can contribute to a young person’s sense of self-worth and promote positive change’