We recently welcomed our newest Youth Advisory Board (YAB) members to the team, bringing our Youth Advisory Board to a group of 17 young people who are joining LMK to provide insight into our programme and materials, and to be ambassadors for healthy relationships.
Here’s Rawan to tell us more about why she joined the Youth Advisory Board, what she’s looking forward to, and what she hopes to help change.
Hi, I’m Rawan, a Year 13 student from West London, and I’ve recently joined LMK’s Youth Advisory Board (YAB). I’m really excited to be part of the team and get involved in helping shape conversations around healthy relationships.
Why did you join YAB?
When Alex visited my school and spoke to me about LMK’s work, I instantly wanted to get involved. LMK’s vision and mission are so unique, yet so needed.
I’m tired of hearing about young people experiencing difficulties in their friendships and relationships, and I think it’s something we need to be tackling. I’m grateful to be in a position where I can contribute to and influence this kind of work.
What are you most excited about?
I’m most looking forward to the experience of being on an advisory board and how it will shape the rest of my life and career. The opportunities to learn important skills like communication, creativity and networking are things that are so transferable to the rest of my life!
What do you hope to get out of being on the Youth Advisory Board?
By being part of YAB, I hope to become better at communication and being part of a team. The career I hope to go into is built on those skills!
Being on an advisory board at my age, before entering university or starting a career, is such a great opportunity for my personal and professional development. I’m also excited about the opportunities that come with being a board member, such as speaking, being an ambassador and chairing meetings.
What does a healthy relationship mean to you?
To me, a healthy relationship is one where you feel safe and free. You shouldn’t feel the need to perform or constantly explain yourself in a healthy friendship or relationship. For me, this comes from open communication and respecting boundaries.
What would you like to help change?
One thing I’d love to see change for young people is their knowledge of how to get out of harmful relationships.
The full eradication of unhealthy relationships is not something we’ll see in our lifetimes (hopefully I’m wrong!), so I think it’s really important that young people have the skills to navigate them.
This means having access to education about leaving unhealthy relationships, great resources and using social media to equip young people with the knowledge and skills they need to build healthy friendships and relationships.
I’m really looking forward to being part of YAB, learning from the other members and helping LMK make sure young people’s voices are at the heart of its work.