Young advisors

What Young advisors does

Young Advisors is a UK registered charity (Charity #1121476, Company #05848431) founded in 2007 that operates a national network of trained young consultants aged 15-25 delivering youth insight, research, and engagement services to public-sector and charitable clients. The organisation was seeded by the Labour government's New Deal for Communities programme (2006 pilots) and transitioned to a self-sustaining social enterprise after that programme ended in 2009. Core services comprise Youth Proofing (analysis and editing of policies and documents for youth inclusion), Peer-Peer Engagement (street-level outreach to marginalised young people), Field Research, Consultations, Presentations, and Written Reports. The flagship Streetbase programme is a trademarked youth-led peer engagement model funded in part by the Mayor of London's Young Londoners Fund and operates street patrols 3-5 times per week, with documented outcomes including 800+ at-risk young people engaged and 600+ service referrals in its first seven months in Waltham Forest. The organisation also runs the Youth Independent Advisory Group (YIAG), which works with police and Pupil Referral Units on stop-and-search monitoring and youth offending.

The business model combines three revenue streams: (1) professional-services consulting paid by local authorities, NHS trusts, charities, and a small number of corporates; (2) social franchise fees from organisations licensing the Young Advisors model to set up local teams; and (3) project-based commissioned work such as research reports, youth-proofed documents, training, and content production. Customer segments are organised vertically: local authorities and councils, NHS and healthcare organisations, police and justice sector, charities and non-profits (primary), and a smaller set of housing associations and private-sector firms (secondary). Distribution runs through a federated franchise model with regional teams hosted by partner organisations in London (Southwark, Waltham Forest, Lambeth, Redbridge), Merseyside (Sefton, Liverpool), Yorkshire and the Humber (North East Lincolnshire), and at least 30+ teams across England overall. The organisation is governed by a Board of Trustees chaired by Ben Broadhurst with Oliver Dyson as Co-Chair, with Leslie Silverlock as Founder/President and Chloe Newman as Network Co-ordinator leading day-to-day operations.

Name

Young advisors

Legal name

Young Advisors

Website

https://youngadvisors.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Young Advisors is a UK charity operating a federated network of trained young consultants (ages 15-25) delivering youth insight, peer engagement, research, and policy-proofing services to local authorities, NHS, police, and charities across England.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Engagement Consulting

NAICS

Other Management Consulting Services (541618), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills) (EDAAAFAN)

Keywords

• Youth engagement consulting
• Social franchise network
• Peer research services
• Youth participation programs
• Community consultation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Consultancy Services: Young Advisors provides paid consulting services to organizations including local authorities, NHS, charities, and businesses. Young Advisors aged 15-25 are trained and paid to work alongside professionals on regeneration plans and projects.
2. Social Franchise Fees: Organizations pay to franchise the Young Advisors model, setting up local teams. The franchise helps organizations achieve engagement with young people in their community using a proven social franchise model.
3. Project-Based Work: Commissioned projects for specific deliverables including research reports, youth-proofed documents, presentations, training programs, video and animation content, and consultation lead services.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Young Advisors is a UK national charity that trains and pays young people aged 15-25 to work as consultants alongside professionals, providing youth insight through peer engagement, field research, consultations, youth-proofing of policies and services, presentations, and written reports. The organization operates a federated franchise network of locally-hosted teams that deliver commissioned projects to local authorities, NHS trusts, charities, police, and businesses across England.

Product overview

Young Advisors is a national consultancy that specializes in youth insight and creative solutions for organizations seeking to improve experiences for young people. The organization operates through a federated network of locally-hosted teams across the UK. Its core offerings include Youth Proofing, Peer-Peer Engagement, Field Research, Presentations, Consultations, and Written Reports services. The flagship programme Streetbase provides street-level youth patrol teams, while the Youth Independent Advisory Group (YIAG) engages with vulnerable young people. The organization operates via a social franchise model, allowing local organizations to establish their own Young Advisors teams under the national charity framework.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Streetbase: A trademarked youth-led peer engagement programme designed to connect young people with positive opportunities and services while gathering their views to inform local policy. Originally launched in Southwark and later adopted in Waltham Forest.
• Youth Independent Advisory Group (YIAG)

Products and services

• Youth Proofing Analysis and editing of policies, documents, and services by trained Young Advisors to ensure they are youth-inclusive, accessible, and relevant for organizations working with or for young people.
• Peer-Peer Engagement Direct street-level engagement delivered by trained peer consultants aged 15-25 who gather honest, lived perspectives from other young people in their communities for client organizations.
• Field Research Design and delivery of bespoke research programs that collect data from young people and present findings as comprehensive reports tailored to client requirements.
• Presentations Tailor-made, youth-friendly, and engaging presentations delivered by Young Advisors to convey research findings and recommendations to diverse stakeholder audiences.
• Consultations Young Advisors participate in client consultations to express the opinions of young people and influence the design of services, policies, and products.
• Written Reports Youth-friendly written deliverables including research papers, funding bids, infographics, and reports with clear, actionable recommendations for clients.
• Streetbase Trademarked youth-led peer engagement programme that operates street-level patrol teams 3-5 times per week in identified hotspots, connecting young people with positive opportunities and services while gathering data to inform local policy.
• Youth Independent Advisory Group (YIAG) A subgroup within the Young Advisors network that runs peer sessions at schools, colleges, Pupil Referral Units, and Youth Offending Services, engaging with police on how they deal with young people to improve community safety.
• Young Advisors Franchise Model Social franchise offering that allows partner organizations to establish local Young Advisors teams under the national charity's framework, providing a proven methodology for engaging young people in their communities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 5,000 young people trained as Young Advisors
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Waltham Forest CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWaltham Forest Council hosts the Waltham Forest Young Advisors team and YIAG since 2008/2009. Teams work with council services including CAMHS, Public Health, Culture & Events, Housing & Regeneration to ensure services are young-people friendly. Council representatives make up the Youth Mayors team.
• Southwark CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouthwark Council hosts Southwark Young Advisors within its Community Safety Team. Founded in 2006, the team is a diverse group of 30 young professionals aged 16-21 working locally, pan-London, and nationally.
• Sefton CVScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSefton CVS hosts Sefton Young Advisors team comprising young people aged 16-23 from across the Sefton borough. Team works in partnership with community leaders and key decision makers to ensure young voices are heard.
• Merseyside Violence Reduction PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned Sefton Young Advisors to undertake research in Youth Violence and Community Safety. Partnership brings police, local authorities, health, education professionals, community leaders together to adopt a public health approach to tackling serious violence.
• Metropolitan PolicemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYoung Advisors work with police on stop and search monitoring, community safety, and youth engagement. YIAG engages with police on how they deal with young people to improve community safety.
• NHS EnglandmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYoung Advisors provide youth input to NHS services and consultations, helping shape health services and policies that affect young people.
• Wood Street WallsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity group partner working with Waltham Forest Young Advisors on local community projects.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• UK Youth: National UK charity and membership body supporting youth work through local organisations. Closely comparable to Young Advisors in its mission of youth voice and development, serving similar public-sector and community partners across England.
• British Youth Council: Youth-led charity focused on amplifying the voice of young people in UK democracy and local decision-making. Directly comparable mission, age cohort, and public-sector client base to Young Advisors' youth proofing and consultation work.
• Participation People: Boutique UK consultancy specialising in children and young people's participation, providing training, scrutiny support, and engagement services to local authorities — the closest commercial peer to Young Advisors' core consultancy offering.
• Catch22: UK social business delivering services for young people including justice, education, and employability. Overlapping client base (e.g., already a Young Advisors customer) and adjacent service lines, providing similar public-sector commissioned youth work.
• The Young Foundation: UK charity and think-tank focused on social innovation and young people's participation in community life. Highly comparable mission and methodologies around youth-led research and insight work.

Broad incumbents

• National Youth Agency: The national body for youth work in England, providing standards, training, and policy support to the sector. Works with the same councils and public-sector buyers, but operates at an umbrella/standards level rather than direct delivery.
• The Prince's Trust: One of the largest UK youth charities, supporting disadvantaged 11-30 year olds across education, employment, and enterprise. Operates in the same youth-development mission space but at significantly greater scale and brand recognition.
• Barnardo's: Major UK children's charity providing services across child welfare, mental health, and youth justice. Comparable public-sector client mix and youth mission, but a much larger organisation with broader service scope.
• The Children's Society: National UK charity working with disadvantaged children and young people on participation, protection, and advocacy. Adjacent to Young Advisors' youth voice work, with overlapping public-sector and policy stakeholders.

Emerging players

• The Mix: UK charity providing information, support, and listening services for under-25s, including the former vinspired youth voice programme. Operates in a related adjacent space with comparable target audience and digital-first engagement.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/YoungAdvisors
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCUWP4h6oz1QV8q19RCfjz6g
• Facebookfacebook.com/YoungAdvisors
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/young-advisors
• Instagraminstagram.com/youngadvisorsuk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Young advisors