Young People's Advisory Group
Welcome to the YPAG project hub.
YPAG is Inclusion Unlimited’s longest running youth engagement project and our flagship youth engagement and
co-production offer.
The group brings together young people with lived experience and an interest in mental health, research and advocacy to ensure young people’s voices are central to shaping research and improving mental health services.
Established as part of the ARC Outreach Alliance at Imperial College London, its role is to identify research priorities, advise on and co-produce research, share young people’s perspectives, connect with wider communities, and build young people’s skills and confidence to influence change.
The approach is grounded in genuine partnership, transparency, trust and power-sharing: young people have their own space to shape the group’s culture and direction, are offered meaningful and varied opportunities to contribute, and are supported and recognised for their time and expertise.
What sets the group apart is its commitment to moving beyond consultation towards sustained, meaningful participation - creating the infrastructure, relationships and capacity for young people to increasingly lead research, engagement and priority-setting, while building connections and alliances across the wider community.
Learn more about our other bespoke youth participation and co-production projects with partners to meet specific needs, including initiatives such as the Enfield GP Project.
Please note - this is a temporary home for YPAG information, resources and updates while our new website is under development. You'll find links to our reports, videos, podcasts and other project activity there, with more content and features being added over time.
Upcoming events
More information about upcoming YPAG meetings, workshops, training opportunities, and events coming here soon. Or click on this link to discover the ARC Outreach Alliance page.
For the latest video content created by members visit our YPAG Substack.
Our work
YPAG members have been involved in a wide range of projects and activities, including:
Mental health priority-setting engagement project
YPAG led a nine-month engagement project involving more than 300 young people from across North West London. Members designed the survey, gathered views from young people and analysed the findings to identify priorities for mental health support and future research.
Shaping Mental Health strategy
YPAG worked alongside the North West London Integrated Care Board to help ensure young people were at the centre of developing the Children and Young People's Mental Health Strategy. Members took part in governance meetings, community engagement and reporting to help shape future services.
Read the report: Young Minds, Real Change Shaping the North West London ICB Mental Health Strategy
Speaking up and influencing change
YPAG members regularly work with researchers, healthcare professionals and decision-makers, sharing their experiences and views to help improve services and increase understanding of issues affecting young people.
Creating content by young people, for young people
YPAG members have produced films, podcasts, newsletters and reports to promote conversations about mental health and share young people's perspectives.
Other projects
Learn more about our other bespoke youth participation and co-production projects with partners to meet specific needs, including initiatives such as the Enfield GP Project.
Resources
Videos
Visit our Substack to watch video content created by YPAG members.
Watch our short film planned, written, presented and produced by YPAG members.
Podcast
YPAG members created The Waiting Room, a podcast (Spotify) exploring young people's experiences of mental health, support services, and wellbeing.
The podcast is also available on all other major podcast platforms.
Members of YPAG recording the podcast series.
Reports
Read the reports written with and by YPAG members:
Newsletter
YPAG members regularly contribute articles, reflections and creative writing to programme newsletters.
Read the YPAG takeover newsletter.
Young People's Voices
"Coming from Hillingdon, an area with a population generally from lower income backgrounds, low progression to higher education, a community of refugees, homelessness and more, it's important as ever to widen the conversation about mental health. The ARC Outreach Alliance project empowers me to share my experience, shape research and hopefully make a positive change."
- Isra, YPAG member
"I am passionate about young people's mental health and using my lived experience and voice to inform positive changes in mental health systems for all. I am dedicated to championing and uplifting the voices of others with lived experience, to help improve and shape services for and with the people they are designed for."
- Finch, YPAG member
Testimonials
“The team has been instrumental in helping us engage with young people regarding their mental health and supporting us in making sure their voices are heard."
- Shamini Gnani, Clinical Lead, ARC Outreach Alliance
"The YPAG has been instrumental in shaping the priorities, methods and promoting engagement with the research on young people's mental health. We would not have been able to conduct this work without them."
- Professor Dasha Nicholls, Principal Investigator, ARC Outreach Alliance, Imperial College London
"Working with the YPAG so far has been nothing short of inspiring."
- Dr Tamsin Robinson, North West London ICB
Learn More
To find out more about our wider youth engagement work, visit our existing youth projects page:
Learn more about our youth projects.