Author: Helen

The UK Government website has updated their page offering information on the Erasmus+ Programme, particularly for youth projects; https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-erasmus-programme/erasmus-programme-guidance-for-youth-projects

The E+ programme enables youth sector organisations to access funding for collaboration projects with organisations in other European countries. These partnerships foster shared learning on common challenges, and youth workers can gain new ideas and approaches to implement back home.

As well as the information in that page, the Erasmus+ National Agency website has wider details of the Erasmus+ programme, including eligibility and how to apply for funding; https://www.erasmusplus.org.uk/

To keep up to date with developments in the Erasmus+ programme, hear about info sessions and of course when the programme opens for applications in November 2026, please sign up to the newsletter; https://www.erasmusplus.org.uk/newsletter/

A message from our Members Ygam about their upcoming free training opportunities.

Ygam are an award-winning national charity dedicated to preventing children and young people from experiencing gaming and gambling harms. We deliver training and resources to professionals to equip them with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to facilitate conversations around gaming and gambling harms and where to signpost for support.

In 2026, Ygam have already trained over 150 education and youth work professionals in Wales and are providing free workshops for teachers and youth workers with the opportunity to enhance their CPD and receive free resources to safeguard the children and young people you are working with.

We have multiple dates on offer between now and September 2026, book your free place today to enhance your knowledge (All delivered remotely on Microsoft Teams):

• Thursday 11^th June 2-4
• Tuesday 30^th June 10-12
• Thursday 9^th July 10-12
• Wednesday 15^th July 1-3
• Thursday 13^th August 1-3
• Tuesday 8^th September 1-3

If you would like to attend one of these workshops, please feel free to register yourself by clicking the link below, which takes you to the booking page on our website.

https://ygam.org/training/wales-open-workshops/

Upon completion of this workshop, you will receive a CPD Certified certificate, digital credential, and free access to our resources.

What you will learn:

• How young people encounter gaming and gambling in their daily lives
• The role of advertising, social media, and evolving gaming mechanics
• Gaming, gambling, and their impact on mental health and wellbeing
• The blurred lines between gaming and gambling
• Understanding in-game purchases, microtransactions and virtual currencies
• Spotting the changes in behaviour that may signal harm
• Supporting young people through effective conversations
• Signposting and connecting young people with appropriate support

This training is open to any staff in your organisation and if you all wish to attend, please can all staff register individually so that they can receive their individual certificates. This training is completely free to attend.

Would you like us to train the staff just in your organisation?

We also provide free bespoke training.  If you have 10 staff or more, we can deliver directly to your organisation on a day and time that suits you – all for free.

Os oes gennych unrhyw gwestiynau, peidiwch ag oedi i gysylltu â laurenbuckley@ygam.org

 

Our Projects and Business Support Officer Mandi has been leading on Voices for Impact for us. Voices for Impact is a partnership led by Bytes (Northern Ireland), with Boys & Girls Clubs (Northen Ireland), Youth Initiatives (Northern Ireland), YMCA (Republic of Ireland/Northen Ireland), the National Youth Council of Ireland (Republic of Ireland), YouthLink (Scotland) and CWVYS (Wales).

Via a digital democracy platform, this survey empowers young people to share their views on important themes which are aligned with six of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act Wales. Voluntary and Statutory Youth Services can register to work with young people to prepare them to anonymously and confidently respond to the survey.

If you missed the training on how to use the Voices for Impact platform – fear not!  You can still get on board and using the Lundy Model for Youth Participation, capture the real experiences of the young people you work with then use this data to shape your services and present as evidence for a plethora of uses and influence.

Voices for Impact project – is an online platform to capture the views and opinions of young people.  

ORINI (Optimum Research and Innovation NI) is delivering training on how to use the platform. This training is for anyone working with children and young people in the voluntary and statutory sectors, whether that’s in youth work settings, social services or education.

We would be delighted if you could register attendance below and share with colleagues or organisations who may be interested;

Online training Voices for Impact Training (Online) Tickets, Monday, June 15th 2026 •  6 PM – 8 PM | Eventbrite

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Amanda@cwvys.org.uk

June 23rd to 30th is Youth Work Week in Wales!

Every year the last week in June is a chance to celebrate the youth work sector, share thanks and recognise the enormous contribution of those working in the sector.
Whether you are large national youth organisations, work across the local authorities, or in small local youth clubs, it’s your chance to shout about what you do.

From volunteers, leaders, and, of course, young people, anyone getting involved can use these lovely resources curated by Youth Cymru on behalf of the entire youth sector in Wales; YWW_Toolkit_Bilingual

CWVYS members may be aware that there is a new Cabinet Minister for Education and the Welsh Language, and that Youth Work sits within that portfolio.

Anna Brychan MS has been appointed, and you can find more about what else is included in the Minister’s portfolio here; https://www.gov.wales/anna-brychan-ms#204386

Our members Mess Up The Mess (MUTM) are looking to appoint a Treasurer and also a general Board Member to join their board of Trustees.

They’re an Award-Winning Youth Theatre based in Ammanford and the Amman Valley. Since 2005, MUTM has worked with some of the most vulnerable and isolated young people using theatre and the arts as powerful tools to engage and empower.

You can find all the details here;

Board Member – Role

Board Member ad – Eng

Treasurer – Role

If you would like to discuss this opportunity or have any questions about the role, email hello@messupthemess.co.uk.

If you have any vacancies of your own or other opportunities to promote, please send the details to me so I can share with the network

Writing reports is part of everyday work in many youth organisations – which it can also be time-consuming and repetitive.

In this AI Coffee Break, We’ll walk through a real-life example and show a practical workflow – from preparing your materials to generating and refining text. At the same time, we’ll reflect on what still requires human input and critical review.

No long lectures – just a practical example, open exchange and space for your questions. ☕
🔹 Third session: Using AI for Report Writing

🗓   May 21, 2026
⏰ 13:00–14:00 CET
💻 Online (Zoom) | Language: English

👉 Register here: https://forms.gle/QkbRRLSiKjBhFMhN8 (Link to the meeting will be sent to all registered participants shortly before the event)

This session is designed for youth workers, youth information workers, and anyone working with young people who would like a simple introduction to AI. No prior experience with AI is required.

The session will be recorded so participants can revisit the content later. You are welcome to keep your camera off if you prefer.

Best regards,

Sanja Barišić

On behalf of the entire AI youth work Navigators team

Find out more about the AI Youth Work Navigators project here; AI coffee break_ChatGPT in youth information work

A message from Urdd Gobaith Cymru

19 May – Urdd Gobaith Cymru Peace Message Day

For over a century, since 1922, Urdd Gobaith Cymru has created a Peace and Goodwill Message, sharing it with young people across the world. The purpose of the Message is to unite children and young people everywhere, inspiring them to take humanitarian action and to build positive international connections.

This year, the Urdd’s Message of Peace and Goodwill focuses on Minority Languages.

With over 7,000 languages across the world, and experts predicting that half of them will have disappeared by the end of the century, this clearly highlights the need for us to protect minority languages before they disappear forever.

The aim of the Message is to educate people around the world about these languages, and to encourage them to value, learn, and use them.

The words of the Message are available in multiple languages, along with an education pack by Dr Ianto Gruffydd on our website.

How to support the Message on 19 May:

• On the morning of 19 May, a video of the Message will be released on the Urdd social media platforms. Please share the video on your social media channels, and use #Heddwch2026 to unite the message across the world.

Read the Message on the Urdd website — available in several languages

Please help us spread the word about this important message.

Diolch yn fawr for your support

Peace speaks every language

#Heddwch2026 

Peace and Goodwill Message | Urdd Gobaith Cymru

heddwch@urdd.org

Please see below, an update from the Welsh Government’s Youth Engagement Branch regarding the Youth Work Excellence Awards 2025:

Annwyl bawb

I am writing to provide an update on our plans for the Youth Work Excellence Awards 2025.

Following the nomination period, which ran from June to November 2025, three judging panels met in March 2026 to agree on a shortlist of three finalists per award category. A huge thank you to the panel members for their invaluable help with this.

Judges had a difficult time shortlisting from a very strong field of nominations. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who took the time to submit a nomination to share stories of excellence and innovation from right across Wales.

In terms of next steps, profiles of each finalist will be published on the Youth Work Excellence Awards website and Welsh Government channels in June, culminating in the announcement of winners during Youth Work Week (23-30 June).

There will not be a traditional awards ceremony this year. I know this will come as disappointing news to some of you. However, we will be using alternative approaches to raise the profile of youth work to those outside the sector who may lack an appreciation of the breadth and impact of youth work on the lives of young people.

Thanks for your continued support on celebrating the very best examples of youth work in all corners of Wales.

Cofion cynnes,

Dyfan Evans
Youth Engagement Branch

Welsh Government

 

Here is the information on all RSBC’s upcoming events in Wales

The sign up links also contain further information on each of the events.

 

4 day residential, North Wales, from Monday 25 May:

Adventurous 4 day residential trip with RSBC to National Outdoor Centre for under 16’s · Luma

 

6 June – Blind Baseball family day Cardiff:

Blind Baseball ‘Give it a Go’ Family Day, Cardiff · Luma

 

14 June Climbing and Paddleboarding event in Snowdonia, North Wales:

Paddle Boarding and Climbing event with ClimbSnowdonia · Luma

 

4 Jul Blind Baseball family day, Carmarthen:

Blind Baseball ‘Give it a Go’ Family Day, Carmarthen · Luma

 

15 Aug Blind Baseball family day, Wrexham

Blind Baseball ‘Give it a Go’ Family Day, Wrexham · Luma

 

They are also going to be running 2 Goalball events in Carmarthen in July and August, dates etc will be coming out soon.

Brook Cymru offers free education and training to professionals and young people on the topics of Pornography and Misogyny.

Here you can find details of what they offer in more depth;

• Pornography and Misogyny Education for South Wales- english professionals.pdf
• Pornography and Misogyny Education for South Wales- english brochures

If you’d like to know more please get in touch with SouthWales.education@Brook.org.uk

Ensure you are following their Eventbrite to keep up with their opportunities.

The next free online training is on the topic of Pornography and Youth Produced Sexual Imagery on the 20th of May from 2.30 – 4.30pm, book *here*

The Electoral Commission is currently looking for organisations to maintain and facilitate a youth voice network from 2026-2030.

This is a funded project which will run from 22 June 2026 to 31 March 2027, with the possibility of an extension to March 2030. Organisations who are interested can find out more information here.  

Also, they are looking for support from youth groups to raise awareness of the upcoming elections in Wales which 16 year olds are eligible to vote in. More info on how you can get involved here and below; Voter Info – social media template posts – May 2026 – WALES updated (1)

Hi all,

I’m getting in touch directly to ask for your support in engaging with young people on social media in the run up to polling day next week. We recently undertook some social media listening research, and found two common misconceptions ahead of the Senedd election which were particularly prevalent amongst 16–24-year-olds:

• 59% believe voter ID is required
• 62% are uncertain about the closed list voting system

We are therefore encouraging our partners that work with young people in Wales to amplify voter information messaging ahead of polling day next Thursday. Some useful resources and social channels are listed below:

• Podcast created by Children in Wales
• Closed list system explainer video (raw files)
• Electoral Commission Wales TikTok channel
• Senedd Explained (TikTok and Instagram)
• Hansh Ddim Sbin (TikTok and Instagram)
• Template social media post copy (above)

If you would be interested in collaborating with us on any social media content, please get in touch.

Many thanks in advance for your support,

Ella

Ella Griffiths-Downing

Senior Communications Adviser

The Electoral Commission, Wales
07770 703688 | 029 2034 6824

electoralcommission.org.uk