MyVoice

Teen boy reading

MyVoice is a new programme shaped and led by young people.

Here you can get an overview of the MyVoice programme and find out more about the MyVoice Roadshow.

MyVoice will open up creative reading and writing opportunities to 30,000 disadvantaged young people aged 11 to 19 in England who would not usually use their library. MyVoice will get them involved in their local branches and youth spaces by choosing books for their peers, managing a budget, interviewing staff and developing ideas online.

Working with libraries to create opportunities for young people

We are delighted to be able to launch MyVoice, working with 20 library authorities in four regions across England. At a time of great pressure on libraries, this is a heartening vote of confidence for their vital community work. With our library partners, we'll also be able to create 6,000 new volunteering opportunities that will be part of accredited award schemes and support links into employment and apprenticeships for young people in the areas of creative writing and literacy.

Library services are planning to work with young people from Roma communities, Not in Education, Employment and Training (NEET), Pupil Referal Units (PRUs), Looked After Children (LAC), Black Minority Ethnic Communities (BME), Young Offender Institutions (YOI), teenage parents and young people excluded from school as part of this programme. Young people will work with library services to create reading promotions for other young people and advise on book, DVD, games and CD purchasing.

The goal is to encourage better life chances through a programme of training and life skills development, building on research that confirmed reading for pleasure improves people's skills whilst increasing their motivation to read and learn.

We know from research by the National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy, that reading for pleasure improves people's skills whilst increasing their motivation to read and learn more.

What we are planning to do

Six thousand young people will work with libraries, schools and youth clubs to manage existing reading spaces and develop 60 new reading spaces - Reading Hubs.
An additional 6000 young people each year will take part in 20 MyVoice creative writing and reading events across the country to encourage other young people to join in.
We will run MyVoice roadshows offering 20 young people (five from each region) the chance to express their opinions, mentored by professional writers.
There will be 6000 local and national volunteering opportunities that support young people to get involved in all aspects of planning and running library spaces and activities.
All 20 library services will run a programme of 38 events/activities (760 in total) planned, promoted, run and co-produced by young people.
At least 30,000 young people will visit the MyVoice website and 6000 young people will publish their work on the website and use it to run and promote projects such as book festivals, poetry competitions.

MyVoice Roadshow

MyVoice Roadshow is a reading and writing roadshow led by and for young people. It will provide a model for getting young people fired up and excited by reading, writing and getting involved in their communities and will be the first roadshow of its kind in England.

There will be five day-long events comprising of a mixture of workshops, exhibitions and performances focused around reading and writing during 23 to 30 July 2011 at five library venues.

The roadshows will be targeted at, and co-produced, programmed and promoted by, creative yet disadvantaged young people who would not normally engage with the arts or literature.

If you an an arts or youth organisation, a creative business or a publisher, and you would like to get involved in the MyVoice Roadshow you can download the MyVoice Roadshow briefs which tell you more from Resources on the right hand side of this page.

Get in touch or read more about MyVoice Roadshow.

Participating libraries

We are delighted to be working to support the work that the following libraries do with young people through MyVoice.

London
Ashburton Library, Croydon
Shoreditch Library, Hackney
CentreSpace, Hounslow
Pollards Hill Library, Merton
Sutton Central Library, Sutton
Church Street Library, Westminster

North East
Gateshead Central Library, Gateshead
Newcastle City Library, Newcastle
Cleadon Park Library, South Tyneside
City Library & Arts Centre, Sunderland

North West
Halton Lea Library, Halton
Morecambe Library, Lancashire
Central Library, St Helens
Padgate Library, Warrington
Oldham Library Service

South East
Lord Louis Library, Isle of Wight
Kent Library Service
Carnegie Library, Portsmouth