Hampshire SEND Youth Forum (HSYF)
Empowering and engaging young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
The Hampshire SEND Youth Forum (HSYF) is a participation group co-designed with young people aged 14 to 25.
The forum gives young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) the chance to voice their opinions, share experiences, and help shape positive change in Hampshire.
What is the HSYF?
The HSYF is a collaborative place where young people can connect, learn, and advocate for their rights. The forum will focus on issues that matter to them and will feed ideas into services and strategic decision making across Hampshire.
Young people from diverse backgrounds, abilities, and experiences are welcome. You don't need to have a formal diagnosis or education, health and care (EHC) plan to join the forum - the voice of all young people with SEND matters.
Peer support
The forum is an opportunity for young people to connect with others who understand the challenges faced by those with SEND. It is an opportunity to share stories, offer encouragement, and build a supportive network.
The forum meets one Wednesday a month at 5pm online (Teams). Our forum includes young people from all over Hampshire, so meeting online is a handy way to stay in touch.
We also get together in person four times a year. It’s a great chance to connect, share ideas, and have some fun face-to-face.
Join the HSYF
Are you a young person between the ages of 14 and 25 with SEND? Would you like to have your voice heard and make an impact? If the answer is yes, we would like to hear from you.
This is your chance to develop a forum to:
- feed back on issues which are important to you
- have a real impact on improving the lives of young people with SEND across Hampshire
- meet new people, develop new skills, and have fun!
If you are interested in taking part, fill in the SEND youth forum interest registration form and someone from the team will contact you.
If you have any questions or would like to get in touch with the team email us at [email protected].
Hampshire SEND – Have Your Say
Powered by Hampshire SEND Youth forum.
Hampshire SEND Have Your Say is a network for children and young people with SEND to actively participate in having a say.
It is made up of lots of different groups of children and young people in Hampshire, including schools, colleges, youth groups and short breaks groups.
Members of the network have regular opportunities to engage with decision makers, get involved in projects and the opportunity make a difference.
If you or your organisation is interested in becoming part of Hampshire SEND Have Your Say, get in touch with our team to discuss this further at [email protected].
Join Hampshire SEND - Have Your Say WhatsApp community to keep up to date with opportunities. You must be 13+ (the Community is for young people, parents/carers or practitioners who want to keep up to date).
Accessibility Ambassadors
Young people from Hampshire SEND Youth Forum, #BeeWell Youth Matters Steering Group and Youthwatch are currently working on an Accessibility Ambassadors pilot that aims to empower young people across Hampshire to make public spaces more accessible for everyone.