Why Hear by Right Matters: Strengthening Youth Voice at Whizz Kidz

At Whizz Kidz, we believe one thing above all: young wheelchair users should have the power and platform to shape the decisions, services and systems that affect their lives. Youth voice has always been at the heart of our mission and over the years, we've built a strong culture of involving young people in our projects, campaigns and strategy.

But now, we want to go further.

To make sure we’re not just “good” at youth participation, but brilliant at it - consistent, ambitious and sector‑leading - we’re committing to becoming accredited in Hear by Right, the National Youth Agency’s framework for meaningful youth voice.

What Is Hear by Right?

Hear by Right is a participation framework built on a simple but powerful belief:
every young person has the right to be listened to and taken seriously.

It supports organisations to:

• review and improve how they involve young people
• embed co‑production across teams
• create long‑term, sustainable structures for youth voice
• ensure young people are not just consulted, but genuinely influential

Whizz Kidz already does a huge amount in this space, from The Collective, to Youth Board, to young people shaping campaigns and services. But Hear by Right will help us build on that strong foundation and make our approach even more purposeful and joined-up across the whole organisation.

Built on Young People’s Rights

Hear by Right is rooted in Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child - the right of every young person to express their views in all matters affecting them and have those views taken seriously.

For young wheelchair users, who often interact with systems not designed with them in mind, this isn’t just a principle, it’s essential. Whizz Kidz has always asked young people what they think. Hear by Right ensures we keep strengthening that commitment, across every area of our charity.

We Do a Lot Already - So Why Go Further?

As a charity, we’re proud that youth participation is already part of who we are. Young people sit on our Youth Board, shape our comms campaigns, design community projects, speak at events, and influence national policy through their lived experiences.

But becoming Hear by Right accredited will help us push that even further by:

• Making youth voice consistent across all teams

Not just Services, but Fundraising, HR, Comms, Finance, Strategy and Governance.

• Making our decision‑making more transparent and youth‑led

Ensuring we’re not only listening to young people, but acting on what they tell us.

• Strengthening our evidence for funders and partners

More and more funders ask how young people have shaped our work. Hear by Right helps us show this clearly.

• Empowering young people even more

By putting them at the centre of how we plan, deliver and evaluate everything we do.

• Creating long‑term systems that last

Making sure youth voice isn’t dependent on who’s in the room, it’s built into the organisation's DNA.

Real Example of Youth Voice in Action at Whizz Kidz

Here are some of the ways young people are already influencing our work and how Hear by Right will help us strengthen this even more.

Community Change Projects

Previously, staff decided which community projects received funding. Now, Youth Board members review applications, give feedback and help shape project development - a huge step forward in making the process more youth‑led. Hear by Right will help us build on that progress.

What’s Next? Taking Youth Voice Even Further

To achieve Hear by Right accreditation at the flagshiplevel, we’ll be working through three stages: Reflect, Respond, Review.

Key upcoming actions include:

• establishing a youth‑led group of Hear by Right Facilitators
• holding a joint planning session with Trustees and Youth Board
• having youth participation representatives in every team
• strengthening The Collective’s role in organisation‑wide work
• involving young people more in recruitment, training and campaigns
• sharing our action plan with all teams across the charity

This is a whole-organisation journey. Everyone plays a part, because every team, every colleague, every project shapes the experience of young wheelchair users.

A Stronger Future, Led by Young People

Hear by Right isn’t about starting from scratch. It’s about taking what we already do well - and elevating it.

With this framework, we can ensure young people are not just involved, but influential. We can make youth voice more consistent, more meaningful, and more central to how Whizz Kidz grows and evolves.

As Amber, one of our young people on the Youth Board, said:

“When we feel heard, it builds confidence, drives change, and makes sure the young people who come after us have better experiences than we did.”

That’s what Hear by Right will help us achieve together.