About us

We believe all young people should have the opportunity to benefit from the life-changing impact of extraordinary youth workers and we exist to champion the transformative power of youth work.

Youth Work changes lives

Which is why we’re committed to ensuring that as many young people as possible get to benefit from it.

As the national body for youth work in England, the National Youth Agency (NYA) exists to champion its transformative power. We believe all young people should have the opportunity to benefit from the life-changing impact of extraordinary youth workers and trained volunteers.

We help to grow youth work provision in ways that keep it effective, relevant, safe and engaging, to help millions of young people reach their potential and thrive. We do this by providing guidance, support, advice, training and staff development opportunities for youth workers and youth work organisations.

At the heart of everything we do are young people themselves. We work hard to ensure their voices are integrated into all our work, to develop provision that truly meets their needs.

Our purpose

Enable great youth work to happen by setting the standards, growing the capacity and building the case to improve the quality and quantity of youth work in England.

Our mission

Enable more people to deliver great youth work.

Our vision

A world where every young person can access youth work.

Explore our work

Nothing demonstrates the impact of our work like the voices and stories of young people themselves. You can find examples of many of the life-changing projects we’ve supported here.

What is Youth Work?

Youth work is an educational process but, unlike schools, is not confined to a single location.

It’s carried out in a range of places and spaces, and is designed to help young people fulfil their true potential, whatever their circumstances.

It's flexible and adaptable, and youth workers listen to the individual needs of young people to create activities that will engage and inspire as well as have lasting impact.

It’s focused on improving wellbeing, not just through the consideration of an individual’s physical, mental, or emotional health, but also the surrounding contextual influences that affect a young person’s ability to achieve their goals.

Youth workers build voluntary, trusted relationships with young people, providing a safe space for them, away from many of the other pressures they may be facing in their lives.

Through youth work, young people can explore their voice, influence and place in society while learning skills that will help them realise their full potential, both now and in the future.