Our panel all have experience of cardiomyopathy: having the condition themselves or having a family member or friend with the condition. We work together to improve services for young people affected by cardiomyopathy and myocarditis.
What is the Youth Panel?
Our Youth Panel was formed in 2016 to make sure that young people affected by cardiomyopathy are listened to and understood. It is a collective of young volunteers from across the UK who:
- raise awareness of cardiomyopathy in young people
- advise and educate us on what life is really like as a young person living with cardiomyopathy
- influence and inform the services that we provide for young people
By joining the Youth Panel you can:
- Develop your confidence and presentation skills
- Gain experience of strategy and teamworking
- Gain knowledge of the charity, health and care sectors
- Influence the work of the charity and make a real impact on the lives of young people affected by cardiomyopathy
FAQs
The panel meets online roughly once a month for about an hour and a half. There may be some actions from the meetings, so we ask for a total commitment of around two and a half hours per month. We know that our young volunteers often have busy lives so we are flexible and accommodating.
To join the Youth Panel, you need to be:
- aged between 16 - 24
- have cardiomyopathy or know someone who has the condition
- passionate about improving services to support young people affected by cardiomyopathy
Being part of the Youth Panel is a varied and interesting role. Some of the things you may be involved with include:
- attending Youth Panel meetings, taking part in strategic discussions about Cardiomyopathy UK's youth services and providing feedback to the charity
- sharing your story to raise awareness of cardiomyopathy in young people. This could be on social media, our website or in our magazine, MyLife.
- representing Cardiomyopathy UK and speaking at external events
- attending meetings of the Board of Trustees to share the Panel's recommendations on what our support services for young people should look like
To find out more, email Rebecca at rebecca.stern@cardiomyopathy.org or call 01494 791224 and select to speak to our services team.
We offer role-specific training and support to all of our volunteers so that you feel confident in understanding your role and the wider work of Cardiomyopathy UK. You will also have the support of your fellow Panel members.
