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The Youth Advisory Panel is a group of young people between the ages of 17 to 27 who give of their time and experiences to act in an advisory capacity to Headstrong. They play a key role in making our programmes effective, and represent the organisation publicly. As advocates for change, youth advisors give young people a public voice on the national issue of youth mental health.

Headstrong is strongly committed to youth participation and ensuring that young people have a meaningful, significant voice in the work of the organisation. The Youth Advisory Panel (YAP) have worked alongside us since 2006 to change how Ireland thinks about youth mental health.

Youth Advisory Panels are also critical to the communities where Jigsaw projects operate, and each project has its own local Youth Advisory Panel.

 "Young people encounter very different problems than those of previous generations, so we need a mental health service that responds to the unique experiences we face today. The best way to create the most appropriate service for today’s young people is to involve young people in all aspects of the planning and implementation of those services."  Sinead, Headstrong Youth Advisory Panel