Why Youth Advisory Council Members Stop Turning Up (and How to Keep Them)

The first meeting of the year has a full table. By winter it has half that. You send the reminder, wait, and start to wonder whether the group is worth running at all.

We hear this from council youth officers across Australia, and almost every time the young people haven't lost interest. The group has lost its shape.

Why do youth advisory council members stop turning up?

Four things usually drive it:

• Purpose. The group meets when something comes up and has no goal of its own, so there's no reason to make space in a busy week.
• People. The same confident few. Captains and student leaders join, and the young people in the middle never apply.
• Rhythm. Meetings clash with rosters and exams, and nothing happens between them.
• Return. Members give advice and never hear what happened to it. After a few rounds of silence, they decide nothing changes.

Which one is it for your group?

Most groups are strong in one or two of these and quietly losing members because of another. Working out which is the hard part, because from the inside it all looks like low attendance.

That's why we built the Youth Advisory Council Health Check: 16 questions, about 15 minutes, and a clear read on which of the four areas is costing you members and where to start. Run it on your own, then with two or three members, and compare your answers.

Download the free Health Check

If your score raises questions, send it to us. We'll talk you through what it shows and what has worked for councils in a similar spot. And if you need anything else, reach out.