Why you should join our Young People’s Panel!

Are you between 18 and 24 years old and have experience of arthritis or a rheumatology condition? Are you wanting to take part in real change or even just meet a fantastic group of people?

If the answer is yes, the Young People’s Panel could be the perfect fit for you.

A bit of background

The Young People's Panel was set up in 2019 to help us reach children and young people all over the UK who are living with arthritis.

Since then, our members have been brilliantly influencing our support, campaigning, and research work.

The panel aims to:

• make people aware that children and young people live with arthritis too.
• speak out about the realities of being young and living with arthritis.
• advocate for changes that will improve the lives of people living with arthritis.

Here are just a few of the reasons why you should join!

Boost your confidence

Lots of people who join the panel are nervous before starting. That is totally normal way to feel, especially when there is so little understanding around the impact of arthritis. Opening up can feel daunting.

The good news is that it is a very nurturing environment.

“It’s a really friendly panel and a great opportunity to learn more and get involved with so many things I didn’t know existed before joining.” - Hana, Young People's Panel member

As a part of the panel, you will grow as a person.

“At the beginning of my time in the panel struggled to speak out in terms of my opinions in group settings,” says Holly, “however I am more than able to do this now.”

Ultimately, the panel is about giving you the space to talk openly about your experiences with people who understand them.

“Before,” says Damien, “I would never tell anyone about my arthritis.”

It is a “great support network,” says Charlie. “Being on the panel has helped me make friends and know there are other people in my situation.”

Make real, lasting impact

Young people with arthritis face a lot of challenges. A big part of that is a lack of recognition.  A great reason to join the panel is that you can actually do something about it.

The panel aims to provide “the feeling of being seen in the community of arthritis,” says Hana.

You will be directly helping people to take arthritis seriously as well as raising awareness for the support services that Versus Arthritis offers.

For Charlie, the panel provides “information for people like me who have been in situations like mine and tells them you’re not alone, you can progress, it gets better.”

As well as this, there are loads of projects that you can stick your teeth into. As the voice of young people in Versus Arthritis, the panel provide a vital role in making sure young people are at the front of people’s minds.

Here’s a quick glimpse of what they're up to:

• Sharing their experiences through blogs and news interviews to inspire and support other young people living with arthritis.
• Helping us develop new support tools and resources such as our Tracker App and advising on toolkits and podcasts.
• Supporting key awareness raising days like World Arthritis Day and World Young Rheumatic Diseases day.
• Shaping our campaigns on topics such as employment and mental health support.
• Advising on our charity’s work – for example, they’ve helped us shape our mission and volunteering opportunities for young people.

Some of the members even take what they have learnt outside of the meetings!

Bring your ideas to life

The brilliant thing about the panel is that it gives you the opportunity to flesh out those thoughts that might otherwise stay in your head.

First, they start with ideas, which are then built into them practical steps that can be taken to achieve impactful results.

For the Workplace Health Guide, the panel worked with the Health Development team to create a resource that is stylish, informative and user-friendly.

“The process was really collaborative,” says Hana. “You got to work in a small team but then also you had your own responsibility on the team.”

By bringing people together from all walks of life, these ideas really are transformed.

“Working to create the workplace guide booklet meant I felt like I could share my experiences in the workplace,” says Holly, “to make it seem less daunting and to share the tips I have learned to others.”

Meet fascinating people

Guest speakers are always welcome to join the panel to discuss their latest projects. These sessions are often fun and interactive.

“There is a wide variety and something for everyone,” says Angharad.

Last year, the panel visited the Alder Hey Research Institute in Liverpool.

“The Alder Hey event was so interesting as we met researchers and actually spoke to them. I definitely felt like I was a lot more involved. It was good to visually see for ourselves what was being researched on,” says Holly.

They had a tour around the lab and got to attend some fascinating talks.

“It was interesting to see the breath of research happening in the rheumatology world,” says Angharad.

“It was great to see a completely different perspective of the charities work,” says Hana. “In lots of our meetings we are working on resources such as guides, so it was cool to see the sciencey side.”

By being a part of the panel, you are building connections with people. You never know when these might come in use.

“I was able to contact a researcher to discuss his work because of the panel,” says Angharad, “otherwise I would not have been able to.”

It’s only the beginning!

It’s not just about what happens in the panels, but what happens after. Everyone who has been a part of the panel takes what they learned with them into whatever it is they want to pursue.

Here are a few examples of some projects that our members have taken part in:

“I have become co-chair of the new CCEC committee in Versus Arthritis,” says Varshi.

The CCEC committee is an advisory group set up to improve our professional voice by providing expertise and by advocating for the work of Versus Arthritis.

Varshi, who is currently studying medicine, is particularly interested in research. This is an exciting opportunity for her to share her knowledge, experience and expertise across a senior multidisciplinary forum.

As well as this, Hana has co-authored the paper ‘Hot, Swollen and Stiff Joints in Children and Young People’. This is a really impactful piece of work that puts in place guidelines for treatment that didn’t exist before.

These are just a few of the many things our panel have gone on to do.

What do you think?

If you like what you have seen, then please do apply!

To join, you need to be:

• aged 18-24 at the time of applying.
• living in the UK.
• a young person with lived experience of arthritis or a rheumatology condition.
• able to commit to at least one year – taking part in most of the one-hour monthly meetings online; up to three face-to-face meetings a year in the UK including travel and overnight stays; occasional activities between meetings; induction and essential training.

We’re here whenever you need us