Every year, #iwill’s Power of Youth Day highlights the creativity, leadership and commitment young people bring to their communities and workplaces. At Solutions for the Planet, it’s a moment that feels especially close to home. When young people are trusted, listened to and genuinely empowered, they don’t just take part. They change things. 

This year, we have an extra reason to celebrate. Northern Gas Networks’ Young Innovators Council (YIC), which we are proud to co‑run, has been named Impact Company of the Year at the Better Society Awards. 

The recognition reflects something we’ve always believed: youth voice isn’t a bonus. It’s a strategic strength. 

A model of youth power in practice 

The YIC brings together more than 40 young people aged 14 to 19 from across the North of England to influence real business decisions at Northern Gas Networks. As the award submission notes, the YIC is “not a one-off engagement initiative but a co‑creative, embedded culture change programme.” It’s youth voice with real influence. 

Since 2021, 132 young people from 74 schools have taken part. They meet throughout the year, and their insight feeds directly into senior decision-making on everything from sustainability to customer experience to future workforce planning. 

This is what Power of Youth looks like when it’s taken seriously. 

Driving meaningful change 

Through the YIC, young people have helped NGN:

• Shape commitments in its latest five-year business plan 
• Co‑design a schools’ net zero programme reaching tens of thousands of young people
• Strengthen internal policies, culture and cross‑department collaboration 
• Push for more ambitious carbon reduction targets 
• Influence the UK’s first hydrogen village proposal, securing £5.72m in funding.  

As the submission puts it, the YIC “has pushed NGN to reconsider long‑held assumptions… opening space for innovation and helping NGN grow into a more responsive, reflective organisation.” 

This is youth insight not as consultation, but as governance. 

A genuine talent pipeline and a social mobility success story 

The YIC is also transforming who sees themselves in the energy sector.  

With 64% of members identifying as ethnically diverse, 42% eligible for Free School Meals and 17% having a disability or long-term condition, the programme is breaking down barriers into a traditionally male-majority industry.  

And it’s working.  

Members have gone on to STEM degrees, apprenticeships and roles in the energy sector. The programme has achieved a Level 4 Skills Builder impact rating, demonstrating its strength in developing employability skills.  

This is Power of Youth in action: opening doors, building futures, and creating a workforce that reflects the communities it serves. 

A return on investment that speaks for itself  

The Social Return on Investment analysis shows a projected £5.03 return for every £1 invested by NGN — driven by increased skills, confidence, wellbeing and long-term earnings for young people.  

In a sector under pressure to decarbonise, diversify and rebuild public trust, the YIC is not just impactful, it’s essential. 

Why this award matters, especially today 

The Better Society Award recognises organisations that embed impact into the heart of their business. The YIC does exactly that. It shows what becomes possible when a company chooses to listen “not out of obligation, but from a belief in shared futures.” 

On Power of Youth Day, we’re proud to celebrate the young people who make this programme what it is: bold, thoughtful, challenging, creative and deeply committed to shaping a fairer, greener future. 

Their insight is changing a major utility company. Their ideas are influencing national policy. Their voices are reshaping an entire sector. 

That’s the power of youth. And it deserves to be celebrated today and every day.