Applications are currently shut for our Youth Advisory Board. Applications will reopen at the end of May 2027.
Are you 18-25? Are you living within commuting distance of Greater Manchester? Interested in joining mjf’s Youth Advisory Board? You can apply to be part of it for up to three years, until the end of the 2029 festival.
Do you have a passion to learn about the inner workings of a music festival? Keen to enter the profession but don’t know where to start? Have ideas about what you’d like a contemporary music festival to be doing for you? We’re interested in your ideas and how your input can shape our future.
What is a board?
A board is made up of several people with a range of skills and experience who support, advise and hold organisations accountable, making sure the staff deliver its mission and objectives.
We created a Youth Advisory Board because young people rarely have the chance to input into an organisation at board level. We also want to equip the next generation of the cultural workforce with skills, enthusiasm and resources to provide pathways into the industry and to make sure that mjf is fit for purpose for – and relevant to – the next generation.
What is mjf’s Youth Advisory Board (YAB)?
The YAB is made up of 10 young people aged 18-25 from varied backgrounds and with various interests. Applicants every year are shortlisted, interviewed and appointed by current YAB members.
What do we want from you?
You will not be expected to commit a huge amount of time throughout the year (no more than a couple of hours a week).
We are keen to develop talent and skills for young people interested in working in the arts. You control the work that you do as part of the YAB – this could be the organisation of a festival event, the creation of a series of podcasts or the development of engagement activities for young people in Manchester.
What will you get out of it?
This is a unique opportunity to develop your skills and contacts, and to contribute not only to manchester jazz festival but to the iconic Manchester music scene!
You’ll be supported throughout by the mjf team, who have skills in artistic programming, management, marketing, audience development, finance, tech, artist liaison, stage & venue management.
Activity in the past has included:
What happens next?
Our Audience Invitations Specialist, Aiyisha Williams, will be in touch after the deadline to arrange a short interview with all successful applicants. This will be an opportunity for you to learn a little more about the Youth Advisory Board and to answer any questions you may have.