Our people

Dan is a researcher and practitioner specialising in inclusive youth participation with over 20 years experience working with children and young people. His work focuses on how children and young people's participation can influence policy, as well as the development of participatory structures and processes. Originally a youth worker at local and regional level in England, he now works throughout Europe and beyond supporting a variety of organisations, to develop their approach to youth participation. In 2017 he was invited to re-develop the consultation process behind the EU’s Youth Dialogue. This engaged nearly 50,000 young people and was instrumental in developing the European Youth Goals. In 2020, his advice paper to the Ukrainian Government led to a revision of a draft law on civic participation, enabling under 18s to be involved.

Ondřej Bárta is a youth researcher whose assignments on both national and international level span from volunteering, through youth projects within the EU programmes, to youth participation. He also conducts evaluation on both national and international levels, focusing mostly on the macro level (youth policy), and on the micro level (single project evaluation). He has been long engaged within the RAY Research Network, and appears regularly on various research conferences where he tackles youth-related research findings.

Corina is a professional and activist in the youth sector, dedicated to shaping communities where young people are fully empowered to participate as equal in partners decision-making and have the opportunity to reach their full potential. She has a vast experience in working with a complexity of public policies and program management in the youth sector, from local to international level. Over the past 14 years, she has volunteered and worked with very diverse youth-led and youth-focused organisations: from local and national youth council in Romania to European and international youth networks. In advancing her passion for youth participation, Corina is a co-founder of the Think-Tank & Resource Centre ‘Social DOers’ and an IREX Fellow (US Dept. State funded) since 2015, when she worked with Chicago Votes on voter registration and education of young people.

Dave has been involved in working with children and young people for the last 25 years, working within high performing youth services and voluntary sector youth organisations. Dave left full time employment as Chief Executive of Youth Federation a regional Youth Association and registered charity after 11 very successful years, to set up Dave Packwood Consulting. This followed his development of Youth Federation from a small charity employing 4 staff and a turnover of £110,000 to a well respected and high profile regional organisation employing 36 staff and a turnover of over £1.2 Million. Dave also completed secondments within Cheshire, Youth Service, Government Office North West and as an Additional Youth Work Inspector for OFSTED undertaking 6 Enhanced Youth Inspections and Joint Area Reviews and has qualifications in Youth Work and a Masters degree in Management.

Ed has over 10 years experience working across the public, charity, co-operative and private sectors developing the way organisations work with people to deliver results and make a bigger impact for stakeholders. ​Ed also lives on a narrowboat and travels around Greater Manchester, giving a different view every week and the flexibility to choose where to be. Ed works with People Dialogue and Change providing facilitation and training support, particularly around our work with the patient advocacy community.

Neringa is a Lithuanian Human Rights educator and an expert of Youth, Peace and Development. She is currently pursuing PhD at SOAS, University of London, where her research focuses on the role of Media literacy in advancing peace-building in Myanmar; and youth participation in the decision making within the Euro-Mediterranean partnership. Neringa has led several forums in Asia, MENA and Eastern Africa, bringing together CSOs, entrepreneurs, activists and institutions (EU, AUC, UfM, ASEAN, Ministries) to facilitate youth-led policy recommendations,( e.g. “Building Youth Partnership Opportunities to Advance UN Sustainable Development Goals for Education, Peace & Innovation.”) Neringa has previously served at the Advisory Council on Youth of the Council of Europe, where her work focused on advancing Minority Rights, Roma youth participation, and North- South cooperation; and she is currently a member of the Pool of European Youth Researchers at the EU-CoE Youth Partnership.