Matthew Brown was a member of the Index Youth Advisory Board from July to December 2015. Learn more.

Matt Brown spent July to December 2015 on the Index on Censorship Youth Advisory Board. He has written a post to tell us about his time on the board.

For the last 6 months, I have worked for the Index on Censorship’s Youth Advisory Board. The board consists of young students and professionals interested in contemporary issues affecting freedom of expression who are willing to write, discuss and campaign on a diverse range of issues, from the protection of bloggers in Bangladesh to tackling art censorship in London.

The monthly tasks and Google Hangout meetings have been an important learning experience, offering the opportunity to discuss hot topics in the field of freedom of expression with like-minded colleagues. We are now part of an alumni that will continue to work in the area of human rights and protection of free speech.

To anyone considering applying for the Advisory Board, I can wholeheartedly recommend it. Not only is this an experience that will enhance any CV, but also it allows you to have great discussions with people regarding important issues of the day and hear about freedom of expression concerns in different parts of the world. My time working on the Youth Advisory Board has broadened my awareness of the issues people face in different countries. I hope to continue this interest through once my period on the Board ends.