Mel Ryan

Melanie Ryan is Joint Chief Executive Officer/Development Manager for Youth Cymru which is a national youth work organisation with over 85 years’ experience of delivering and supporting youth work in Wales. Melanie has been in her current roll for 5 years but has been with Youth Cymru to various capacities for 13 years as a Development Manager. Youth Cymru provides the opportunity for Melanie to work with a team who have extensive expertise and experience of planning, supporting and facilitating projects, workshops and activities with, and for, young people, youth workers and youth organisations. As CEO there are opportunities to work strategically to ensure that Youth Cymru’s strategy provides the right focus in offering innovative youth work opportunities by working collaboratively with young people, members, partners and stakeholders, ensuring the charity achieves its future goals to benefit young people across Wales.  

Melanie has been in the youth work and educational sector for 30 years, ranging from statutory and voluntary youth work, training, information shops to community focused schools.  Throughout this time, she has benefited by working in many different environments, but with the same goal, to provide opportunities for young people to thrive and feel empowered to achieve their goals and dreams. 

Her youth work journey has enabled Melanie to achieve her Post Graduate Diploma in Youth Work and she has benefited by attending the Youth Work Leadership and Management Programme. In the Associate role Melanie is looking forward to discovering more opportunities through working collaboratively with youth work colleagues and the educational leaders to further her and others approach to leadership, learning and further youth development opportunities in Wales.  

In her personal life, she loves spending time with friends and family, which has led her to spend time away in her campervan. Through this, she has also discovered her passion for paddleboarding on rivers, lakes and most recently, the sea in beautiful Oxwich Bay.