Tuesday 20 February 2018

Supporting The #iwill Campaign

As a parent to a teenage daughter who is starting to get more independent and think about her future,  I was really interested to learn about the #iwill campaign. I had never heard about the campaign before so I was really interested in finding out more as I used to work in social welfare before having my youngest two children, so I know how beneficial campaigns like this can be. So what is the #iwill campaign? 

The #iwill campaign Aim is to call on businesses, education, public and voluntary sector organisations to recognise the capacity of young people to make a difference through social action and empowering them to do so. This campaign aims to increase awareness and understanding of #iwill, build education around the benefits of social action and encouraging parents and young people to get involved. 

Basically, the campaign wants to encourage young people aged 10-20 years of age to become involved in social action. Things like fundraising, campaigning or volunteering for a cause they believe in and which will have benefits not only for themselves but also for their community too. It is something I am keen to encourage my own daughter to get involved with. 




I have been joined by Eliza from IVAR which is the Insitute for Voluntary Action Research and she will be telling us a bit more about her work and the #iwill campaign. 


1.) Can you tell me more about your work?

The Institute for Voluntary Action Research is an independent charity that works closely with people and organisations striving for social change. From the very small that directly support the most vulnerable in their local communities, to those that work nationally - across the voluntary, public and funding sectors. As a team, we believe in the value of people and organisations working for social change. We see the difference they make every day - particularly those that are smaller and rooted in the heart of their communities. It is important for them (especially those that can't afford research) to have access to insights and ideas that can help them make informed, confident decisions. 

Our independent research enables us to provide evidence, insight and learning that are both trusted and relevant. We are collaborative in all that we do, working closely with people at all levels, across sectors, to understand, investigate and grapple with the challenges and opportunities they face. You can find out more about us here www.ivar.org.uk

Since 2016, we've been working on a series of projects that focus on youth social action - supporting the Pears Foundation, #iwill Campaign, DCMS and others to learn about how to support young people into social action that is appropriate and meaningful for them. 

2.) Can you tell me a bit about youth social action?

Youth social action is used to describe a wide range of activities and work young people do in their communities. This might include campaigning, fundraising and volunteering, to support a specific local or issue-based community. We've been working to evaluate the National Youth Social Action fund which was funded by the Pears Foundation and Cabinet Office to support youth social action. Participants in this evaluation described current political leadership as interested in supporting youth social action - for example through the creation of the #iwill fund, explicitly aimed at supporting youth social action. This was seen as contributing to the field growing rapidly and becoming more diverse. 

3.) What are the benefits of youth social action to young people?

There is a lot of evidence on the benefits of youth social action for young people - sometimes this comes from fields like volunteering and participation, it's not always called 'youth social action'. Recent evidence from academic research and programme evaluations suggest that youth social action can support young people to develop cognitive skills, confidence, emotional well-being. It has also been linked to better attainment in school and great engagement with education, community involvement etc. 

4.) Do you think there are any wider benefits to society from youth social action?

The benefits of social action for young people and volunteering journeys are relatively well-understood and evidenced. During our work on the NYSAF evaluation, participants thought there was less understanding about the benefits and impact of youth social action on the communities in which it takes place. Lots of people are trying to look at this in more detail as there is significant anecdotal data but it is quite hard to measure in a meaningful way. At the outset of the evaluation, grantees said that demonstrating the community benefit of youth social action could help engage and inspire community members. It was also considered to be one way of embedding (and therefore sustaining) a young person's social action journey in a community. We've found that being youth-led in terms of design and delivery of youth social action is one way to help young people 'own' their journey and explore the benefits to wider society themselves. 


If you are a young person aged 10 - 20 (or have children in this age bracket) and you are interested in social action you can get involved via school, work or even set up your own project just visit the website www.iwill.org.uk for more information.

Head to the Mumsnet #iwill page to find out more about the benefits of youth social action, how they can help get their children involved and download an iwill guide. 

Have you heard of the #iwill campaign?  

This is a collaborative post with Mumsnet and #iwill campaign. 








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30 comments

  1. Wow! What an important campaign, can't believe this is the first I've heard of it. Fantastic post!

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    1. Such a great campaign, I had never heard of it either

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  2. This is such a good thing, I do think that too many younger people don't know about some of the good work they could be doing x

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    1. I totally agree, my own teen was rather clueless until I spoke to her about it x

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  3. I love this campaign so much I think it's so important for young people to be involved in social action as they have a tendency to be a bit apathetic these days but the power they have can be immense.

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  4. This is such an amazing campaign. We are currently travelling around South East Asia and volunteering where we can, but when at home we volunteer with a local charity and always do something charitable at Christmas. I think it helps teach kindness and empathy, which are two things that can change the world!

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    1. That is such an amazing thing you are doing, I love how you are teaching your boys this from such a young age too xx

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  5. T may be only seven, but I definitely think this I Will Campaign is important. I think any kind of social awareness having to do with our children is a must. Well done for helping spread this campaign :)

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    1. It really is a must as so many young people are unaware xx

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  6. I haven't heard of this campaign before, it sounds brilliant to encourage young people to get involved. x

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  7. I like the idea of this. Young people spend far too much time glued to their phones and TV plus with England becoming very fragmented, a scheme like this would be perfect to keep them in touch with their communities.

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    1. They really do, social media and youtube seem to have taken over x

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  8. What a great sounding campaign. This is the first time I've heard of it and is something that I feel is a great idea for young people.

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  9. I think that now more then ever it is important to encourage young children to participate in social action when they can. What a fantastic initiative.

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    1. It really is Ana, I am certainly encouraging my own teen to do more x

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  10. What an incredible campaign, it is important to keep our young involved especially in volunteering in something they believe in

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    1. It really is, especially in today's age when so few do x

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  11. I found this really intriguing , especially as I have a 14 year old . Thanks for sharing Hun

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  12. I had never heard of the #iwill campaign before visiting your blog. Sounds like a great charity to support.

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  13. This is a fantastic initiative. It is great to see young people getting involved in social action.

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  14. I hate that my teens find it almost impossible to find work due to their age as it is great for teaching them about resposibility, however this is a great campaign and love that they can get involved in helping the wider community

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    1. It really is great for teaching them responsibility, I hope they get jobs soon x

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  15. I think campaigns like this are so important and for businesses to see young people as an asset. I don't have teens yet but my eldest will be turning 8 this year and I do wonder what the future is going to look like in terms of work and job opportunities.

    Laura x

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