#iwill – 1 year on
24 November 2014
Monday 24 November 2014
Empowering more young people to play their part
London Youth has been supporting young people to get involved with social action opportunities within their local communities for many years now, helping them to develop more resilience, confidence and leadership skills. From programmes that involve refurbishing local youth clubs and community spaces, to young people designing their own projects to contribute positively to their local neighbourhood – we've seen a wide range of how young people can make a difference when given the chance to.
This week we'll be sharing a few of the interesting highlights from our social action work on our website – so keep an eye out!
We are proud to continue supporting Step Up To Serve and the #iwill campaign, which we have been involved in since the launch a year ago. #iwill is a UK-wide campaign that aims to double the number of young people taking part in meaningful social action (e.g. volunteering, fundraising or campaigning) by the year 2020.
New research published today by Ipsos MORI reveals that 4 in 10 young people aged between 10 and 20 across the UK took part in meaningful social action over the past year. In doing so, they recognized they had helped others as well as themselves, showing the positive role many play in their communities. The findings also make it clear that those not taking part miss out on a range of associated benefits.
We can clearly see the benefits that participating in youth social action can offer, and plan to continue our offer to young Londoners in local communities, with an emphasis particularly on those who wouldn't otherwise have the change to get involved.
Our (slightly refreshed) #iwill pledge for 2014-15:
- London Youth will work with youth organisations across the capital to enable groups of young people who might not otherwise get involved in youth social action the chance to make a real difference in their community
- Equip young people with the construction and DIY skills to take ownership of and transform their local youth clubs and community spaces through practical and accredited youth social action, which leads to employment pathways
- Facilitate a network of good practice and support for organisations looking to develop more inclusive social action and projects run by disabled and non-disabled young people together and share stories of diverse groups of young people making a difference
- Support community-based youth organisations to evaluate, evidence and communicate the outcomes and impact of youth social action, through our partnership with the Centre for Youth Impact
