#iwill is a movement comprised of over 1000 organisations and 700 young #iwill Ambassadors & Champions from across the UK. They are united by a shared belief that all children and young people should be supported and empowered to make a positive difference on the issues that affect their lives, their communities, and broader society. #iwill is empowering, challenging, independent, collaborative and inclusive – it belongs to everybody. The #iwill movement is powered by young people and organisations. The #iwill Ambassadors and #iwill Champions, alongside organisations who sign up to the Power of Youth Charter, help ensure meaningful action is taken to support more children and young people to be active citizens. The #iwill Partnership is made up of leaders of collective action groups working within and across sections and nations of the UK to guide the #iwill movement. The independent #iwill Coordination Hub, hosted by Volunteering Matters and UK Youth, supports the #iwill Partnership, #iwill Ambassadors and broader #iwill movement.

How was #iwill formed?

In 2012, the Prime Minister asked Dame Julia Cleverdon and Amanda Jordan OBE to review how to increase the quality and quantity of youth social action. After a wide-ranging consultation their report highlighted the barriers to youth social action and produced a set of recommendations. Barriers included a shortage of activities in education from 10 upwards; confusion in the education and business sectors about the kind of initiatives they could support; failure to promote and inspire young people to take part; and an absence of a coherent vision to promote a culture of youth social action. The recommendations were to create an easy to navigate “service journey” for young people; scale up programmes to fill gaps in provision; embed social action in young people’s educational experience (school, further and higher education); develop a culture of promoting and celebrating youth social action comparable to effective programmes run in other countries around the world. The review concluded that an initiative uniting organisations and the public should be set up to increase opportunities for young people. This initiative should be time limited, add to existing activity, and be a research and advocacy body, not one running programmes itself. This initiative is #iwill, it has cross-party support and comprises over 1000 organisations and 700 young people. It was coordinated by the charity Step Up To Serve between 2013 and 2020. It has now grown into a self-organising movement and from 2021 key support functions are delivered by Volunteering Matters and UK Youth. <a href="https://iwill.org.uk/future-of-iwill" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Find out more </a>about this transition and how it happened.

How does #iwill work?

The #iwill Movement’s collective action is guided by the <a href="https://iwill.org.uk/about-us/about-iwill-campaign" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#iwill Partnership</a> – a cross-sector, UK-wide collaborative group made up of funders, young people and the co-chairs of nation and sector groups that meets quarterly. Sectors and nations within the UK have established self-organising groups that meeting regularly and exist to drive progress toward the #iwill vision within their respective nations/ sectors. The Co-Chairs of each of these groups (one young person, one organisation representative) also hold a seat on the #iwill Partnership Board. The key support functions for #iwill, such as the communications and the running of the #iwill Ambassador and Champion network are delivered by a consortium made up of two UK charities: Volunteering Matters and UK Youth. These charities were chosen following a 3-month competitive process in 2020, after Step Up To Serve – the charity that originally coordinated the #iwill campaign – closed down as planned at the end of 2020.

How are young people involved in #iwill?

The campaign is represented by 300 young #iwill Ambassadors. They come from a variety of backgrounds across the UK, but all have one thing in common – a passion to make positive social or environmental change. They have played a powerful role in championing youth social action and shaping the direction and activities of #iwill. #iwill Champions were launched in autumn 2019, in order to give a wider cohort of young people who are passionate about youth social action ways to support #iwill. We work with our #iwill Ambassadors and Champions in various ways. They help to shape the campaign’s strategy, spread the message about youth social action and encourage organisations to get involved.

What is the #iwill Fund and can I apply for funding?

<a href="https://iwill.org.uk/about-us/iwillfund" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Visit our page on the #iwill Fund</a>.

How is #iwill funded?

Progress towards the #iwill vision is resourced by the organisations that are a part of the movement at their own discretion. A number of youth social action projects are also funded by the #iwill Fund in partnership with 25 Match Funders. Volunteering Matters and UK Youth host an independent #iwill Coordination Hub. You can find out how Volunteering Matters and UK Youth are funded on their respective websites or through the Charity Commission.

How can I get in contact with #iwill?

Get in touch via the #iwill social media channels: @iwill_campaign or by emailing <a href="mailto:iwill@volunteeringmatter.org.uk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">iwill@volunteeringmatter.org.uk</a>. If you are an #iwill Ambassador or Champion you can speak directly to the team supporting this network at <a href="mailto:iwill@ukyouth.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">iwill@ukyouth.org</a>

Code of conduct

We require all our partners to follow this code of conduct, so that everyone involved in the #iwill movement can provide the best possible experience for young people, whilst keeping them safe.

This code of conduct will support you to feel confident in engaging with young people as part of the #iwill movement.

This code of conduct is to be used when engaging with #iwill Ambassadors and Champions.

What is an #iwill Ambassador?

#iwill Ambassadors are young people who are recognised by the #iwill movement for the amazing work they’re doing to make a difference in their communities through youth social action. They are aged between 10 – 25 and are either nominated by #will partners or self-nominated. Across the UK, #iwill Ambassadors are taking action on the matters important to them. This includes mentoring and supporting their peers, to tackling bullying, working to combat mental health issues, battling single-use plastic, and much more. You can read their stories here.

#iwill Ambassadors, are given a platform to share their stories and experiences about the causes that matter most to them. It’s a chance to raise the profile of these causes, get more young people involved in social action and to inspire change.

They play a key role in the #iwill movement, informing decisions at every level as well as speaking out on our social media channels. They also are involved in events, opportunities, and consultations, usually hosted by #iwill partners. If you think you have any opportunity for #iwill Ambassadors, please get in touch with us or complete this form here.

About Youth Social Action

What does great youth social action look like? High quality activities will meet six principles including:

Be youth-led
Be challenging
Have social impact
Allow progression to other opportunities
Be embedded in a young person’s life
Enable reflection about the value of the activity

The higher the quality of the social action, the more likely it is to benefit both the young people involved and the communities or causes they are trying to help.

Our support to #iwill Ambassadors is based on the principles of youth work – voluntary participation by young people, trusted relationship with an adult, open and inclusive programmes, and a safe space to try new things and develop young people’s voices.

As a partner or supporter of the #iwill movement, you agree to always:

Champion the voices of young people, valuing and taking their contributions seriously and respecting their opinions
Treat young people fairly and without prejudice or discrimination including respecting differences in gender, sexual orientation, culture, race, ethnicity, identity, disability and religious belief, appreciating that all participants bring something valuable and different to the opportunity at hand
Avoid favouritism
Be patient with others
Communicate honestly and respectfully with youth workers and young people
Respect the privacy of young people
Understand that young people are individuals with individual needs
Challenge unacceptable behaviour (such as offensive language, discrimination and prejudice) and support the #iwill Coordination Hub team to create a safe and welcoming environment
Comply with all applicable UK laws and guidance
Remember you may be viewed as a role model for young people and act accordingly, bringing a positive attitude, showing up on time, and engaging willingly in activities and games

For online opportunities and events, please also:

Ensure people in any shared spaces such as a shared office, meeting room or hall, who are not participating in the online event have been informed that the event is taking place and that they use appropriate language and behaviour if nearby
Where possible, ensure your backdrop is a neutral environment with no personal or inappropriate items on display

Safeguarding young people

All adults who come into contact with children and young people in their work have a duty of care to safeguard and promote their welfare. If, during your opportunity or event, you are;

Approached by a child, young person or adult at risk with a disclosure, that they are being, or have been harmed or abused or neglected OR
You are concerned that a child, young person or adult at risk is, or may be subject to abuse or harm

You have a responsibility to:

Make a written note of the information / observation, and include a record of the time, date and person present
Inform the youth worker or UK Youth staff member supporting the #iwill Ambassador or Champion as soon as possible
Not pass on the information to anyone else, except the people noted above

UK Youth’s full Safeguarding Policy and Procedure can be read here and for any questions or concerns please contact our safeguarding officer David Watts, safeguarding@ukyouth.org; 07738 588140.

Upholding the Code of Conduct

As a partner or supporter of #iwill, you agree to follow this Code of Conduct at all times. If there is any cause to believe that you have acted in a way that undermines this code, we may ask you to pause your engagement while we investigate the issue.

If you have any questions about appropriate behaviour, please contact us. We understand that this setting might be unusual to you and we are committed to giving you what you need so that you can have the greatest possible positive impact on the lives of young people.

Thank you so much for your continued support of #iwill and young people. Please direct any questions about #iwill, this code of conduct or anything else to iwill@ukyouth.org.