19 Feb 2021
The Power of Youth Explained is a six-part series of short interactive, digital articles curated by #iwill partner organisations and Ambassadors. The series aims to bring together research, experiences and resources that not only develops the readers’ knowledge and understanding of youth social action, but helps them turn it into action. They are also designed to help your organisation put your Power of Youth Charter commitments into practice.
ARTICLE 4:
Why and how should your organisation work in partnership with others to support youth social action?
HRH The Prince of Wales meeting #iwill Ambassadors at the #iwill Advisory Council 2019
A LETTER FROM THE CURATORS:
Hello and welcome!
Youth social action is all about young people making a positive difference to others. Therefore, successful projects often involve lots of other people, groups, and organisations. Through effective partnerships young people are able to take advantage of existing structures, expertise, and resources to make their actions more powerful than they might have been otherwise. And working in partnership means that young people are able to influence change in new and exciting places.
There’s also lots of organisations out there who want to support young people lead change. The #iwill campaign and its supporters are testament to that. Each partner has learnt so much over the last ten years to develop brilliant youth social action. Effective collaboration helps us share and spread that work, involve more young people, and accelerate the change they want to see in the world.
This collection of resources, collated by Liverpool FC Foundation, Team London, and #iwill Ambassador Joana Baptista, is here to give you a snippet of inspiration with examples of great partnerships that have created real impacts. If you want to know more, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
VIEWPOINT: Why working in partnership is important for social action
#iwill Ambassador Joana Baptista
My brother once described social action as a puzzle with 7.8 billion pieces, where each individual, unique piece represents one of the individual, unique people on this planet. One piece may represent a grandfather in Japan, another a teacher in Angola, and another an infant in Chile. One of those pieces is me, and one of those pieces is you. With only two hands and one brain, there is only so much social action I, or anyone, can do on our own. And this is where partnership steps in. We can achieve so much more by working together!

I’ve been fortunate enough to work in partnership with numerous groups and witness first-hand the impact it can have. For example, since the Women of the Future (WOF) Ambassador program worked in collaboration with Lloyds TSB, hundreds of girls each year around London have been able to benefit from inspirational mentors across the WOF Awards Programs and learn invaluable skills from CV building through to public speaking.
WHO’S WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP?
Findings from the 2020 #iwill partner survey gives us a sense of how many organisations supporting youth social action are working in partnership to do so. For those who are working in partnership it also explores which sectors and organisations they’re likely to be working with. There’s more that can be done to work in partnership to ensure all young people have the opportunity to make the difference they want to in the world, so take a look at the below and think about what more your organisation could be doing.
91% of #iwill Partner Organisations are partnering with another organisation or young people to support social action
Take a look at who these organisations are partnering with to support youth social action.
_
FIVE TOP TIPS
VIEWPOINT: Women of the Future
#iwill Ambassador Joana Baptista reflects on Women of the Future Partnerships
The Women of the Future Awards are a platform that recognises successful women across Britain in a number of diverse sectors. Founded by Pinky Lilani CBE DL 14 years ago, with HRH The Countess of Wessex as their Global Ambassador and Cherie Blair as their patron, the awards now have a large and fruitful network of incredible past winners and shortlistees. It is these women who go on to be ambassadors for the Women of the Future Ambassador program.
When Women of the Future first partnered with Lloyds TSB to deliver their Ambassador Program, neither were to expect the impact they would have on sixth-formers across London and the South East.
