#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>

King Charles III Coronation

4 May 2023

The #iwill Movement send our thanks to His Majesty King Charles III on this momentous occasion.

His Majesty the King has always been a huge advocate of empowering and supporting youth social action. King Charles was pivotal in founding the #iwill Movement. Here we look back at our history and the key role that His Majesty the King played.

Our history

In 2012, Prime Minister David Cameron 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.
The review concluded that an initiative uniting organisations and the public should be set up to increase opportunities for young people. This initiative is the #iwill Movement.
#iwill was officially launched in November 2013, coordinated by the charity Step Up to Serve, across the UK, and was a patronage of King Charles III.

“Step Up to Serve, which I founded back in 2013, has been working to bring together businesses, charities, schools, hospitals and people from all walks of life. To create opportunities for young people to volunteer and to help members of their community.”

It’s founding purpose was to increase participation in social action, for example, volunteering, campaigning or fundraising, by young people aged 10–25.
This was to showcase the Power of Youth and to encourage other to better involve young people in decision making.
The #iwill Movement was founded by King Charles III, Dame Julia Cleverdon DCVO, CBE and Amanda Jordan OBE, and benefitted from cross-party support by David Cameron, Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband. It was also referenced in the pre-election manifestos of both Conservative and Labour parties in the run up to the 2015 general election.
The #iwill Movement is driven by young people, with wide ranging impact being achieved through hundreds of partner organisations, many of whom have integrated social action initiatives into their day to day work by committing to the Power of Youth Charter, and others who co-finance social action activity in conjunction with the #iwill fund, coordinated by the National Lottery Community Fund.
Young people, and adult supporters, can join the movement at any time. Additionally, 60 young people are recruited each year to become #iwill ambassadors- shaping and leading change in their own lives, communities and wider society – driving the Movement.

If you’re not already a member of our Movement take a look how you can support us. Whatever your age and experience, you can be part of #iwill.

King Charles III Coronation

Our history

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