#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>

THE POWER OF YOUTH

We can’t keep making decisions about young people without young people. And by failing to support them to make a positive difference through youth action, we all lose out as a result.

Discover the Charter signatories

WHAT IS THE POWER OF YOUTH CHARTER?

The Power of Youth does not belong to one organisation or to one brand – it is an expression of the power young people have to lead positive change.

It is a collaborative effort, across the UK, which aims to recognise young people for their efforts, empower more young people to make a difference, and give young people opportunities to shape their future.

Based in Scotland? Head to the YouthLink Scotland website for a Scottish specific Charter and comms pack.

Download the Charter

WHY SHOULD YOU SIGN UP?

Signing-up to the Power of Youth charter has to be more than a token gesture. In doing so, your organisation will be making a public commitment and taking meaningful action to empower more children and young people to be active citizens. Benefits include:

Accessing new ideas and perspectives that enhances your organisation’s work and impact
Strengthening your organisation’s relationship with its younger stakeholders by showing them that you care about their views and impact
Setting an example to other organisations within and beyond your sector that encourages them to embrace and grow the power of youth
Gaining access to networks and resources through the #iwill movement community that support you to deliver your Charter commitments

STEPS FOR SIGNING THE CHARTER

THINK ABOUT IT

Consider the commitments your organisation will make against each point in the Charter. Ideally you would bring the Charter to your Board for endorsement. Use the worksheet below (which includes example commitments) to help your thinking.

Worksheet (PDF or PowerPoint)

SIGN UP

Once you’ve agreed your commitment, you can sign up to the Charter. The signatory should be a senior leader from your organisation, such as the Chief Executive or Chair. You can sign up using our online form.

SHOUT ABOUT IT

We would encourage you to share far and wide that you are a new signatory of the Charter. Once you’re signed up we will send your our communications toolkit with social posts and other visuals. Please include us in any of your social posts so we can share with our networks too.