#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>

YSA IN THE ENVIRONMENT

We know that young people have the potential to make a huge difference to improving the environment through social action – or green action

OUR ENVIRONMENT SIGNATORIES

Organisations that have already pledged to focus on environment youth social action

Growing environmental youth social action

Examples of green action include taking part in environmental volunteering such as litter picking or planting pollinator-friendly flowers, fundraising for to maintain or enhance green spaces or campaigning for the zero plastic waste agenda.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has pledged to the #iwill Movement, which aims to make social action a part of life for 10 to 20 year olds across the UK. The #iwill Movement, launched by HRH The Prince of Wales in 2013 with cross-party support, will focus on growing environmental youth social action with the #iwill4nature.

Making the case for environmental youth social action

There are a wide range of benefits to involving young people in environmental social action

The Year of Green Action

The #iwill Movement’s effort formed a core component of the Government’s 2019 Year of Green Action, which drew together local and national initiatives to support current momentum and interest for the environment, demonstrated the power of progress through collective action, and inspired and challenged #iwill Movement partners – new and old – to take action.

THE 25 YEAR PLAN

Our aim is for more organisations to better understand the vital role that young people can (and already do) play in supporting the environment and subsequently open opportunities to embed quality youth social action into their vision and work.

This aim aligns with the intent of the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan to help children and young people from all backgrounds to engage with nature and improve the environment.