Inclusion

Engaging Youth With Social Action

Ella Cohen shows how providing opportunities for disenchanted youth to find meaning and purpose in their learning is part of a new social action initiative.

Young people aren’t just the leaders of tomorrow. They have the energy, skills and ideas to change society and the environment for the better today. Yet too often society fails to listen to young people’s views or recognise their ability to make a positive difference. 

All young people should be supported and empowered to be active and engaged citizens. That’s why the #iwill campaign, composed of over 1000 organisations from across the UK, aims to make participation in social action the norm for young people aged 10 to 20. Social action activities include volunteering, peer support, campaigning or fundraising. Currently 4 in 10 young people participate in meaningful social action, but those from less affluent communities are much less likely to take part than their wealthier peers.

Building character

When young people take part in social action, everyone benefits. Young people benefit because they build their skills, character and wellbeing. Communities do too, because they are healthier, more cohesive and better integrated. To achieve this, the campaign communicates with, connects and challenges organisations across the country to change how they work so that they embed support for youth social action into their culture and practice

Great education leaders know that education is about more than grades. Schools and colleges prepare students for life in modern Britain, and that means equipping them to be active citizens both today and in the future. Most young people get involved in social action through schools and colleges and when they do, the majority take part because they want to get involved, not because they have to. From stimulating peer tutoring in the classroom, to partnering with local organisations to help their students make an impact or creating whole school activities to improve the local community; schools and colleges can support a wide variety of social action. 

Over the last three years, more and more primary and secondary school teachers indicate that they see social action as part of their school’s culture and practice. However, fewer than a quarter say that the majority of their students take part regularly. Primary school teachers are also less likely to say social action is embedded into their school’s culture—just 48 per cent of primary school teachers believe it is compared with 73 per cent of secondary school teachers in 2018.

When polled, teachers who work in schools with a high proportion of low-income young people are less likely to say social action is a part of their school’s culture and practice than those who teach more affluent students. Many young people from low-income backgrounds are not accessing the wide range of benefits that participation in social action can provide. 

Embedding social action into the ethos of the school

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