A call to SOCIAL action Please note this video clip is on you tube and may have adverts etc so please check and remove this note! The video is a light hearted video made by a young person to celebrate their 20th birthday.

Ask students to turn to each other and tell their partner about something that they feel passionately about or would like to change in their community, neighbourhood or the world. Ask for students to share this.

What is social action? Social action is about people coming together to improve their lives and the lives of people around them. It can be any action that has a positive outcome for others. Ways you can take part in social action and become a more active citizen include Campaigning Volunteering Fundraising Raising awareness It’s really important here to make sure students know that social action is so much more than fundraising and that they can participate without needing lots of money

What is social action? There are a huge number of groups, organisations and campaigns that are looking for people just like you to give your time and energy. Again – to talk to students about the wealth of organisations that need funds but also need volunteers, campaigners and people to raise awareness about issues such as mental health and loneliness

Do young people engage in Social Action? 58% of young people have taken part in some social action this past year. That’s amazing! 68% of young people say they would like to take part in social action in the next year. That’s 2/3! Social action as a way to make students more employable and whilst raising their feelings of self confidence and wellbeing Do young people engage in Social Action?

67% of employers said the candidates who had taken part in social action had better skills and were more employable that those who hadn’t Taking part in social action was recommended by UCAS as a way to make your application stand out from the crowd

Some real life inspiration If your school has photos of your own students conducting social action projects this would be a great place to showcase them

What next? Do-it.org is a website for people interested in volunteering and provides local opportunities on your doorstep. Type in your postcode and it will show you a huge range of opportunities in order of distance from your house. #iwill is a huge national movement with the aim of getting more young people involved in social action – there are literally hundreds of opportunities out there for you to tap into – head on over to the iwill.org.uk website. Some of the Do-it.org opportunities are for 16+ whereas the #iwill cover the age ranges

Lots of other ways to get involved… First Give – an organisation that will come into school and help deliver a 6 week programme around campaigning Opportunities to help in primary schools E-petitions = becoming engaged in politics Write letters to your MP or invite your MP into school to talk about issues that impact your community