vinvolved - Youth Action

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What is youth action?
Youth action is all about encouraging young people to lead change in their community, which means if you see something you want to change, improve, or make people aware of we can help you design a project to make it happen...and then we’ll support you in delivering it!

I’ve never heard of it – it’s not happening in Hertfordshire, is it?
It surely is! This is just a sample of the youth action vinvolved has supported in the last year:

A group of 20 young people in creating a prom for young people with learning disabilities; see our news pages for more information and pictures from the night
A group of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) young people in starting to form a social and support group for other LGBT young people to reduce isolation; the group are also considering offering training to schools and colleges to help them provide better support for LGBT young people and reduce homophobic bullying
Two young women in starting to form a street dance class for children in their community at risk of getting drawn in to anti-social behaviour
A group of young people to improve the range of books available for teenagers by working closely with Hertfordshire library service to help choose stock

I could never do that!
Youth action can sound rather daunting, but it needn’t be. Here’s some things to consider:

Projects can be any size: it could be something small you want to take on, like getting a few people together to pick up litter in your local park, or it could be something much bigger like raising people’s awareness of climate change or organising a music event…it can also be anything and everything in between
Community change needn’t be boring: as long as your project positively benefits your community, is delivered by volunteers, and is safe and legal any idea is pretty much okay! Your creativity and imagination are some of the best tools you have where youth action is concerned.
You won’t be alone: youth action brings like-minded young people together, and we can help you recruit other young volunteers to help out. You may already be part of a group, in which case you can deliver your project together. Also, you’ll have the back up, advice, support, and energy of vinvolved’s staff behind you: they’ll be there for you every step of the way.
You don’t have to be the leader: there are loads of different roles and different levels of responsibility you can take on through youth action so you’re sure to find one that suits you and feels comfortable.

Yeah, but how do I do it? Image of the YAT Pack logo
vinvolved provides training for young people interested in youth action. The YAT Pack will show you how to:

Come up with a great idea and get your community to support it
Manage your project from start to finish
Fundraise and apply for grants
Recruit volunteers and get people involved
Make sure your project is safe and legal
Promote your project and get press coverage

The training is FREE, and can be delivered in your community through your school, college, youth group, or even just to you and your mates: we can find a venue for you. Contact your local Youth Volunteering Adviser for more details.

If you think you’re ready to go without needing any training, or perhaps you just want to kick some ideas around or just find out more about youth action, then get in touch with your local Youth Volunteering Adviser for a chat.

What’s the point?
Young people do have the power and ability to change their communities and often in ways that adults can’t. Through youth action, you can make where you live:

Safer
Cleaner and Greener
Inclusive and equal
More fun and vibrant

You can also raise the community’s awareness of issues you feel passionately about e.g. through challenging the negative stereotypes of young people, or getting people to think about fair trade, road safety, bullying, public transport, environmental and conservation issues, etc.

For you personally, you will not only benefit from the changes you make happen through your project but you could also:

Gain new skills and qualifications
Gain valuable experience you can use when applying for jobs, or to college or university
Make new friends
Increase your confidence

vinvolved’s range of certficates and awards are also available to young people engaging in youth action. You could receive the v50 award for your hours, and then progress on to the vImpact award. The vImpact award requires young people to develop a portfolio of evidence that showcases their contribution to a youth action project; the evidence is easy to gather and the vinvolved Team can provide you with lots of help and support in putting the portfolio together.

Youth Action Ambassadors
The vinvolved Team do lots of promotional work to make sure as many young people as possible know about youth volunteering and youth action; this can range from presentations in schools to running stalls at festivals or other big events.

If you’ve already been a volunteer or a youth activist, you could make an excellent Ambassador by sharing your experiences with other young people and/or representing vinvolved at events. If you would like to help vinvolved spread the word about youth volunteering and youth action then get in touch with your local Youth Volunteering Adviser to find out how.