Iwill Campaign

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The #iwill campaign (now the #iwill Movement) was a UK-wide campaign, set up in November 2013 by its coordinating charity Step Up to Serve, which seeks to increase participation in social action by young people aged 10–25.{{Cite web |url=http://www.iwill.org.uk/about-us/ |title=#iwill About Us Page |access-date=22 June 2016 |archive-date=3 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160703033800/http://www.iwill.org.uk/about-us/ |url-status=dead }}[https://www.theguardian.com/voluntary-sector-network/2016/jun/01/science-behind-volunteering-psychology What Makes Some People More Likely To Volunteer Than Others, Guardian Article, 1 June 2016] Social action is defined as volunteering, campaigning or fundraising. Its goal is to increase the numbers of young people engaged in social action by 50% by 2020, meaning that 60% of all young people would be regularly engaging in social action by that time.

The campaign is driven by creating partnerships with businesses, education, voluntary and public sector organisations. These organisations, of which there are roughly five-hundred, assert their affiliation to the campaign by making an #iwill pledge of their intentions, which is then visible on the #iwill campaign's website, and may be individually promoted by the organisations themselves.{{Cite web |url=http://www.iwill.org.uk/iwill-pledges/ |title=#iwill Pledge Page |access-date=23 June 2016 |archive-date=8 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160608232453/http://www.iwill.org.uk/iwill-pledges/ |url-status=dead }}[http://www.bethnalgreenacademy.co.uk/social-action/ Bethnal Green Academy #iwill Pledge Page] The #iwill campaign was given cross-party support by David Cameron, Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband, and was referenced in the pre-election manifestos of both Conservative and Labour parties in the run up to the 2015 general election.{{Cite web |url=http://www.labour.org.uk/manifesto/better- |title=Labour Party Manifesto 2015 |access-date=23 June 2016 |archive-date=11 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160911050832/http://www.labour.org.uk/manifesto/better- |url-status=dead }}[https://issuu.com/conservativeparty/docs/ge_manifesto_low_res_bdecb3a47a0faf?e=16696947/12362115/48 Conservative Party Manifesto 2015] The Prince of Wales's Charitable Foundation contributes to the campaign, with King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) acting as patron to the campaign.[https://www.theguardian.com/small-business-network/2015/nov/17/prince-charles-startup-academy-social-action-campaign Prince Charles to Urge Young People to Get Involved In Social Action, Guardian Article, 17 November 2015][http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/young-people-wales-want-volunteer-11407212 Young people in Wales want to volunteer, Wales Online, 1 June 2016]

The three main activities of the campaign are:

• Communicating the value of youth social action and undertaking research to further understand the current position of youth social action in the UK.
• Integrating youth social actions into all young persons’ experiences, through schools, colleges and youth clubs etc.
• Improving the provision of youth social action opportunities.{{Cite web |url=http://www.iwill.org.uk/about-us/making-the-case/ |title=#iwill Making The Case Page |access-date=22 June 2016 |archive-date=15 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160715085413/http://www.iwill.org.uk/about-us/making-the-case/ |url-status=dead }}

The #iwill campaign achieves much of its impact through its partner organisations, who support the campaigns goals in their own work, as well as contributing to the decision making of the campaign by participating in steering groups.[http://www.iwill.org.uk/about-us/governance-and-funding #iwill Campaign Governance and Funding page] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160715085431/http://www.iwill.org.uk/about-us/governance-and-funding/ |date=15 July 2016 }}/ Significant partner organisations include O2, Lloyds Bank, Trinity Mirror, Vinspired, Duke of Edinburgh's Award, The Mayor of London and the Department for Education, among others.[http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/all-about/iwill Liverpool Echo, Trinity Mirror Paper, #iwill Articles][http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/all-about/iwilll Manchester Evening News, Trinity Mirror Paper, #iwill Articles]{{Dead link|date=September 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}[http://scouts.org.uk/news/2014/11/scouts-say-iwill/ Scouts Say #iwill][http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/how-young-people-wales-can-11438188 This is how young people in Wales can make a positive difference to their communities, Wales Online, 7 June 2016]{{Cite web |url=http://news.o2.co.uk/2015/11/23/thinking-big-iwill-week/ |title=The Blue, Thinking Big for #iwill week |access-date=24 June 2016 |archive-date=28 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160628194359/http://news.o2.co.uk/2015/11/23/thinking-big-iwill-week/ |url-status=dead }}[http://news.o2.co.uk/?press-release=o2-backs-step-up-to-serve-campaign-to-encourage-social-action-through-volunteering O2 backs Step Up To Serve campaign to encourage social action through volunteering] Individual schools such as Bethnal Green Academy have implemented the campaign's aims by developing and heavily promoting social action activities within and outside of school.[http://www.bethnalgreenacademy.co.uk/social-action/ Bethnal Green Academy #iwill Pledge Page]

The #iwill campaign was managed by the Step Up to Serve staff,{{Cite web |url=http://www.iwill.org.uk/about-us/step-up-to-serve/ |title=Step Up To Serve at #iwill Campaign |access-date=23 June 2016 |archive-date=8 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160708073433/http://www.iwill.org.uk/about-us/step-up-to-serve/ |url-status=dead }} headed by CEO Charlotte Hill, and supported by a board of trustees including Step Up To Serve founders Dame Julia Cleverdon DCVO, CBE and Amanda Jordan OBE.[https://web.archive.org/web/20151129012309/http://www.iwill.org.uk/about-us/governance-and-funding/dame-julia-cleverdon/ Dame Julia Cleverdon at #iwill]{{Cite web |url=http://www.iwill.org.uk/about-us/governance-and-funding/amanda-jordan/ |title=Amanda Jordan at #iwill |access-date=22 June 2016 |archive-date=29 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151229202617/http://www.iwill.org.uk/about-us/governance-and-funding/amanda-jordan/ |url-status=dead }}{{Cite web |url=http://juliacleverdon.com/education |title=Dame Julia Cleverdon Website: Education and Young People |access-date=28 June 2016 |archive-date=21 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160621180942/http://juliacleverdon.com/education |url-status=dead }} Each year, the campaign accepts up to 100 young people involved in social action to act as ambassadors.[http://www.iwill.org.uk/iwill-ambassadors/ #iwill Ambassadors Page] One of these is Ayrton Cable, a young activist for human and animal rights, who has received several awards for his work in campaigning and activism.

As of 2021, the campaign has evolved into the #iwill Movement, and is coordinated by UK Youth and Volunteering Matters following the dissolution of Step Up to Serve.