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#iWill Fund Learning Hub: Sector Evidence Plan

This work builds on our understanding of what youth social action achieves; how to reach under-served groups and how to sustain youth social action (Aug 2018 – ongoing).

It draws on these four information sources to develop and evolve answers to key questions: Intra-fund evaluation aggregation; Extra-fund research aggregation; Match Funder returns to the #iwill Fund and data from Information Management System; and Results from other workstreams.

BLOG: Participation for all

This blog was written as part of Dartington’s Service Design Lab’s work leading the #iwill Fund Learning Hub. In it, Dartington reflect on what they've learnt through writing a paper on socio-economic disadvantage gap in youth social action.

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BLOG: Something New

This blog by Jenny North of Dartington Service Design Lab shares findings from the #iwill Fund’s recent report into the new directions for youth social action suggested by the #iwill Funded activity.

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Data Review 8

This is the eighth and final data review produced by the #iwill Fund Learning Hub. The purpose of these reviews is to synthesise the learning that is being generated and documented by the #iwill Fund and Match Funders with existing and emerging evidence outside the Fund. The scale and variety of youth social action supported by the #iwill Fund represents an unprecedented wave of activity, and these data reviews seek to harness this activity to capture and disseminate valuable learning for the field.

Data Review 7

Data Review 7 brings together learning generated and documented by the #iwill Fund and Match Funders with existing and emerging evidence outside the Fund, using these findings to understand the scale and variety of youth social action, and how this practice can be further supported.  

Summary of learning to date

This report summarises the learning from the last three years of #iwill Fund Learning Hub delivery, particularly from the Sector Evidence Plan workstream. It shares emerging conclusions, as well as examples of interesting practice, and next steps.

#iwill Learning Hub Data Review 6

This is the sixth data review produced by the #iwill Fund Learning Hub. The purpose of these reviews is to synthesise the learning that is being generated and documented by the #iwill Fund and Match Funders with existing and emerging evidence outside the Fund. These data reviews seek to harness this activity to capture and disseminate valuable learning for the field. 

#iwill Learning Hub Data Review 5

This is the fifth data review produced by the #iwill Fund Learning Hub. The purpose of these reviews is to synthesise the learning that is being generated and documented by the #iwill Fund and Match Funders with existing and emerging evidence outside the Fund. These data reviews seek to harness this activity to capture and disseminate valuable learning for the field. 

#iwill Learning Hub Data Review 4

This is the Learning Hub’s fourth review of the learning and data being generated by the #iwill Fund – drawing on the Information Management System, evaluation and learning reports share by Match Funders, and the ongoing work of the Learning Hub. Over time, we’re using this information to answer some of the most important questions around youth social action.

Theory of Change: Guidance for organisations enabling youth social action

This report provides guidance on ‘theory of change’ for organisations working within the youth social action particularly those enabling activities for young people. This guidance is for organisations who already have theories of change, to refresh and scrutinise, and for those that do not, to help them create one for the first time.  The report introduces what a theory of change is, before sharing what we currently know about theories of change within the #iwill Fund, and why they can be such an important resource for the #iwill Fund Learning Hub in understanding what has been enabled by the #iwill Fund, and what we are learning from this. 

Finally the report provides a guide for delivery organisations – what does a theory of change need to include, what decisions need to be made, and how should it be used? This has been pulled out into a separate, shorter guide that can easily be shared. 

Theory of Change guidance for funders and grantees

This report provides guidance on ‘theory of change’ for organisations working within the youth social action particularly those enabling activities for young people. This guidance is for organisations who already have theories of change, to refresh and scrutinise, and for those that do not, to help them create one for the first time.  The report introduces what a theory of change is, before sharing what we currently know about theories of change within the #iwill Fund, and why they can be such an important resource for the #iwill Fund Learning Hub in understanding what has been enabled by the #iwill Fund, and what we are learning from this. 

Youth Social Action and Outcomes for Young People

This paper, by the Dartington Service Design Lab, reviews research evidence on outcomes for young people from participation in youth social action, drawing out implications for stakeholders in the #iwill Fund as well as the wider youth sector.

Community Benefit and Youth Social Action

This paper, by the Dartington Service Design Lab, aims to help funders and providers think about how their youth social action programmes can achieve and measure benefit. The paper summarises measurement frameworks, including a new one from Dartington.

The Socio-Economic Participation Gap in Youth Social Action

This paper explores the gap in youth social action participation based on young people’s socio-economic status. The paper presents what is known about the gap in participation, the likely drivers of the gap and potential effective approaches to recruiting more young people from lower socio-economic groups. This report was produced as part of Dartington’s Service Design Lab’s work leading the #iwill Fund Learning Hub.

Towards A Typology of Youth Social Action

Report produced as part of the Sector Evidence Plan workstream.

#iwill Fund Learning Hub Data Review 1

This is the Learning Hub’s first review of the learning and data being generated by the #iwill Fund – drawing on the Information Management System, evaluation and learning reports share by Match Funders, and the ongoing work of the Learning Hub. Over time, we’re using this information to answer some of the most important questions around youth social action.

#iwill Fund Learning Hub Data Review 2

This is the Learning Hub’s second review of the learning and data being generated by the #iwill Fund – drawing on the Information Management System, evaluation and learning reports share by Match Funders, and the ongoing work of the Learning Hub. Over time, we’re using this information to answer some of the most important questions around youth social action.

#iwill Fund Learning Hub Data Review 3

This is the third data review produced by the #iwill Fund Learning Hub. The purpose of these reviews is to synthesise the learning that is being generated and documented by the #iwill Fund and Match Funders with existing and emerging evidence outside the Fund. These data reviews seek to harness this activity to capture and disseminate valuable learning for the field. This paper particularly focuses on How do youth social action programmes supported through the #iwill Fund (plan to) achieve outcomes for young people? This was taken from pre-Covid evaluation reports.

New Directions for Youth Social Action

This report focuses on two specific strands of work emerging from the #iwill Fund: Work to trial youth social action in organisations without a track record of working with either young people, or social action, or both.

Revisiting Place in Youth Social Action

This report returns to the theme of ‘place’, and how it has been used to shape funding for youth social action within the #iwill Fund. Through interviews with Match Funders, the report considers how they understand place in their work, and what they think the impact of this approach has been. They also look at the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the importance of place in funding.

Revisiting Place in Youth Social Action (summary)

Summary of the Revisiting Place in Youth Social Action full report.

Adaptation and Youth Social Action: The Impact of COVID-19

This report presents the #iwill Fund Learning Hub’s work to understand the impact of the COVID- 19 pandemic, and associated restrictions, on the delivery of #iwill-Funded youth social action up to October 2020. As this report shows, the necessary innovation shown across many of the #iwill Fund projects shows some promising new approaches, as well as some new learning on how digital can make delivery and engagement harder. This learning is important in understanding the impact of the #iwill Fund, and in developing high-quality youth social action for the future, both under ongoing pandemic conditions, and further ahead.