#iwill Fund Learning Hub
What is the Hub?
The #iwill Fund was set up to increase the quantity and quality of social action opportunities available for young people. Funding was provided by DCMS and the National Lottery Community Fund, then matched by a range of funders from across the social action sector. It launched in November 2016 to support the #iwill campaign's goals in England, aiming to make social action part of life for as many 10 to 20 year-olds as possible by the year 2020.
The #iwill Fund Learning Hub was commissioned by the #iwill Fund Leadership Board to provide insight and intelligence to inform and shape future decisions. In addition, the work of the #iwill Fund Learning Hub was designed to provide an invaluable source of information and support to the #iwill Fund delivery partners.
However, the #iwill Fund Learning Hub also reached beyond these; to delivery organisations providing youth social action opportunities and the institutions within which youth social action is embedded; other funders who may support youth social action; and the wider research community seeking to increase understanding of youth social action.
The Learning Hub continued to report until Spring 2023 with an increasing focus on providing concluding answers to our Sector Evidence Plan questions. As the #iwill Fund moved towards its close, we increased our focus on sustainability, as well as on sharing outcomes for Match Funders' evaluations– with the caveat that the outcomes evaluated are diverse, as are the evaluations methods used, and we will not be able to generate generalisable conclusions about the impact of youth social action.
One legacy of the #iwill Fund will be an increase in the number of organisations experienced in enabling youth social action, although many will still be in the early stages of doing so. To support this, shared learning as it emerges about whether, how, and why funders and organisations make the decision to sustain youth social action – including their perceptions of its outcomes and its ‘fundability'.
We also shared increasing insight into successful strategies for engagement of young people and for quality delivery including using digital tools, and learning about how funders can support this quality.
Finally we shared conclusions about new directions and priorities for funding, delivery, and research in youth social action, to provide continued opportunities beyond the #iwill Fund.
First Summative Report: What is Youth Social Action?
This is the first in a four-part series of summative reports by the #iwill Fund Learning Hub and provides a definition of ‘youth social action’ and a richer understanding of what can be considered youth social action.
Second Summative Report : How Do We Support Youth Social Action For All?
This is the second in a four-part series of summative reports by the #iwill Fund Learning Hub, and outlines learning on how we can support youth social action for all to maximise the benefit for young people and society.
Third Summative Report: How Do We Support Quality Youth Social Action?
This report is the third in a four-part series of summative reports by the #iwill Fund Learning Hub and outlines recommendations on supporting good quality youth social action activity design and delivery, and supporting organisations to embed a culture of learning and improvement.
Fourth Summative Report: What Does Youth Social Action Do?
This report is the fourth in a four-part series of summative reports by the #iwill Fund Learning Hub and focuses on the different types of youth social action benefit and how these benefits have been evidenced within the #iwill Fund.
