Youth Voice within the #iwill Fund
Between 2021-2023, the College, working alongside young people, match funders, and youth organisations, led an evaluation to capture the impact of youth voice within the #iwill Fund.
About the #iwill Fund
The #iwill Fund brings together a group of organisations who all contribute funding to embed meaningful social action into the lives of young people, made possible thanks to a £50 million joint investment from The National Lottery Community Fund and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to support young people to access high quality social action.
The #iwill Fund has, so far, created a combined grant pot of over £73million and estimates that over 500,000 young people will undertake social action opportunities thanks to this funding.
Aims of the evaluation
The National Lottery Community Fund commissioned an evaluation to understand the impact of youth voice across three key initiatives: The #iwill Fund, The National Lottery Community Fund Young People in the Lead Programme, and the DCMS Youth Policy Development Group.
Youth voice is defined in the #iwill Fund as 'the meaningful involvement of young people in decisions that affect them and that influence the conditions of projects and programmes that they are involved in'. This included involvement in the co-design of programmes and services, research and evaluation, decision-making on grants and strategy, and in organisational governance.
From 2021 to 2023, eight young evaluators worked alongside the evaluation team at the Centre for Youth Voice (part of YMCA George Williams College), to establish how youth voice is occurring in practice and understand how it has impacted:
- Young people;
- #iwill Fund Match Funders;
- Organisations delivering #iwill Fund projects;
- The communities where #iwill Fund projects take place; and
- The wider system and structures which support youth voice and youth social action
Alongside a final evaluation report and summary, six ‘How to…’ guides have been published. The guides are based on learning generated through this evaluation, the views of young people engaged in the project, and wider good practices. Aimed at youth voice practitioners, they offer practical guidance to ensure high quality practice and youth voice activities.
Published reports
Browse the reports and How-to guides published as part of our 'Establishing Youth Voice' evaluation below:
Establishing Youth Voice: Final Report
From 2021 to 2023, eight young evaluators worked with the evaluation team at the Centre for Youth Voice (part of YMCA George Williams College), to establish how youth voice is occurring in practice and the difference it makes across three initiatives: The #iwill Fund, The Young People in the Lead Advisory Panel, and the DCMS Youth Policy Development Group.
Commissioned by the National Lottery Community Fund, the report shares learning from three key evaluation research questions, developed through a collaborative process with a group of young evaluators and stakeholders from across the youth sector:
1. How has youth voice been happening in practice in these initiatives?
2. What has enabled or inhibited youth voice practice in these initiatives?
3. In what ways has youth voice practice impacted on young people, funders, delivery organisations, and communities?
Establishing Youth Voice: Final Report Summary
From 2021 to 2023, eight young evaluators worked with the evaluation team at the Centre for Youth Voice (part of YMCA George Williams College), to establish how youth voice is occurring in practice and the difference it makes across three initiatives: The #iwill Fund, The Young People in the Lead Advisory Panel, and the DCMS Youth Policy Development Group.
This paper is a summary of the final report from an evaluation of youth voice practices across these initiatives, and shares learning from three key research questions:
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How has youth voice been happening in practice?
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What has enabled or inhibited youth voice practice?
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In what ways has youth voice practice impacted on: young people; funders; delivery organisations; communities?
How to Connect Young People with Decision-makers - Guide
Produced as part of the 'Establishing Youth Voice' evaluation, this guidance helps practitioners to work with young people to engage people in positions of power, in order to influence the decisions which impact young people and their communities.
The guide offers practical guidance should you be:
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Looking to identify the right decision-makers to connect with;
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Seeking to explain decision-makers’ roles to young people;
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Engaging and approaching decision-makers or their teams for a meeting;
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Meeting with decision-makers; or
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Following up with decision-makers after the meeting.
How to Engage Parents and Other Practitioners When Supporting Young People in Youth Voice Activities - Guide
Produced as part of the 'Establishing Youth Voice' evaluation, this guidance helps youth voice practitioners engage and build relationships with parents, carers, professionals, or services involved with the young people they work with.
The guide offers practical guidance should you be:
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Explaining your work to others;
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Looking to understand the legal responsibilities of others; or
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Aligning your support with others.
How to Share Stories and Celebrate Your Youth Voice Activities - Guide
Produced as part of the 'Establishing Youth Voice' evaluation, this guidance gives practical steps to promote youth voice activities, advocate for the difference it makes, and celebrate successes with different audiences.
The guide offers practical guidance should you be:
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Seeking to share stories of your youth voice activities;
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Collaborating with communications departments or leads; or
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Responsible for ensuring that young people are kept safe and supported when sharing their stories.
How to Support Senior Leaders to Commit to Youth Voice - Guide
Produced as part of the 'Establishing Youth Voice' evaluation, this guidance provides practical steps you can take to engage senior leaders and ensure they commit to youth voice activities.
The guide offers practical guidance should you be:
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Seeking to embed a culture of participation;
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Approaching Senior Leaders in your organisation; or
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Facing challenges in getting Senior Leaders to commit to youth voice.
How to Support Young People Finishing or Leaving Youth Voice Activities - Guide
Produced as part of the 'Establishing Youth Voice' evaluation, this guidance gives practical steps you can take to support young people as they transition away from your youth voice activities.
The guide offers practical guidance should you be:
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Supporting young people leaving your project;
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Working with young people on time-limited projects; or
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Ending your youth voice activity with all young people.
How to Support Young People Most Intensively Involved in Youth Voice Activities - Guide
Produced as part of the 'Establishing Youth Voice' evaluation, this guidance helps practitioners support young people involved in several youth voice activities.
The guide offers practical guidance should you be:
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Improving your understanding of these young people's specific needs;
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Helping them manage multiple demands; or
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Seeking to provide them with holistic support.
Young Evaluators Panel
Between 2021-2023, the Young Evaluators Panel worked alongside the College's evaluation team to co-design and co-deliver the evaluation into the impact of youth voice within the #iwill Fund.
