Celebrating #iWillWeek 2023

To celebrate #iWillWeek’s 10th anniversary we ran a series of events across the week asking young people to consider the impact of the Youth Social Action (YSA) movement and youth agency, the importance of youth social action work, and explore what an inclusive future looks like.??

The week’s event kicked off with the Youth Advisory Council (YAC) taking over the #WeWill Instagram and Twitter account, where they shared their motivations for joining the YAC and revealed why they're optimistic about YSA.??

Mollie Speed, Youth Advisor Council member shared on Twitter what YSA means to her, in which she said:

“Youth Social Action allows young people access to the opportunities that might not have been previously available to them, the skills and mindset that they developed from these projects and events allow them to achieve so much more than what they had previously thought. By becoming involved in Youth Social Action for OAT it allows me to give back to the OAT students and support them in their journey just as OAT did with mine.”?

Throughout the day the YAC provided great insights on the YSA movement posting comments, graphics and videos.??

Other activities during the week saw both non-Ormiston and Ormiston schools participate in the #WeWill mini creative arts competition.??

Young people were asked to Design an Alternative Future and write a Letter to their Future Self to be in with the chance of winning a cash prize of up to ￡400.00 to redesign and renovate their school environment and have their letters shared on the website.??

Each competition took inspiration from the theme ‘optimism’, alongside things that make them hopeful about the future of youth social action.??

More than 50 entries were received, in which topics such as well-being, environmental issues, diversity & inclusion, combatting poverty, and community were explored, highlighting the growing concerns that these themes continue to play in young people’s lives.??

The celebratory event concluded with a jam-packed Youth Advisory Council (YAC) Away day, in which the members had the opportunity to get together for a fun day out in London, alongside discussing youth policy and learning new communication skills.??