Youth Social Action Resource Hub

Did you know that it takes 10–20 years for a plastic bag to break down and 450 years for a plastic bottle to do so?
  Project Pristine is a youth-led litter picking scheme in which volunteers travel to beaches and collect litter in rubbish bags. There are three core aims: to protect marine life, clean beaches, and explore the ocean, as well as raise awareness about the issue. Other key partners were involved who helped with publicity and schemes like ‘Adopt a Spot’ where Project Pristine adopted and committed to regularly cleaning a beach with one of the worst litter problems.  

Keeping it Wild is a programmed bringing together the youth and conservation sectors to provide opportunities for young people to engage with and protect the capital’s wild spaces, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. London Youth is part of a consortium of organizations led by London Wildlife Trust delivering a three-year programmer, encouraging young people to reflect on natural spaces, learn about protecting wildlife and then take part in developing and delivering a project or creative campaign to raise awareness and encourage practical conservation in local communities. This is a tried-and-tested methodology and there are some case study videos.

Two schools collaborated - Marsden Heights Community College and Park High School Colne – for the students to discuss the issues which were important to them and the wider community. The project took the students on a journey to learn about the school, local, national and international matters. They learnt and expressed how they felt about things and what their peers thought too. They engaged with local councilors, community workers and the general public on current matters. They then worked with a local poet to create a message to go back to the school and the community about their experience.

Hosted by Headliners, #DigitalTransitions is a youth-led programme using media and journalism engagement alongside employability programmes to give looked-after young people a safe space in which to work together to creatively explore and address the issues that matter to them. This promotes their resilience and helps them reimagine a more positive future. In June 2023, they produced their own podcast called the ‘Owt or Nowt Show’.

Empathy is a skill that underpins other life skills - leadership, creativity, communication, resilience and tolerance. Kicking off in February each year with Empathy Week, this 5-week programme (fully supported with educational resources) uses the power of film and video to develop the skill of empathy. Participants produce a film of their own that allows students to put empathy into action about something they care about. If they wish, they can submit their film to the annual Empathy Week Global Awards. Empathy Week has engaged 140,000 students across 40+ countries and is free for all government and state schools worldwide.

Newham-based School 21 strives to develop young people who are thoughtful problem solvers, creative innovators, and confident communicators. In this new take on traditional work experience, Year 10 students work with local businesses and the community to provide meaningful experiences that change lives. Over several weeks, every student spends half a day each week in the workplace, solving an authentic problem for a real organisation.
Previous project examples include a ‘how to’ computer guide for a local elderly home and a film on life in the community for a social housing organisation.

This is a detailed guide containing everything you need to engage pupils in debates. The content includes: - Understanding debate language - Easy-to-use ideas for debate and oracy (all age groups from KS1-KS5) - Setting up Debates - Templates for . Judges . The main speakers . Researchers . Summary speakers - References and useful websites