International Youth Day 2023: How can young people become agents of change?

The theme for this year’s International Youth Day was Celebrating Ways Youth Lead as Agents of Change for the Global Goals, and a recent event in London brought together young people from across the #iwill Fund and #iwill Movement to discuss just that.

Nearly forty young people attended on Saturday 12 August at City Hall London, where they delved into how they can inspire their generation to make impactful change.

Designed and led by young people themselves, the event featured speakers and activities which empowered attendees to become youth leaders by sharing experiences, planning for the future and celebrating the power of youth voice.

The #iwill Fund is made possible thanks to a £66 million joint investment from The National Lottery Community Fund and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to help young people access high quality social action opportunities. Since the #iwill Fund began this funding has then been matched by over 30 other Match Funders.

The #iwill Fund supports the broader #iwill Movement – a collaboration of over 1,000 cross-sector organisations and over 800 young people. They are all united by a shared belief that all children and young people should be supported and empowered to make a positive difference on the issues that affect their lives, their communities, and broader society.

The first session of the day saw young people mixing with others and developing teamwork skills. The attendees were challenged to build the tallest tower using only paper plates, demonstrating collaboration and teamwork as essential ingredients of effective Youth Social Action.

Tessy Ojo CBE, Chief Executive of Diana Award and Co-Chair of the #iwill Fund Leadership Board, said: “Collaboration is realising we are greater than the sum of our parts. It is internationally bringing together the strengths of different individuals, organisations, and communities to create a more comprehensive, effective, and enduring approach to change.”

Social action involves activities such as campaigning, fundraising and volunteering, all of which enable young people to make a positive difference in their communities while developing their own skills and knowledge.

The second session gave young people space to discuss how they can work together towards a positive future. The attendees imagined: It’s 2033 and young people are thriving and discussed the ingredients to make this a reality.

They worked in groups to express these recipes in a creative way, as a poem, drawing or even a song.

An inspiring and productive day culminated in a youth-led panel discussion to answer the question: Can small actions make a big difference?

This kicked off lively conversations amongst the attendees.

Beth, an #iwill Ambassador, said: “I always aim to make a small change on at least one person. Genuinely asking someone how they are can make a huge impact on their life.”

Pelumi, another #iwill Ambassador, said: “Sometimes you just showing up is enough. Just show up.”

Attendees left a day of insightful discussions with one key takeaway in mind: working together to take small actions will make a real and lasting difference for young people at large.

Whether you’re a young person or an adult supporter, sign up to the #iwill Movement to be part of this change.

We look forward to seeing young people sharing more of their unique and valuable perspectives on issues that matter to them during #iwill Week later this year (w/c 20^th November).

Learn more about the #iwill Movement, and International Youth Day 2023. You can find out more about our mission to support young people to thrive in our new 2030 strategy.

Photo Credits: Rachel Cherry