Update on our #iwill pledge
Since 2013, the Jubilee Centre has supported the #iwill campaign, which aims to make involvement in social action part of life for 10-20 year-olds across the UK. The Centre is proud of its partnership with the campaign and delighted to celebrate this year’s Share Your Pledge Day.
The Centre has pledged to:
- Research the development of character virtues in young people who take part in youth social action programmes. The research will enable a greater understanding of the impact of youth social action on character and its potential double benefit;
- Provide a researcher to lead the research;
- Develop appropriate tools and methodology for measuring character in youth social action settings;
- Work with the Step Up To Serve partners to carry out the research;
- Gather data and analyse findings;
- Report on research and publish findings.
Since pledging to the #iwill campaign, the Centre has carried out a study with over 20 youth social action providers in the UK, exploring character and youth social action, with findings published in a report available here. These organisations collectively work with over a million young people. The Centre is working on a new project to discover ‘What is a habit of service for young people in the UK?’. The research will involve surveying over 2,000 young people in summer 2016, followed by more in-depth qualitative research in early 2017. Research Associate Emma Taylor is undertaking the research, and is based in Step Up To Serve’s offices in London.
The Centre has also supported the #iwill campaign by recognising youth social action through the Jubilee Youth Awards and publishing the Statement on Youth Social Action and Character Development. The Centre also sponsors the #iwill Ambassadors, contributing to the selection process, publishing the stories of the ambassadors, and hosting events at the #iwill campaign anniversaries.
Centre Director Professor James Arthur says “The Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues is proud of its close association and the joint work it has undertaken with Step Up To Serve and the #iwill campaign. Together we have been able to bring researchers and practitioners together to explore big questions such as ‘how does social action transform the character of young people as well as the communities they live in?'”
The #iwill campaign was launched in November 2013 by HRH The Prince of Wales and the leaders of the three main political parties in Westminster at the time. HRH is Patron of Step Up To Serve and the #iwill campaign, with organisations across UK society represented on an Advisory Board, including Professor James Arthur.