Reflections on young people’s voice in youth social action
28th July 2026
Is youth social action a pot luck, a flower, a spark or a river? At a recent #iwill event, co-hosted by Dartington Service Design Lab and a group of #iwill Young Evaluators, young people used these metaphors to describe what youth social action means to them. Each captured something important: collective contribution for shared community building, and the need for nurturing, organic and adaptive conditions to help create meaningful spaces for us all to grow in.
Their reflections set the tone for a day that ultimately kept returning to one question: who holds power, and how can it be shared? What follows is some of the key messages and ideas shared by Young Evaluators at the event, brought together and summarised here by Katie Upsdale.
The landscape is shifting
Young people are no longer just taking part in opportunities created by adults, they’re shaping and leading things themselves. That’s progress, but it also raises important questions about whose voice gets heard, who actually gets access to these spaces, and whether the young people furthest from opportunities are able to influence decisions too.
The way we think about impact is changing too. The conversation has moved on from “does youth social action work?” to “what kind of impact actually matters?” It’s about looking beyond counting hours or tracking employability outcomes alone to understand how young people experience belonging, develop agency, expand their horizons and influence change.
Practical ideas for change
The Young Evaluators challenged organisations, particularly CEOs and leaders, to make youth involvement part of their strategy and vision, to think about who holds the power and to be willing to share it so everyone is held accountable. They called for different levels of involvement and for social action to be embedded across all parts of an organisation, not siloed in one team.
One young evaluator shared how involving young people in decision-making can help generate new, creative solutions to tackle exclusion. Young people at his school identified that using study spaces in the evenings was not accessible to many students, as travelling home late after school did not feel safe. This was meaning that young people that really wanted to use the space, such as those with caring responsibilities or busy households with limited space were being disadvantaged, especially if they lived far away from the school. The students’ solution to this was to create study spaces in people’s communities, closer to home so that they could still study late and not have to worry about travelling home alone in the dark.
The panel’s advice on how to better support young people was practical: go to where young people actually are, offer clear roles, training and proper compensation, and reach out through schools as well as on social media so that those not on social media don’t miss out.
They emphasised the importance of listening to young people and engaging them transparently in honest, sometimes tricky, conversations. This can help to build agency and also generate fresh, creative solutions for tackling issues together. One young evaluator shared how Talkeoke’s interactive, round-table discussion format helped create a more level playing field between professionals and young people, helping generate fresh ideas about improving local transport.
The young people highlighted that reducing barriers to engagement means organisations talking to parents and carers, embedding opportunities within schools and services and helping young people see possible pathways through youth social action by connecting them with peers who have already taken part.
Lastly, the panel discussed some of the language around youth social action, identifying that many young people don’t use the term ‘youth social action’ and are unlikely to understand what it means – they might just say they’re volunteering, tutoring or helping out, without knowing about the bigger ecosystem around what they’re doing. The panel also questioned the word ‘youth’, pointing out that it can feel tokenistic, and that labels like ‘young trustee’ can sometimes feel like a tick-box exercise and also can create a difference in perception of power and position between a ‘young trustee’ and an ‘adult trustee’.
Getting involved
The panel had one final message for other young people thinking about getting involved in youth social action, advising them to do your research, find something you'll enjoy, and just go for it as you won’t regret trying and you'll meet new people, learn loads, and open doors you didn't know were there.
Conclusions
On the day, everything kept coming back to the same core idea: power, and who gets to share in it. From the work the young evaluators have been involved in so far, the messages and learning on power sharing were consistent:
Creating accessible, inclusive opportunities requires everyone to be on board as a shared responsibility.
Quality youth social action needs time, space and resources grounded in tried and tested frameworks like the Lundy Model and Hart’s Ladder.
It needs funding that trusts young people to design what they actually want.
Youth social action needs the right people – experienced, passionate adults who want to embed youth involvement at all levels in policies, procedures and culture.
If there's one message that ties it all together, it's that it’s “not just about listening to young people, but embedding them within shared decision-making."