Be a social action superhero
What is social action?
Social action is activities that you can do to make a positive difference to others or the environment. Learn how you can become a Social Action Superhero.
Whether you’re creating social media posts to raise awareness about a certain issue, or doing a group activity like a beach clean-up, social action is any activity that benefits your local community, the environment, or a health and social care project.
The scale of social action
Social action can be something local which only benefits your immediate community. Or it can be bigger and affect the whole country. It could even be international, and affect the entire world. Yup, social action has the power to make a pretty big impact!
Click to see these real-life examples of social action.
The principles of social action
No matter the scale of the project, every effective social action is built on the same six principles:
- Personal. It means something to you.
- Opportunity. There’s a chance to make a difference.
- Legacy. The project will stand the test of time.
- Innovative. Being creative with the activities you do.
- Simple. Don’t make things overly complicated.
- Help. Don’t feel you have to do it all by yourself — ask for help when you need it.
Putting the principles into action
Here’s a quote from Jess and Izzy who created a social action project as part of their NCS experience:
“One of our friends talked about how important food banks had been to her family. This led us to work with Exeter Foodbank. We realised that they weren’t getting many donations, and what they were receiving wasn’t really what people needed. So we wanted to raise awareness of which food donations were needed most.
After a few “no’s”, we managed to get our local Sainsbury’s on side, and we created ‘priority food item’ labels for them to put on their shelves. Not only did the labels boost donations, but the donations were exactly what people needed!
From there the project grew and the labels were rolled out nationally!”
The principles you resonate with
Being a social action superhero
Now that you know which principles are most important to you, you’re ready to go out there into the world and start thinking about the type of social action project you’d like to do. If you’re still a little unsure, it can be helpful to reflect on these questions:
- What cause do you most care about?
- What changes would you like to see in your community, your country and in the wider world?
- Make a note of your thoughts so that you don’t forget them.
Never stop learning
We can’t wait to hear all about your social action project and the lessons and skills you’ve learned through doing it.
Looking to start a social action project with other people?
If you’d like to start a social action project together with other young people, then the Change It away from home experience is a great place to start.
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Take a look at Test Your Skills or Is It Time to Volunteer?
