Mental health
What’s been before?
Are you looking for project inspiration? One group focused on mental health, with a dramatic march around their town centre. Read more about their project.
A project worth highlighting
One group took to the streets for a dramatic march around their town centre. The team wrote words on tape that they felt represented common fears of speaking up about mental health issues and placed them over their mouths in silent protest.
Working closely with their local mental health charity, Dorset Mind, they raised funds as they marched. And, to make the message clear for their audience, they also worked with a local business to create a huge banner that highlighted their key message.
To top things off, they made it into the local newspaper! Rafferty, a member of the team, said to Dorset Echo, “So many people came up to us and thanked us, and I think we encouraged a lot of people to speak out.”
How can this project keep growing?
This project ticked a lot of boxes! Wide-reaching? Check. A commendable cause? Most definitely. Newsworthy? Yes! Impactful? Oh yeah.
So, how could the team expand the project even further? Well, they could aim to make it a more regular occurrence, inviting other local charities, organisations and businesses to get involved. They could even invite members of the public to join in and make it a march no one can ignore.
Tackling discrimination
What’s been before?
From racism to LGBTQ+ hate crimes, there’s still a lot to be done before everyone feels totally safe in their day-to-day lives. Previous young people have done great things, like getting schools to introduce policies to support the safety of LGBTQ+ students, and even a flash mob or two!
A project worth highlighting
A group of 15 young people in Brighton, all originally from different countries, chose to celebrate the diversity of their city by taking a positive stance on the topic of discrimination.
Bringing their creative skills together, they developed and launched a website and Instagram account where they shared the stories of each team member from ‘Generation Z on the sea’. They also invited others in their community to contribute to the page.
But they didn’t leave it there. They held an exhibition at Saint Augustine’s Centre, a beautiful events venue in central Brighton, to celebrate the diversity of the city and to highlight the power of young people’s voices.
How can this project keep growing?
It’s great to see a team unite over their differences and celebrate them using their individual skills. And there’s so much scope to build on this! They could fundraise to finance a local social media campaign to get even more people sharing their stories. Plus their exhibition could expand and evolve with even more stories from locals. This is a great example of a project that can enrich the local community for years to come!
Combating violence
What’s been before?
There have been all sorts of incredible projects aimed at keeping people safe across the UK. Previously, we’ve seen hard-hitting videos and social campaigns highlighting some shocking statistics. While others have hosted quizzes about knife crime and offered self defence demonstrations to help people look after themselves
A project worth highlighting
One team in Nottingham launched their awareness campaign #NOKNIVESNOTTS off the back of a session with the not-for-profit organisation Nottingham Peace Project. Inspired by the personal accounts of those affected by knife crime, they decided to support the cause.
Not only did they make noise about the issue on social media with their compelling hashtag, but they also designed T-shirts and hosted an awareness event at a local rugby club. The team shared facts to help people understand how big the issue is, and more importantly, suggested solutions for knife crime in their area. They gained support from local MPs and sports and arts clubs – and worked together to find ways of getting young people involved in regular activities.
They also offered practical tips for what to do if you were to come into contact with knife crime, like de-escalating the situation and basic first aid. Great stuff!
How can this project keep growing?
This team worked hard on so many different elements of this project – but how could they keep their good work going? The T-shirts alone would be a great idea to expand. They could launch a few designs and drive people to buy them, possibly leading to regular and sustainable funding for Nottingham Peace Project. If you’ve got several parts to your project, which do you think have room for expansion?
Crisis and poverty
What’s been before?
This is a huge topic to cover! Within it, there are so many worthy causes to choose from. Previous young people have worked with charities to raise both awareness and money for the homeless. Another team gave refugees a voice by telling their stories with blogs, creating enough noise to get them on the BBC!
A project worth highlighting
One team worked with Exeter Foodbank, developing a simple idea to raise awareness of what food donations are needed most in their area. They worked with Sainsbury’s to create shelf labels and positioned them alongside ‘priority food items’ in store. Not only did this boost donations, but the donations were more valuable – they were exactly what people required.
The project was so successful that the labels have been rolled out on a national level. What started as an idea on NCS, has now managed to make a long lasting sustainable impact across the entire country!
How can this project keep growing?
This project had a massive impact. But where next? After getting Sainsbury’s onboard, the team might consider targeting other big supermarket chains. Too ambitious, you say? We say “No We Can!” When thinking about your project, it’s always worth asking, “How big or small can we go with this? How can we really push it to be as great as it can be?”
Grads’ valuable advice
“Don’t be afraid to dream, but be realistic, and be willing to take constructive criticism - in the long run, it’ll be worth it.”
“Sometimes, focusing on a really specific issue means you can make a bigger change.”
“Keep going when it’s tough and put everything you can into it.”
The environment
What’s been before?
Previous young people have taken various approaches when developing their social action projects for the environment. They’ve done everything from big beach clean-ups to social media campaigns encouraging people to ‘go more green’.
A project worth highlighting
One team did an incredible job of repurposing plastic waste in their community by transforming the rubbish they collected into ‘eco bricks’.
Once they’d made enough, they started building a flower bed/bench feature in a local park which they covered in decorative tiles and filled with flowers. They even had support from the town council. Not only did this team remove lots of litter, they gave people in their community a new public space to enjoy.
How can this project keep growing?
We love this innovative idea! And the beauty of it is it can just keep growing in so many ways. For example, the team could run workshops teaching locals how to make eco-bricks for their own use, minimising the whole community’s plastic waste. They could even invite people to donate their plastic and set up a local drop-off centre to store the bricks until they’re used.
Grads’ valuable advice
“Keep it simple, and ensure everyone pulls their weight and contributes equally.”
“Do your research!”
“Teamwork is a big part of projects, along with compromise and communication.”
