Ormiston Academies Trust (OAT) is launching a new youth social action campaign to ensure more young people are empowered to make a difference to the world around them.
WeWill Do More will build on the national success of the #iwill and #WeWill campaigns, which saw Ormiston academies develop thriving youth social action (YSA) projects. This new programme has been created to further support academies to fully embed sustainable social action programmes within their curriculum and across their schools.
The programme is being partially funded by Ormiston Trust, whose mission is to improve the life chances of young people and in particular, enable students to enhance their employability skills, character, agency and confidence.
Academies will submit a plan to enhance their YSA programmes and to work with students to identify what issues they care the most about. Each project will be student-led and based around the needs of their specific communities.
By taking part in #WeWill Do More, each academy will be supported to further embed their programmes, so that generations of students to come will be able to take part in or lead on activities which make a positive difference to themselves and others in society or the environment around them.
These Youth social action projects equip students with the tools and knowledge to tackle issues relating to health, safety, poverty, inclusion, diversity, the environment and community regeneration.
Past projects have included the hosting of a series of events at Ormiston Forge Academy, aimed at encouraging students to recycle and resell clothes to help cut down on waste. Meanwhile, at Cliff Park Ormiston Academy in Great Yarmouth, pupils worked with the Christmas Stocking Campaign charity to fill stockings for local people with dementia.
Tom Rees, CEO of Ormiston Academies Trust, said: “We are committed to providing all children and young people in our schools with the very best opportunities to learn, both inside and outside of the classroom.” “Engaging in the #WeWill programmes has added a richness of opportunity to our schools and has helped pupils develop skills and confidence to complement their academic attainment.“I am looking forward to seeing the innovation and inspiration that comes through the #WeWill Do More programme.”
James Murray, CEO of Ormiston Trust, said: “We are very pleased to provide funding to Ormiston Academies Trust to help them further embed youth social action across their Trust. Their strategic and operational leads have always put in every effort to utilise the funding to ensure the greatest societal impact, and their students never cease to amaze in terms of what they have achieved so far.”