Listen to young activists talk about leading change and what community means to them.

The Act for Change Fund is a £3.6 million partnership for organisations supporting young people working for change. The Fund provides resources for young people to challenge social injustice, find ways of overcoming inequality and give voice to issues they are experiencing.

A joint initiative between Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Esmée Fairbairn Foundation in partnership with the #iwill Fund, Act for Change Fund promotes the potential of young people with experience of disadvantage to devise and develop activities and programmes to shape the world around them. The Foundations believe young people play a critical role in delivering social change. By prioritising support for those with experience of disadvantage, the Fund aims to create a more diverse group of social, cultural and political leaders for the future.

The Fund aims to build on the evidence on youth social action to increase understanding of the impact of youth-led social change on young people and their communities. Renaisi, alongside the Centre for Youth Impact, has been leading Act For Change Fund’s learning partnership since the Fund began in 2018. As part of this three-year learning partnership, we regularly convene grantees of the Fund to discuss key issues regarding youth-led social change in today’s world.

During #iwill week 2020, young activists with lived experience of injustice and inequality met to talk about community and why they lead change. View (or listen to) the insight pieces below for a summary of the themes that came from this workshop.

Video 1: power and resistance by people and places

Video 2: community and why young people lead change