We turn young people's ideas into action, through creative, youth-led projects.

Case study - Greendown Community School, Swindon

Greendown Community School

Taster session: campaigning

In July this year, Young TimeBank delivered a Campaigning taster session to 180 enthusiastic pupils at Greendown Community School in Swindon.

Head of Citizenship and PSHE Janet Mason approached Young TimeBank to help provide an active and participative element to their Year 8 Community Day.

Young TimeBank worked alongside representatives from the local community policing team, youth services and neighbourhood wardens to deliver a whole day of activities that enabled students to identify how they could make a positive difference to their community.

Teacher Janet Mason said that Young TimeBank's taster session "helped bring our community day alive by providing an active way of engaging young people in thinking about and responding to issues in their local community.

It supported our delivery of active citizenship within the Yr8 curriculum, and empowered young people to decide on their own focus for activities and present convincing cases for their ideas. I was amazed by the range of issues they came up with and the creative approaches that some of the groups adopted to get their message across."

The school ran initial sessions to explore what a community is, and what a community needs.

Young TimeBank then provided a 30 minute interactive presentation to the whole year group (180 students) in the school hall using topical, real-life examples to explore what a campaign is and students' perspectives on strategies and methods for effective campaigns.

Young TimeBank then provided workshop plans and materials for a 2-hour session for the 8 tutor groups of 28 pupils, delivered by Young TimeBank staff and volunteers working alongside the tutors. This workshop enabled the students to identify local and global issues that were important to them and devise campaign posters, leaflets, songs and short drama pieces exploring these issues and communicating their desire for change.

The students' campaigns were thus able to address some of the community needs that they identified at the start of the day.

The day finished with all the students re-grouping for the presentation and celebration of what they'd achieved throughout the day. The Mayor of Swindon, Steve Wakefield, attended this session to see the students' campaigns and say a few words in response.

Feedback from the students demonstrated how much they appreciated being given a forum to communicate what issues they care about and want to change - along with having the opportunity to bring about this change! The students enjoyed the chance to plan their campaign and then present these ideas to everyone at the end of the day.

Since July, Greendown Community School and Young TimeBank have continued to work together and will be holding another Community Day in March as a part of Young Timebank's new Peer Facilitation Model.