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What is Positive Action?

 

Positive Action refers to activities that young people do to make a positive difference to others or the environment.

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There are lots of ways in which young people can take positive action to make a difference. It can take place in a range of contexts and can mean formal or informal activities. These include volunteering, fundraising, campaigning or supporting peers.

 

Taking small positive actions to improve your home, school or local community can all make a big difference.

 

What are the benefits of Positive Action?

 

When young people take part in high quality Positive Action, everyone benefits:

• Organisations benefit from young people’s energy, ideas and capacity to create positive change. They gain a different perspective that can shift their way of thinking and open up new ways of working.

• Communities benefit when young people feel valued, engaged and involved. It can create a greater sense of community and boost social cohesion and integration.

• Young people develop their character and confidence. They experience higher levels of well being that can help improve their mental resilience. They also develop vital skills and networks that can support future employment.

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What is High Quality Positive Action?

 

What does great Positive Action look like? Research suggests that high quality activities will meet six principles including:

• Be youth-led

• Be challenging

• Have social impact

• Allow progression to other opportunities

• Be embedded in a young person’s life

• Enable reflection about the value of the activity

 

The higher the quality of the Positive Action, the more likely it is to benefit both the young people involved and the communities or causes they are trying to help.

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What motivates young people to take part?

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Most young people want to take part in Positive Action because they want to rather than because they have to.

 

Key motivations include participating with family and friends, and accessing opportunities through school, college or work.

 

What stops young people taking part?

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6 out of 10 young people are keen to help others and/or the environment. So why don’t more take part?

 

For those who had not participated in social action in the past 12 months, the most common reasons given are ‘I don’t know how to get involved/no one has asked me’ and ‘It never occurred to me to take part’. Three in ten young people simply say ‘I’m not interested’.

 

Why should young people start Positive Action before the age of 10?

 

Starting a journey of Positive Action at a young age is critical. The Habits of Service research by the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues demonstrated the value of starting early and exposing young people to meaningful opportunities to make a positive contribution.

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The research found that those who first get involved in service under the age of 10 are:

• More than twice as likely to form a habit of service than if they start aged 16–18 years.

• More likely to be involved in a wider range of service activities and to participate in them more frequently.

• More likely to identify themselves more closely with moral and civic values such as open-mindedness, compassion and hope.