Volunteering & Youth Social Action

Using the platform of events from the major like London 2012 to community events on the doorstep to inspire people into a lifetime of volunteering and social action

What can we learn from event volunteering about how to strengthen volunteering infrastructure over the long term?

How can we design volunteering and youth social action programmes to improve people’s wellbeing and build community cohesion, and how can we attract more of the people who would benefit the most from volunteering?

Over the past decade we’ve funded volunteering and youth social action projects across the UK, inspired by events – large and small – and anniversaries. We’ve discovered more about the link between volunteering and wellbeing, how to create inclusive volunteering opportunities for disabled and non-disabled people, and how to support young people to be agents of change in their communities.

Since the Games Makers arrived on the scene in London in 2012, volunteer programmes have been a key pillar of major events. A clear strategy for boosting longer-term community volunteering is essential to event legacy, and is one of the five recommendations from our Power of Events Inquiry.

#iwill EmpowHER inspire 2022 UK Youth young people youth social action

Spirit & #iwill: Inspiring a generation and their community through youth social action.

Read all about our funding in the field of youth social action over the past decade in our report Inspiring a Generation: Lessons from funding youth social action and volunteering in UK events. It’s #iwill week 2024 – a time to celebrate the incredible work young people are doing across the UK to improve their lives…

#iwill EmpowHER inspire 2022 UK Youth young people youth social action

Spirit & #iwill: Inspiring a generation and their community through youth social action.

Arts & culture Civic pride Events legacy Major events Social connection Volunteering & social action Wellbeing

Hull Volunteering Programme

Hull

Hull 2017’s flagship volunteering programme

Community events EDI Social connection Volunteering & social action Young people

WOW – Women of the World

Nationwide

We funded the Southbank Centre to support communities across the UK in developing their own Women of the World festivals.

Arts & culture Volunteering & social action Wellbeing Young people

Team London Young Ambassadors

London

Team London Young Ambassadors is the Mayor of London’s volunteer programme for schools.

Community events Social connection Volunteering & social action Wellbeing

The Great Get Together

Nationwide

We supported the Jo Cox Foundation to explore community connection and social action through The Great Get Together.

Birmingham 2022 HEY! Volunteering volunteering Volunteering Cities wellbeing

A little volunteering goes a long way: a look back on Spirit’s week

It’s not officially Volunteers’ Week but if feels like that this week at Spirit HQ! This week we are delighted to have launched some major new funding initiatives to consolidate and extend Spirit’s long-term interest and investment in volunteering and celebrating the ongoing dedication of HEY! Volunteers that Spirit has supported since 2016. When we…

volunteering wellbeing What Works Centre for Wellbeing

New report shows that while volunteering can improve happiness, the approach and delivery in programmes and activity makes a big difference

Over 19 million volunteers in the UK* offer invaluable support to improve the lives of other people. But how can volunteering support the wellbeing of volunteers themselves? As the first comprehensive review of the evidence available, Volunteer wellbeing: what works and who benefits explores the positive and negative effects in four areas: volunteers’ happiness; life…

inclusive volunteering Learning Thank You Day volunteering

Thank You Day: A time for inclusive volunteering

It’s Volunteers’ Week 2022, a celebration that marks the contribution that volunteers make to lives of people in this country and beyond. On Sunday, Spirit of 2012 joined #CheersForVolunteers, a social media campaign organised by the Together Coalition as part of Thank You Day. This year Spirit of 2012 said a big thank you to…

community Thank You Day Together Coalition volunteering

UK Thank You Day receives welcome boost thanks to development grant from Spirit of 2012

Award recognises the importance of participation in fostering feelings of connection and belonging First-ever Thank You Day to celebrate our connections due to take place this Sunday, 4 July Spirit of 2012, the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic legacy funder has awarded a grant of £50,000 to support a new national day wherein the people…

disability HEAR Kim Donahue Consulting Volunteer Centre Dorset volunteering

Spirit of 2012 funds research into making volunteering more inclusive

What are the differences in the backgrounds and experiences of disabled and non-disabled volunteers? New research, along with pioneering project will help volunteer programmes be more inclusive. Spirit of 2012 has today announced the award of two grants to understand more about volunteering for disabled people. The first strand of the Inclusive Volunteering programme is…

#iwill EmpowHER inspire 2022 UK Youth young people youth social action

Spirit & #iwill: Inspiring a generation and their community through youth social action.

Moments To Connect neighbourly lab reimagining volunteering volunteering

Stepping up to help out: How do ‘community helpers’ play a role in informal volunteering?

Neighbourly Lab were awarded a grant by Spirit’s Moments To Connect fund to conduct research to better understand how people across the UK help out in their communities especially for national moments like the Coronation. They found that those that give time to a cause or interest feel happier and more connected to their communities….

Big Help Out coronation Learning Moments To Connect Research volunteering

How do people feel about volunteering ahead of the Coronation weekend?

Neighbourly Lab have received research grant funding from Spirit of 2012 to better understand the nation’s motivations for getting involved locally, as part of national moments. We are specifically looking at this in the context of the King’s Coronation and how people will be helping out in their local community on the day. The King’s…

events Hull City of Culture legacy volunteering

Blue Cagoules and Golden Noses: Did the City of Culture make Hull Happier?

Spirit of 2012 was very proud to be one of the principle partners of Hull City of Culture 2017. Spirit was formed as part of the legacy of the summer of 2012: a period that brought home the transformational potential of events of all kinds, from international sports competitions to national royal anniversaries to local…

communities great get together jo cox foundation volunteering

More in common: how Jo Cox Foundation’s Great Get Togethers inspire connected communities

“…it really made me feel better and happier than I normally am.” Great Get Togethers come in all shapes and sizes, so it’s difficult to choose one quote to summarise the impact they have on both organisers and participants. This quote, though, goes to the core of what the events are all about – they…

disability Scotland volunteering

Edinburgh City Volunteers: Don’t think about it. Just do it

After being diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) type 3 and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia syndrome (POTS) there were times when I was completely bed-bound. Sometimes I couldn’t even sit up and my partner would literally carry me to the toilet. Not being able to look after yourself when you’re an independent person is the worst thing….

volunteering young people youth advisory panel

Why the power of youth is volunteering’s secret weapon

To me, the Power of Youth is an untold truth in society – how vital young people are in the world of volunteering. Last week was Volunteers Week, which celebrates the great work young people are doing in volunteering through sports, arts and culture Wednesday was dedicated to people like me – the young, the…

arts older people volunteering young people

Celebrating Volunteers Week and the Importance of Intergenerational Work

Intergenerational work is an area that is vital during the current climate, with many older people being isolated at home with little access and support. Young people can really make a difference to older generations in so many small ways. Cross-generational social activities date all the way back to the 1700’s with social dancing being…

14-NOW cohesion community covid-19 Northern Ireland Springboard volunteering

14-NOW: How Springboard’s social cohesion project became a COVID community lifeline

This is not the year we had planned. As we approach the anniversary of the first national lockdown, no doubt many of us will be in the mood to reflect. While life at large ground to a halt, Spirit of 2012’s funded projects have tried to find ways to adapt. Where many were set up…

disability HEAR Kim Donahue Consulting Volunteer Centre Dorset volunteering

A lot is known about the benefits of volunteering, but what about the experiences of disabled volunteers?

The pandemic has seen a surge in volunteering, with the Together Coalition’s Talk Together research suggesting that 12.4 million people offered their time in 2020. Among this group were 4.6 million first-time volunteers, including 360,000 people who are disabled or have a long-term health condition. This research and other studies on volunteering show that similar…

mentoring One Million Mentors volunteering young people

Everything I learned while volunteering as a mentor

I volunteered to be a mentor with One Million Mentors (1MM) at the end of 2019. The programme that Spirit of 2012 were funding through 1MM seemed a great way to get into this area and it was something I had been thinking about doing for a while. I have been working for over twenty…