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
This report, produced by Spirit of 2012, brings together learning from our funded projects around youth social action and volunteering.
A comprehensive research project on the benefits of youth social action carried out by UK Youth and funded by Spirit of 2012 and the #iwill Fund.
This report from Kim Donahue Associates aims to help organisations better understand the needs of disabled people, and open up more volunteering opportunities.
A project seeking to find out how community events can inspire people to become organisers and improve community wellbeing.
An evaluation report which looks at the one of the great legacies of Hull’s 2017 City of Culture year.
Fourteen was a £3.5m programme which allocated £250,000 to each of 14 communities across the UK to deliver sports, arts and volunteering activities with the aim of enhancing social connectedness in those communities.
A youth-led social action programme inspired by the 10th anniversary of London 2012 and the major events of 2022.
Evaluation reports from Breaking Boundaries, a community project which used sport to unite people across divides.
The first report from “Can events help build happy, thriving and more connected communities? A Spirit of 2012 Inquiry.”
A report and toolkit for volunteering organisations to help them mobilise “community helpers”.
An evaluation report which assesses the pilot of /Together’s Thank You Day programme and its success in community cohesion.
Insights from an commissioned evaluation of The Diana Award’s Anti-Racist and Anti-Sexual Bullying Programmes
A comprehensive review of volunteering evidence carried out by What Works Centre for Wellbeing, the Institute for Volunteering Research at the University of East Anglia, and Spirit of 2012.
Emerging insights from an ongoing evaluation by Neighbourly Lab of the Volunteering Cities fund.
A partnership project designed to bring the legacy from the London 2012 Games – past, present and future – to the forefront
Grants to four cities who bid for UK City of Culture 2025 to strengthen their local volunteering infrastructure.
A grant to Birmingham 2022’s organising committee to secure the future of its Commonwealth Games volunteering programme.
We supported the Jo Cox Foundation to explore community connection and social action through The Great Get Together.
Since 2017, we have supported Hull both as City of Culture and the wonderful legacy of volunteering which has been built since.
Spirit of 2012 awarded a grant of £29,858 to carry out new research into the background, nature and experiences of disabled people who volunteer.
A grant to Swim England to increase inclusion and accessibility across their volunteering structure.
We funded the Southbank Centre to support communities across the UK in developing their own Women of the World festivals.
This programme funded the Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) to work with partners on six pilot projects, exploring how principles of good volunteer management can be embedded and applied consistently across different kinds of events.
In 2018 funding from Spirit and the Big Lottery Fund Scotland supported Edinburgh residents to share their passion for their city and get behind-the-scenes of its diverse and exciting festivals.
Spirit of 2012 awarded a grant of £30,000 to fund a project working with Dorset museums and heritage organisations to remove barriers to volunteering for disabled people.
Team London Young Ambassadors is the Mayor of London’s volunteer programme for schools.
Spirit of 2012 awarded a grant of £50,000 to support a new national day wherein people around the UK were encouraged to form meaningful social connections with one another.
Fourteen NI was part of Spirit’s £3.5m Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games social legacy programme, which allocated grants to communities across the UK to deliver sports, arts and volunteering activities aimed at enhancing social connectedness. Following a three-year partnership, Springboard Opps was awarded an additional grant in July 2018 to continue its work via 14-NOW.
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…
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…
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….
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
“…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…
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…