Tools:

Government and community relations, public and media relations, web development and events.

 

Young people have little knowledge about how to manage their finances, many have voter apathy and few know their legal rights. This leads to many challenges in adulthood.

 

The Citizenship Foundation, an education non-profit, lobbied the government to introduce Citizenship into the national curriculum including financial, legal and political education.

 

Challenges:

​

• Help 80 per cent of secondary schools nurture active citizens.

• Open up opportunities for young people to take the lead and make positive and effective contributions to the world they live in. 

• Give under-represented young people a voice on issues such as gun crime and drug abuse.

 

Strategy:

​

• Engage through nationwide contests with political and legal real-world settings. 

• Enable young people to change their communities for the better through dialogue and events. 

• Excite through new digital mechanisms including games and virals,  all at a time when digital was quite new. Develop financial education website with the private sector giant, Deutsche Bank.

• Media relations. Innovative approaches including a 'Voter apathy' national media debate the day after the general election led by young people. 

 

Results: 

​

• Since 2007, Giving Nation social action projects have raised almost £1.5 million, for nearly 3,500 social causes.

• Doubling media coverage to over 500 pieces annually helped to raise awareness and keep citizenship education on the national curriculum, and in a form that properly underpinned rigorous learning.

• Over 4,000 children from diverse communities entered the political and legal contests.