“The double benefit of youth social action could help to tackle some of our most pressing social problems”. Highlights from the SERVICE NATION REPORT 2020 - Supported by Generation change

1. Service Nation
Louis Reynolds – Researcher
@leh_reynolds

2. Britain’s leading cross-party think tank.
Research across public services from health and social care to
education and political reform, extremism and digital
technology.
Service Nation 2020 (2015)
Character Nation (2015)
Tune in, Turn Out (2015)
Like, Share, Vote (2014)

3. Service Nation 2020
• Supported by Generation Change.
• Jonathan Birdwell, Ralph Scott & Myself.
• www.demos.co.uk/publications
• Why youth social action is important, the evidence for it,
the past five years, what youth social action can achieve, the
next five years.

4. Why youth social action? The individual
• Labour market skills, Labour market outcomes
• Academic skills
• Character education
• Mental Health

5. • Benefits to civil society
• Benefits to (peripheral) service delivery.
• Big Society?
• Making volunteering genuinely deliver.
Why youth social action? Society

6. The growing evidence base behind youth social
action
• Behavioural Insights Team: RCTs of The Citizenship Foundation,
Envision and Voluntary Action Within Kent programmes - empathy,
problem solving , cooperation, grit and resilience, and sense of
community.
• Cabinet Office Journey Fund: Youth United – communication,
creativity, empathy, resilience, agency.

7. • Level 2 standards of evidence for: Duke of Edinburgh, UK
Youth, vInspired, Student Hubs, City Year.
• The Citizenship Foundation Programme, Join In: Self-
esteem, emotional wellbeing, resilience, reduced anxiety,
increased positivity.
• NCS, Impact of Volunteering on Social Capital and
Community Cohesion report: increased social mixing.

8. • City Year, Community Service Volunteering at Home: increased
volunteering, voter turnout.
• US, DfE, Ofsted and NCS evidence: academic motivation and
attainment.
• Americorps, NCS, London Youth: labour outcomes.

9. The past five years
• Creation of the Generation Change coalition.
• Launch of the Step Up To Serve #iwill campaign.
• Consensus around a definition of youth social action.
• Creation and growth of National Citizen Service (NCS).
• Cross-party support – Nicky Morgan and Tristram Hunt.
• Cabinet Office.

10. The next five years
• Office for Civil Society – Comprehensive cross-departmental
strategy.
• Independent social action coordinating body.
• Social action should be embedded in schools – The GiveBacc
& British Values.
• Full-time social action service year as a school leaver pathway.
• A quality mark for social action provision, for schools and
funders.

11. Questions?
Louis.Reynolds@demos.co.uk
@leh_reynolds