NEW: Kick Start Days
Our Kick Start Days are led by experienced Young Citizens staff, introducing pupils and their teachers to the power of child-led social action.
During the day, pupils will reflect on their local community, identify an issue that matters to them and develop realistic solutions. They’ll leave having confidently pitched their ideas, with a clear action plan to take forward at school.
Staff gain easy-to-use tools that support Citizenship, pupil voice and Ofsted’s Personal Development judgement. The day is fully facilitated and requires no preparation in advance.
We’re holding places for local schools that are within an easy commute of these locations on the following dates:
Friday 19th June: Liverpool – Everyman Theatre
Thursday 25th June: Birmingham – University of Law
Thursday 2nd July: Manchester – Manchester Metropolitan University
Wednesday 8th July: London – Brunel University
Thursday 9th July: Leeds Beckett University – Thursday 9 July
Who can attend: KS2 classes (10 – 30 pupils) accompanied by their class teacher (Recommended for Year 5 – but speak to us if you’d like to bring another year group!)
Cost: Free for participating schools (full programme costs £150)
Joining the Kick Start Day has been designed as the perfect launch for participating in Make A Difference Challenge, Young Citizens’ flagship primary social action programme which gives pupils the opportunity to investigate a local issue they care about and take meaningful, community rooted action.
Secure your place for the Summer of Social Action 2026 by heading to the link and selecting ‘I’ve been invited to take part in a Kick Start Day’ and your chosen city.
This summer, give your pupils the chance to lead real change.
Make a Difference Challenge 2026 is a ready‑to-teach, time‑bound social action project delivered in one term. It helps your school take an early, confident step towards meeting the new statutory Citizenship expectations coming into force by 2028.
For £150 per school, you get everything you need to run a meaningful, pupil‑led community project with minimal preparation and maximum impact.
Secure your place: Summer of Social Action 2026
Get Citizenship ready ahead of 2028.
Bolster your SMSC provision, personal development and develop confident and empathetic young citizens, the Make a Difference Challenge has been externally evaluated, demonstrating how transformational it can be for children who take part. It has been shown to develop:
- Skills including empathy, teamwork, oracy and mediating differences
- ‘Grit’, resilience and motivation to act when they see something going wrong
- Confidence for secondary school
- Awareness of voluntary groups and organisations in their local community
Real impact: After you take your pupils through the guided lessons on how to research and select their social, environmental or economic issue of choice, they work to deliver it in your community. This ranges from clothing swaps to cleaning up a community space, to campaigns for cleaner air! See our case studies here.
Why act now?
Citizenship will be statutory in primary schools by 2028. Start building expertise now with a proven, low-friction model that fits easily into your summer term planning.
Secure your place: Summer of Social Action 2026
What’s Included & How It Works
Everything you need for a full social action project:
- Detailed lesson plans and PowerPoints
- Ready-to-use classroom resources
- Templates for research, planning and community outreach
- A digital scrapbook to evidence learning and impact
- Certificates for pupils and the school
- Optional 30‑minute consultancy call with the Young Citizens team
- Light‑touch support throughout the term
Structure (6–8 weeks):
- Phase 1 – Spark Change: explore local issues and vote on a project
- Phase 2 – Plan It, Do It: research, plan and deliver meaningful social action
- Phase 3 – Shout About It: capture impact and celebrate achievements
Delivery: Designed for one lesson per week in the summer term (ideal post‑SATs for Year 6, flexible for Years 4–6). Fully teacher‑led; no specialist training required.
How Your School Will Benefit
For pupils:
- Communication and oracy skills
- Empathy, teamwork and resilience
- Real‑world problem‑solving and agency
- Stronger connection with community organisations
For schools:
- Early, credible first step toward preparing for 2028 Citizenship requirements
- Evidence for Ofsted in Personal Development and SMSC
- Low‑friction, high‑impact project that fits easily into the summer term
- A repeatable structure you can scale in future years
- Access to regional or in‑school celebration options showcasing pupil impact
What Happens After You Sign Up
Immediate next steps:
- Instant access to the online social action toolkit
- All lesson plans and resources
- Instructions to set up your digital scrapbook
- Link to book your optional 30‑minute consultancy call
- Support emails leading up to delivery and celebration opportunities
Your class can begin as soon as you’re ready.
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