Social Action Week is your opportunity to get out into your local community to really make a change for the world around you! You will be working with a charity of your choice to proactively raise money as well as contribute directly to the cause through social action. Social Action Week is now in its 7th year, taking place from 3rd – 7th June 2024.

In two teams within your tutor group, you have been set the challenge to raise £200 as a minimum for a chosen charity.

You will then have to create a project plan that highlights how you are going to reach your fundraising target. The project plan will outline your preparation, your execution and evaluation once you have reached the minimum target.

As you put together your project plan, don’t lose sight of the purpose behind Social Action Week. Take some time to get to know the charity of your choice and how your contribution will make a difference by helping the work that they do.

Watch this video to see highlights from previous years.

Ahead of Social Action Week itself, please complete the two tasks below so that you are as prepared as possible before 3rd June. By completing these tasks, you will be ready to make a big difference!

Social Action is a term that has gained a great deal of traction over the last few years but what does it actually mean? It turns out that millions of us across the world take part in social action every day and don’t even know it.  This is because there are various terms that are often used interchangeably and that all refer to social action.

Watch the video and think about the following:

1. What does the term ‘social action’ mean?
2. What are the various ways a person can participate in social action?
3. Conduct some individual research to find groups or organisations who promote social action on an ongoing basis. What is the approach they take to giving back to society?

Identify an issue that you are passionate about. Research at least three charities that work in that field that you would be interested in supporting. They can be any charity; local, national, or international. Below are links to some of the charities that previous Hills students have chosen to help. These are just some examples, you can research any charities of your choice.

As you do your research, here are some key questions for you to consider:

• Who/what does the charity support?
• Do you have a personal connection to the charity or their cause?
• How much of an impact can you / your group have if you were to work with them?
• Will the charity help you to support them? e.g. providing branded resources
• How might you raise money and actively support the cause? 

During Social Action Week, you will be working in a team with some of your other classmates. Look at some of the team roles below and see which role might play to your personal strengths. Think about who you could work well with.

Social Action Week is a fun and safe environment for you to practise teamwork and some of these skills.

You will be physically in college attending a tutor session to plan and prepare for the week ahead. This will be with your normal tutor, another member of Hills staff, or someone from the Unloc team. We will tell you everything you need to know in this session.

In two teams within your tutor group, you have been set the challenge to raise £200 as a minimum for a chosen charity. As you come up with ways to raise the money, think back to why you’re doing this challenge, and how your contribution can make a difference! 

We can’t wait to see the impact that you have on your chosen charity!

Take a look at the roles and decide who in your team is best placed to carry out each of the team roles. You will be asked about this in the Project Plan form below.

This form is to be completed (one per team) during your Monday tutor session. 

As you come up with your project plan, think about the following: 

• What is your team’s goal and approach? 
• Do you have a timeline/schedule in mind? 
• How are you communicating as a team? 
• Who are some of the stakeholders you need to work with? How will you approach them? 
• Does your team need to acquire any permissions from authorities? For example, if you want to book a room/put up a stall somewhere, you would need to ask the appropriate people for permission before doing so.

Let the world know about your efforts by posting photos (at least a few times a day) of your activities and achievements and using the hashtag #HillsSocialAction. We will be monitoring this hashtag feed throughout the week and engaging with you! There is also a prize for the team with the best social media campaign!

Please contact either your college or Zui ([email protected]) from the Unloc Team if you are having any problems or challenges during the week.

On Friday you will be presenting in your tutor groups via Teams. You should prepare your presentation during the week and attend your Friday session ready to present. Remember, there are awards and prizes up for grabs so make sure you spend good time on this in the week.

You will be sent information via Email/Teams to join a digital tutor session where you will be presenting your pitches. You will also need to submit the following form below with your group information and total money raised. Please make sure this is updated Friday before your presentation!

Prizes will be awarded in the following categories:

• Most creative and innovative project – decided by Hills Road staff
• Project most linked to the cause – decided by Hills Road staff
• Most money fundraised –  awarded by the Unloc Team
• Group showing the best teamwork – decided by Hills Road staff
• Best social media campaign – decided by the Unloc Team
• Best presentation – decided by Hills Road Staff and the Unloc Team