Our mission is to empower young people to make positive change. We do this by unlocking their potential, creating opportunities for growth and inspiring action.
Our Theory of Change demonstrates how we are tackling the barriers that exist to make change happen and realise this mission.
Young people face significant challenges as they strive to make positive change in the world.Increasing anxiety, loneliness and mental health issues, compound barriers to social mobility, particularly for those from racialised and under-served communities. At The Diana Award we are determined to work alongside young people to stand up to the challenges they are facing:
1. CHALLENGES TO YOUNG PEOPLE’S MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING THAT MAKE SOCIAL ACTION MORE DIFFICULT
More than 1 in 10 young people in the UK felt low overall satisfaction with their lives in 2023, a worrying indicator of low subjective wellbeing (The Children’s Society, 2023).
54% of young people engaged in social action work across the world struggle with their mental health and wellbeing and often feel at high risk of burnout due to the pressures they face in the fight to create social change (The Possibilists, 2023).
At The Diana Award, we strive to improve young people’s wellbeing, their belief in themselves and their abilities. Wellbeing is crucial for empowering individuals to lead fulfilling lives, which can also improve their mental health.
2. SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC BARRIERS THAT HOLD YOUNG PEOPLE BACK FROM SOCIAL ACTION
In the UK, young people are 60% less likely to get a professional job if they come from a working-class background rather than a privileged background (Social Mobility Commission, 2023).
64% of young people engaged in social action feel that systemic inequalities get in the way of their social action work.
At The Diana Award, we are working alongside young people to seek opportunities and develop their skills to navigate the barriers to inclusion. While we cannot eradicate systemic barriers alone, we seek change to make sure young people have more power and influence over policies that could benefit them.
3. THOSE IN POWER DO NOT ALWAYS UNDERSTAND OR LISTEN TO YOUNG PEOPLE
82% of UK youth do not think there are enough opportunities to share their views on important issues in their area.
Only 23% of young people feel that businesses understand their hopes, needs and aspirations well.
At The Diana Award, we develop programmes, content and platforms that allow young people to express their voices and develop the skills to effectively engage in social action and shape the world around them.
INTENDED IMPACT
We want to see young people with:
We have already taken the first steps to achieve this (Annual Report 2022-23) and our Theory of Change sets out the first progress we expect, medium-term outcomes and long-term impacts as we work towards our vision.
Our team of knowledgeable staff work alongside young people and expert partner organisations to create change.
UNLOCKING POTENTIAL IN YOUNG PEOPLE BY PROVIDING TRAINING, SUPPORT AND THE RIGHT ENVIRONMENT FOR YOUTH-LED SOCIAL ACTION
CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE TO CONNECT, SUPPORT EACH OTHER AND PARTICIPATE IN DECISION MAKING
INSPIRING ACTION BY AMPLIFYING AND CELEBRATING YOUNG VOICES TO INFLUENCE CHANGE
Our Future Forward strategy sets out how we are empowering young people to make positive change.
Creating change with young people isn’t just about what we do, it’s about how we do it. The ways that we work enable us to build trust and collaborate with those who share our vision.
In all our work, we are led by the ambitions, passions and voices of young people. Our knowledgeable staff and expert partners work hard to bring people together in safe and supportive environments and create interactive and engaging opportunities for change.
Our values of passion, ambition, integrity, unity and collaboration guide everything we do.
“The Diana Award is so important. Youth recognition helps us realize that you are never too young to make a difference, that our voice has power, and that people will take notice and listen. The Diana Award through recognition starts a ripple effect of confidence, youth empowerment and global change.”
“Sadly, I’ve experienced bullying along with some of my close friends. If I had to describe how it made me feel inside - it turns you to dust. Working on anti-bullying initiatives with school has given me the power to speak out. More importantly, it’s so good to know I’m making a difference to others in a similar situation and inspiring them to use their free will to speak out.”
“Young people are at the centre of everything. I want them to feel included, heard and listened too so that we all as practitioners know how to support and fight for them in the best ways we can. How are we meant to help young people see their full potential if we don’t engage with them to know exactly what they need to blossom?”
“I believe that, when given a platform, anyone can be capable of bringing about change. The work everyone has been doing has been inspiring and will help improve mental health services for the next generation.”
“The Diana Award made me realise that I have a voice and a role to play in advocacy. Spending time with other young changemakers, I have been inspired by their energy and motivation and by what we can support each other to achieve.”
Through our work, young people feel more confident and resilient, developing their skills so they can lead social action work in their communities and globally.
We help them feel more socially connected and open access to more resources, enabling them to seek opportunities and influence the issues that matter to them despite the social and economic barriers they face.
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On our path to change, we expect to see first changes, intermediate outcomes, and long-term impacts. Factors beyond our control could influence progress towards our long-term vision. However, we will continue to work towards this with young people, measure progress and evaluate our impact.
To develop our Theory of Change, we worked with staff, young people and partners. Together we collected and reviewed evidence about the world our young people live in, and the factors that affect their opportunities to drive social change. We use this evidence to understand what works to achieve positive and lasting change.
Together we will continue to review and refine our Theory of Change, as we learn by doing. We are using a measurement framework to describe what, how and when we need to evaluate, in a consistent way across all our programmes of work.
It shows young people, our staff and partners what we are working to achieve and the progress we are making. It helps us to evaluate how each area of our work takes us closer to achieving our vision. We can understand what works well and identify opportunities to do more and do better. This helps us to make the best use of our resources and collaborate with partner organisations who share our vision.
