Why it matters: The event at The Church, held from 14:00 to 16:30 as part of #iWill Week 2025, highlighted Ipswich's position as the first Town of Youth Social Action in the UK and its role in shaping the government's National Youth Strategy.
The big picture: Ipswich has paved the way for six other towns and cities around the country to follow its lead in youth engagement. The town has 54 signatories to the Power of Youth Charter – the largest number outside London from a total of 420 nationally – and was one of only six locations to support a government hackathon involving nearly 200 young people earlier this year.
More than 1,250 young people took part in hackathons in Ipswich this year, demonstrating the scale of youth engagement in the town.
#iWill Week, which runs from 17 to 21 November, asks "What do you stand for?" and champions daily themes of community, joy, dignity, justice and truth through youth-led volunteering, advocacy, campaigning, fundraising and education initiatives.
The details: The event, organised by Volunteering Matters and hosted by Brighten the Corners, marked the end of the Year of Youth Social Action project funded by Children in Need.
It included a film screening and discussion with iWill Ambassadors, alongside public and private sector leaders, Deputy Mayor Councillor Pat Bruce-Browne and Ipswich MP Jack Abbott.
MSC became the first big corporate to sign the Power of Youth Charter at the event, making commitments including a Young Person of the Year Award and a young person strategy board of 10 under-25s who will contribute to senior strategic decision-making.
A new Ipswich Index was also launched as a place to showcase what young people and organisations are doing in the town.
Youth Voice Matters programme: Oliver Rouane-Williams, editor and founder of Ipswich.co.uk, which was the first media company in the country to sign the Power of Youth Charter, and Ben Miller of ICM spoke to delegates about the Youth Voice Matters programme, a six-week community journalism initiative that worked with aspiring young journalists.
Local students Tiah, Shamena, Ruby and Holly spoke about their experiences on the programme and the articles they produced, covering topics from the importance of volunteering and young people in politics to incel culture and how black women and women of colour are portrayed in reality TV. The articles will be published on Ipswich.co.uk next week.
The programme was delivered by ICM and Ipswich.co.uk in partnership with Volunteering Matters, with funding from Children in Need.
What they're saying: Jack Abbott, who ran a summer school for young people in Ipswich and Suffolk and participated in the youth-focused hackathons, said the event was "a reminder of what happens when young people are trusted and empowered".
"Thank you for backing young people every single day, but a special thank you to iWill ambassadors. They are the heartbeat of this movement," he said, adding that young people's engagement challenged common assumptions about their interest in civic action and politics, which is why he supported voting at 16.
Deputy Mayor Councillor Pat Bruce-Browne said: "Young people in Ipswich are showing us what real community leadership looks like. Their energy and ideas are inspiring, and it is vital that we listen and act on what they tell us. #iWill Week is a reminder that when we give young people the platform to lead, they can achieve extraordinary things."
Volunteering Matters director of business development and partnerships Stephen Skeet said: "It's fantastic to bring together over 50 organisations together to celebrate our achievements and progress as a Town of Social Action, in such an important venue for Ipswich. We are particularly pleased that our ambassadors were able to launch their film on their social action work, and launch the Ipswich Index of social action for Ipswich, and welcome new high profile Power of Youth Charter signatories.
“This isn't a project to solve yesterday's problems, but a movement of young people and organisations building for the future through the connection of social action."
The bottom line: As the first Town of Youth Social Action in the UK, Ipswich continues to demonstrate what can be achieved when young people are trusted with real power and given platforms to shape their communities, with Wednesday's celebration highlighting the town's national leadership in youth engagement.
As Stacey Carmichael from Children in Need put it, "It shows what happens when a town decides to back its young people," urging guests to "keep building a town where youth social action isn't an option, it's central."
