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Act for Girls Toolkit

Act For Girls Toolkit

Everything you need to become a youth activist and campaign on the issues that matter to you

As young people, your voices matter. It’s vital that your ideas and experiences are heard and that you’re included in the decisions that will affect your lives.

That’s why we’ve created this toolkit, to empower and support you through each phase of your journey to creating change. The toolkit takes you through how to organise a campaign, influence decision makers, get creative and amplify your message.

As activist and author Gina Martin says “you don’t have to be remarkable to change the world – you become remarkable by trying”. Having worked with young people in the UK and around the world, we know how much you can achieve. We can’t wait to see you make the change you want to see.

In India, 21-year-old Shalini is campaigning for the end of child marriage

1. ORGANISE

The first guide in the series will help you plan your campaign for change. With templates and examples, you'll learn how to identify the change you want to see in your community, school, country or in the world, and develop your ideainto a clear plan for action.

There are no limits on the good you can put into the world and learning how to campaign is an amazing place to start. 

Gina Martin, activist and author 

Joseline, 18, speaks about female representation in politics at our takeover event at the House of Lords (Photo: House of Lords/Roger Harris)

2. INFLUENCE

This guide will support you to think about how to contact a decision maker relevant to your campaign and influence them to support your cause. Packed with tips on how to reach out, you'll find a range of techniques to help you gain support and influence decision makers.

So much change is needed, why shouldn’t we be the ones who decide to change it?

Amika George, activist

In Paraguay, Plan International brought 30 girls together to devise an action plan to promote gender equality

3. CREATE

The third guide in the series encourages you to get creative with your campaign and think about how to make your message stand out. It includes ideas on how to incorporate art, performance, music and visuals to create change.

I’ve harnessed the power of creativity to create campaigns that I’m proud to say have helped change hearts, minds, policies and laws around the world. You can too.

Sarah Corbett, Founder, Craftivist Collective

Jess, 18, a youth advocate for Plan International UK, gives a talk at TEDx Exeter on street harassment (Photo: TEDx Exeter)

4. AMPLIFY

The final guide will support you to get the word out and the raise the profile of your campaign, including through media outlets, social media and speaking at events. The tips on which channels to use and how to make sure you tailor your messaging to your audience will help you amplify your campaign.

Never has there been a more important time to champion lived experience of women and girls, particularly women and girls of colour.

Seyi Akiwowo, activist and founder of Glitch

A photo of three girls standing outside

Act for Girls: Wales

This guide has been created as an additional resource to accompany the Influence toolkit, to support young people living in Wales. It can be used together with the other Act For Girls toolkits.

As well as tips and techniques to help you gain support and influence decision makers in Wales at local and national level, this guide also looks at devolution in the UK. It can help you think about which government you need to influence to support your campaign, who the decision makers are and how to contact them. 

Join the campaign for equal rights

sign up to our because I am a girl campaign

Read about young activists around the world