Changemakers

Background and aims

• Overall societal challenge: young adults' poor understanding of how to make political and social change in the UK as active citizens.
• 'Changemakers' will generate robust educational resource(s) that enable young people (16-24) to become active citizens by improving their understanding of how to make political and social change in the UK.
• This will be achieved through the development of educational resource(s) post-secondary/compulsory education.
• The research will initially focus on Wales, working with young Welsh citizens and OU Wales.

The research will....

1. Enable young adults to better understand how to make political and social change in the UK as 'active citizens'.
2. Positively impact political participation in later adulthood via the upskilling and engagement engendered.
3. Help policy makers and educators learn cost-effective ways to increase understanding of, and participation in, politics in young adults. Further benefitting societal cohesion, civic engagement, and enabling more representative decision-making.
4. Influence the development of young people's citizenship information and political education post-secondary/compulsory education.

What we did

Stage 1 of the project, funded by Open Societal Challenges, was aimed at improving the political understanding and engagement of young people aged 16-24 in the UK, initially focusing on Wales. Working with young people, the project used a variety of methods, such as online surveys and focus groups, to capture how young people feel and what they know about UK political institutions and making political and social change, and the type of resources they need to improve their understanding.

After working with and listening to young people from across Wales, and bringing together all of the research findings, we concluded that a quick to use website with interactive elements would be a great way to help young people aged 16-24 to improve their understanding of making political and social change in Wales.

The ‘Changemakers’ website explains how to make a difference by teaching about how to make political and social change. Through the website people can learn about devolution and connections between the UK and Wales, find out which institutions are responsible for the issues they care about, and how those institutions can be engaged with. 

The website is for those who want to make change in Wales, the UK, or more generally. It explains how and when to make change by engaging via the Senedd (Welsh Parliament), the UK Parliament, or by taking other actions to get your voice heard.

Stage 2 of the project, funded by The Open University in Wales and Bridgend College, developed and piloted the Newid Future Generations Changemaker Academy. This pilot was launched in late 2025 as an exciting collaboration between the Office of the Future Generations Commissioner, Bridgend College, The Open University in Wales, and Unloc. Rooted firmly in the ambitions of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act, the project set out to empower young people aged 16–25 across Wales to lead meaningful, systemic change in their communities. The resources from Stage 1 informed Stage 2.

The Academy was designed to address a recognised gap in opportunities for Further Education learners to engage in civic participation and social action. By providing a structured pathway that connects school‑level leadership initiatives with the existing national Future Generations Leadership Academy, Newid aimed to build young people’s capacity to influence local and national decision‑making structures. The pilot sought to amplify the voices of young people who are typically underrepresented in civic life, creating platforms for them to shape policy-relevant conversations and contribute to Wales’s long‑term wellbeing goals. Through immersive in-person sessions, online learning, and project‑based experiences, participants based at Bridgend College in Wales were supported to develop confidence, skills, and agency as emerging changemakers.

We are also examining other ways of extending the project. Watch this space.

Maintaining momentum

This research builds on two connected resources, both of which explore how people can make change:

1. ‘Changemakers’ PDF guide, created with UK parliament.
2. Free online OpenLearn course: 'An introduction to making political and social change', created with UK Parliament, Welsh Parliament, Scottish Parliament, Northern Ireland Assembly.

It also builds on a citizen’s panel on media and democracy in Wales, led by the OU in Wales and Institute of Welsh Affairs which led to many recommendations outlined in the full report.

Participant benefits

Opportunity to gain skills useful to study and employment, undertake OpenLearn  course and other project resources with guidance and increase understanding of active citizenship.

OU benefits

Scalable resources with proven value and input from regional communities. Model and resources could be extended across the four UK nations.