Youth social action

Embark on a journey of a lifetime with our Youth Action Project and make your mark in your local blind and visually impaired community.

Along the way, you will be guided by our workbook to:

• Build valuable skills
• Undertake exhilarating challenges
• Create experiences, memories and friendships that will last a lifetime
• Feel engaged and empowered
• Gain confidence in your abilities

Also available to download below are lesson plans and resources for teachers and group leaders to inspire and kickstart a group social action project.

Sioned's story

“Hi, I’m in my second year of studying Animal Management Level 3 at college, and I work part-time as an animal carer. I’ve supported Guide Dogs in a number of ways over the last 10 years. As well as fundraising in my free time, I volunteered as a guide to help blind or partially-sighted people complete a sponsored walk in my local community.

“I organised a bake sale at my school, which was a great way to raise money and awareness. I found that many of my classmates seemed to know a lot about guide dogs, but not much about the people who need them. This gave me the idea to do a school presentation about Guide Dogs.

“I gave an insight into the different obstacles and dangers, such as bins and parked cars on pavements, that impact a vision-impaired person’s ability to get around safely with their guide dogs.

“Normally, I find presentations difficult due to my dyslexia. But talking about Guide Dogs gave me a confidence boost. I can now stand in front of a large group of people and speak confidently about other subjects.

“I’ve been very fortunate to see how much of a difference a guide dog can make to someone’s life. My ‘Nain’ (grandmother) started going blind and it got so bad that she needed a guide dog to help her get around. And after my ‘Taid’ (grandfather) passed away, having a dog helped her stay independent and confident. She’s always out now, going dancing or volunteering with friends!

“It’s amazing how the dogs change people’s lives. When I finish college, I’d love to work for Guide Dogs as a dog trainer or mobility instructor. But for now, I will help out when I can.”

Contribute to other programmes

Our Youth Action project can also be integrated into many existing youth achievement awards, philanthropy education programmes and citizenship programmes, such as:

Download your workbooks and get started!

Youth Action Project workbook – 14+ year-olds

If you're aged between 14 and 24 and taking part in a recognised youth programme, you can use the Youth Action Project workbook to find out more about Guide Dogs, who we support, and then take action. You can also gain skills in communicating, presenting, organising and planning.

Teachers and leaders

Guide Dogs is here to help you ignite your class’s/group’s social conscience and create social change, for people with a visual impairment, with our interactive and fully resourced schemes of work.

Youth Action Project story pack – five to 13-year-olds

Our Youth Action Project story lesson plans and learning resources for children under the age of 14 years highlights the importance of sharing stories and reading books - something our large print CustomEyes Books give children with a visual impairment.