What is ActNow?
‘ActNow is an awesome website for young people. It gives us information on important issues and makes them easier to understand. It’s also a great place for people to get inspired on taking action.’
Melissa 20, ActNow volunteer
How do you use ActNow?
ActNow knows that the more you understand about an issue the more you’ll feel empowered to do something about it. Use ActNow to find information on social, political, environmental, lifestyle and topical issues for a non-judgemental and factual snapshot of the bigger picture. All the content you find on ActNow is written by ActNow members who are young people just like you.
You can take action on issues any way you like. The important thing is to have a go and let the ActNow community know what you did, how you did it and what you think the impact was. Sign up as a member and you’ll be able to add your own content to the site such as a ‘thing to do’, a story, an interview, a video, a blog entry or a comment. Get published online!
ActNow is also a volunteering hub. Use the site to get in touch with over 200 organisations that are really keen to work with young people.
Who’s behind ActNow?
ActNow is run by
The Inspire Foundation, an Australian not-for-profit organisation that creates opportunities for young people to change their world. Inspire also runs the
Reach Out! and
Beanbag programs nationally.
Why does the Inspire Foundation care?
Inspire knows that getting informed, feeling empowered and taking action improves your mental health. It strengthens community connectedness and creates a space for young people to inspire others and participate in important decision making processes.
Who runs the Inspire Foundation?
Inspire is run by
a group of motivated people who come from all walks of life. One thing they share in common is a dedication to make Inspire the leader in its field in the use of technology to increase youth participation.
How is ActNow funded?
The Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaCSIA), as well as a bunch of generous foundations, corporates and private donors support ActNow. The funding breakdown for ActNow from the 2006/2007 Financial Year is below.
We seek to form partnerships with companies and organisations whose values and objectives align with
ours.
Funds are generated by Inspire’s
Development and
Marketing teams. Visit our
supporters’ page to find out how you can contribute.
I heart ActNow and want to get involved!
There are many ways to get involved with ActNow. One way is to simply become a
member so that you can post up information on the site. You can also stay in touch by
subscribing to our newsletter
The Pollinator.
Got some time to spare?
Apply online and be part of our advisory board—the Incubator. Two times a year, fifteen young people between the ages of 18 and 25 are selected to participate in a 12-week online feedback forum. Half-way through they’re flown to Sydney for a three-day inspiration fest! No previous volunteering experience is required.
Find out more.
ActNow also runs an internship program open to anyone aged between 16 and 25 years, who is able to travel to our office in Sydney two days per week, for a minimum of eight weeks. We have three internship intakes each year—Semester 1 (commencing in March), Semester 2 (commencing in July) and Summer (commencing in December).
Find out more.
Thinking of fundraising?
Why not donate the funds raised to ActNow? We’re always looking for involvement from young people and your financial support will help Inspire keep ActNow up and running. Your donation will be used to help Inspire cover costs, including web development and running our youth participation programs.
Donate to ActNow.
What can ActNow do for me?
ActNow is more than just ‘another social networking site’. A little bit of inspiration goes a long way. The experience you get through your use and involvement with ActNow can take you to some amazing places. Check out
ActNow the Movie and hear 3 young people talking about their ActNow journey.
