Giving Tuesday 2021: It is time for all of us to bounce back
The consequences of the pandemic have been hard for individuals, businesses and especially charities. Thousands of fundraising events have been cancelled and charity shops were unable to operate again after the restrictions were lifted due to financial difficulties and lack of volunteers. This Giving Tuesday we can make a difference.
What is Giving Tuesday?
Giving Tuesday is a global day of giving that encourages people to donate, volunteer, and participate in charitable activities.
Giving Tuesday provides the perfect opportunity to pause and remember the causes we believe in and the communities we care about. It began in 2012 as a way to counteract the overspending of Black Friday and Cyber Monday by donating to charities in need. It made its way across more than 70 countries and it is now the biggest global generosity movement.
Charities play an important role in our society – and we all benefit. They unite people who have a shared passion in order to make a positive impact in the world. With restrictions being lifted, we want to sustain the community spirit we saw during the pandemic and help charities to recover, bounce back and continue their fundamental work.
We can now engage with others, get involved with our local community and give ourselves the chance to bounce back from lockdown restrictions. We were all isolated for so long that we lost our sense of community, so returning to some form of ‘normal’ is more important than ever.
Lockdown and the pandemic put enormous stress on charities across the country. At Action Tutoring our attention was focused on the potential impact school closures could have on the pupils we support. We acted fast and raised our voices. We found new ways to fundraise and our amazing team enabled us to transition from ‘in-person’ to online tutoring, so we could continue helping disadvantaged pupils when they needed us the most.
You can read more about our launch of online tutoring sessions here.
This is what Shko, who is in Year 6 at Pathways E-Act Primary Academy in Sheffield had to say about his experience:
Coming back to school after lockdown felt weird. I hadn’t spoken in English for a long time. When I was at home, I spoke Kurdish. When I came back, it felt weird because I hadn’t practised English. With tutoring I get much more maths than I would usually. I get a revision because some of the lessons with Action Tutoring are things we’ve done in class that I’ve nearly forgotten. Tutoring feels peaceful.
This wouldn’t be possible without our incredible volunteers who stayed committed to our mission. The need, however, is still great. Pupils are still recovering and building back their knowledge following the school closures. We’re also looking ahead to how we can not only bounce back, but also become even stronger and more resilient in the future.
So, what can you do this Giving Tuesday to help us?
Volunteer
Studies show that disadvantaged pupils have fallen further behind because of lockdown and school closures. Volunteering as a tutor with us will not only help close the attainment gap between disadvantaged young people and their peers, but it will also help you bounce back from lockdown.
We have been in our home bubbles for so long, free of social engagement. This lack of social interaction can cause social anxiety and the feeling of isolation, even with restrictions being lifted. Now it is not the time to be isolated; it is time for all of us to bounce back.
Donate
We need your help. Your donation will help us continue our mission and support the most vulnerable in our communities. Disadvantaged pupils deserve a chance to build a better life for themselves and education will allow them to do so.
Giving Tuesday also marks the launch of The Big Give Christmas Challenge – the U.K’s largest match funding campaign. The challenge works by charities securing a ‘match pot’ of funding from their key supporters (called ‘pledges’) and a Big Give ‘Charity Champion’, which is then used to double donations made during the challenge week, meaning one donation = double the impact!
We have £2,000 to raise in donations across seven days, which will be doubled to £4,000 thanks to our match funding pot! Donations open at 12pm on Tuesday 30th November and close 12pm on Tuesday 7th December.
You can watch The Big Give Christmas Challenge 2021 campaign video to learn more. To ensure donations are matched, donations for our #ChristmasChallenge21 must be made via Action Tutoring’s Big Give campaign page. Donations start from £1.
With your contribution, 2022 can be a brighter year, where pupils have the support they need and bounce back from the impact of the pandemic.
Share our cause with your friends and family
If you are not able to give your time or make a donation, you can still help our cause. Please share this post with your friends and family and remember that raising awareness is crucial to ensuring that we continue to help pupils.
Why not share on your social media platforms or refer us to a friend you think would be interested in volunteering with us?
We hope the generosity inspired by #GivingTuesday lasts well beyond a day to create lasting change. It is time for all of us to bounce back and make sure there are brighter days ahead for everyone.