From Silence to Action: Young People Act Loud for Change this Lent

This year Million Minutes ran SiLENT 2025, our Lent fundraising campaign. However, we wanted to introduce something new. We wanted to really empower participants to turn those moments of silent reflection and prayer into action: so we introduced ActLoud.

The enthusiastic response to this new element of the campaign has been amazing to see, so we wanted to use this post to highlight some of the impressive stories we have heard about what young people have been up to and how they have gotten involved in their communities - embracing silence and acting loud. 

Action Impact Youth Group of St Bede's Catholic High School, Lytham St Annes

St Bede’s Catholic High School committed themselves to ActLoud, where they worked with the Salvation Army in Blackpool, providing them with a donation of £300 for the Bridge Project, which feeds vulnerable people at lunchtime; they also donated a further £100 towards providing Easter eggs for disadvantaged children.

This fundraising was carried out by a group of Year 8 students, as part of an youth-led inter-faith project from St Bede's working with support from the Sisters of St Joseph of the Peace based in Nottingham.


Romero Impact Youth Group of Our Lady's Catholic High School, Preston

Year 8 students of the Romero Impact Youth Group, with the help of School Chaplain Sarah Lee, were inspired to organise a cake sale in school to raise funds for the Salvation Army Foodbank in Preston to support vulnerable families, and provide Easter eggs for disadvantaged children.

The youth group alongside Year 9 students also visit a Community Care Home project every two weeks, talking and playing games with the care home's residents.



Students of McAuley Catholic High School, Doncaster

Students in the upper school have taken part in SiLENT in various ways, including: having silent form prayer on Friday mornings, handing their phones to the Chaplain for the day, and some have even pledged their own personal silence.

Meanwhile, for Act Loud, both the lower and upper school have: gotten involved in litter-picking on the school's grounds, building a "kindness wall" with messages of hope, as well as raising awareness of social justice issues during assembly time.

The SiLENT 2025 campaign has truly been a beacon of inspiration, showcasing the power of silence and action in creating meaningful change. The creativity and dedication of young people from across these schools have been nothing short of remarkable. 

A heartfelt thank you goes out to all who have donated, participated, and supported SiLENT 2025. Your contributions have not only helped amplify the voices of young people but have also created ripples of hope and justice in communities far and wide. Together, you've made this campaign extraordinary.

Here's to continuing the journey of silence, reflection, and action in the years to come!

How to run siLENT in your parish

This year Lent looks a little different, but that doesn’t stop us connecting with our parishioners online. Here are four things you can do to share Million Minutes siLENT in your parish today.

1. Place a notice in the parish newsletter

Place a notice about siLENT in the parish newsletter for two or three weeks in a row, to make sure that parishioners who miss looking at the newsletter one week might see it the next week.

Download our Parish Appeal pack

2. Mention siLENT during Online Mass

Ask your priest to mention siLENT during Masses on the weekends of 27/28 February and 6/7 March, so that more people might hear about it and to remind parishioners that they can give online.

3. Post our stories of change story on social media

Ask your parish Facebook administrator to place posts on your Facebook page to let people know about Shanea’s story, and invite parishioners to give to the Lent appeal, using these special parish resources on our website.

Explore our siLENT resources for Lent

4. Share the siLENT video

Ask if Million Minutes 10 years of deafening silence video could be placed on your parish website and on the Facebook page. If your parish livestreams Mass you could also ask if the Million Minutes video can be played at the end of Mass or a donation link placed on the stream platform.

 To find out how you as a Parish can get involved in siLENT today visit: https://millionminutes.org/silent
Contact our Engagement Officer Kate if you have any questions.