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Youth volunteering: The benefits and barriers

What can young people bring to your organisation?

In the ever evolving third sector landscape, the recruitment of young volunteers is a necessity. They bring fresh perspectives, energy and ideas that can help move your organisation forwards. By embracing the enthusiasm and creativity of young people, your organisation can enhance its current services, further support your beneficiaries and ensure a vibrant and sustainable future. Take a look at what young people can bring to your organisation below:

• A volunteer workforce that is representative of the communities that you benefit – this is not only important for organisations that support young people. All organisations should have a diverse volunteer workforce (age, gender, ethnicity) to represent your community effectively.
• Young volunteers provide a different perspective to volunteers of different ages and will bring different ideas which might help you to improve the service that you offer.
• Skills and experiences – while young people do not have years of ‘life experience’ they have different experiences they can share. Their experiences and skills are vital for us to keep up with the latest trends.
• Energy – young people usually bring lots of energy and enthusiasm to their role.
• Keen to learn and improve skills – young people are often more willing to learn new things due to the stage of life they are at.
• Future proofing – Since the COVID-19 pandemic there has been a decrease in older volunteers highlighting the need for younger volunteers to deliver your services both now and in the future.
• Connections – could a young volunteer help connect your organisation to other young people in the area? They may know the best places and methods to attract other young people and could also help link you to youth-based organisations in your local area too.
• Social media – The more young people you have following your social media channels, the more potential you have for your message to get out to young people. They may also be able to help you and contribute toward your social media and digital output.
• If they have a good experience then they are more likely to recommend your organisation to family and friends. They may become a supporter of yours or come back to volunteer with you in the future when they perhaps have more time available. Alternatively, if a young person has a negative experience in what might be their first volunteer role, it is likely that we could lose that young person as a volunteer for life.

What are the potential barriers to young people volunteering?

It requires a conscious, long-term effort to overcome the below barriers to volunteering for young people. It is easy to say that your organisation and its opportunities are open to all but if you have barriers in the way then it’s not really open to all.

You should positively be working to create links and actively recruit from under-represented groups and not expect them to come to you. It has been shown that those who stand to gain the most from volunteering are the least likely to engage. Therefore, people who feel excluded from volunteering need to be shown that they have something to offer and that volunteering (and your role in particular) has something to offer them.

• Lack of time – Young people have a number of different things going on at this stage of their life such as studies, exams, work, clubs, socialising, volunteering.
• Cost – Young people might be put off if expenses aren’t covered and they are going to be out of pocket or they may prioritise paid work over volunteering instead.
• Lack of awareness – Young people may not know where to find information about volunteering opportunities or may not be aware of the benefits of volunteering either.
• Information provided by the organisation is not appropriate – Information provided may be too long/complicated/confusing and if it is not simple/quick enough to apply/express interest, it can be off-putting for younger people. For example, there are lots of organisations’ websites where you can’t easily find the volunteering page or details of how to find out about volunteering. Young people will not search for this information and if it’s not easy to find, they will find somewhere else where that information is easily attainable.
• Perceptions of volunteering – Young people may perceive volunteering as only for older people if no young people they know volunteer or only for people who are more affluent.
• Lack of confidence – If a young person doesn’t believe in their own ability or has low self-esteem they may lack the confidence to put themselves forward and actively approach an organisation about volunteering. Make sure you are as approachable as possible and don’t expect young people to come to you – you often need to approach them.
• Perceptions of young people within an organisation – Do all staff, trustees, and volunteers understand the benefits of having young volunteers onboard and is there a welcoming and supportive environment for them to come into?

 

What do young people want from volunteering?

There are many reasons that young people volunteer. Before you start your recruitment process, have a good think about the many reasons young people might volunteer and then you can take a more targeted approach to the messages you send out.

Helping others – Research shows that young people want their efforts to impact on causes they are passionate about (they might have a personal tie to the cause). They want to make a positive difference to their communities but young people want to benefit themselves from volunteering too. These different outcomes are not in opposition to one another. We can and should celebrate what young people can do for their communities but also what volunteering can do for young people themselves.

Employability – Not only do young people want to boost their chances to get their first job but they want continuous skill development to help them progress in their career and take up new job opportunities. Importantly, when talking to potential volunteers, try to demonstrate how volunteering will make them  more employable. Don’t just say that they will ‘learn new skills’ but highlight the specific skills they may be able to improve and be clear about exactly how they will be able to gain these skills from the role.

Social – We sometimes don’t naturally associate young people with being isolated or feeling lonely. Young people can arguable feel loneliness more intensely than older people because they are at a life stage where they are discovering who they are, leaving established support networks to go to University or starting a new job away from home etc. Volunteering provides young people with the opportunity to meet likeminded individuals and socialise – can you make your roles more sociable in any way? Such as volunteer social events, WhatsApp groups to keep in touch, group volunteering etc.

Hear from Sana, one of our former Youth Ambassadors on why she volunteers below:

Young people want to gain something from volunteering themselves. Volunteering should always be a two-way process. Make sure you drum home the benefits of volunteering to them and what they can gain from volunteering with your organisation specifically.

Volunteering will also be a small part of a young person’s time as they may have to juggle studies, work (full-time or part-time), clubs/societies, social activities, or family commitments so volunteering may only be a small part of the picture for them. It is vital that volunteering is flexible for young people so they can fit it in around their other commitments, otherwise something else will take priority.

It could be beneficial to allow young volunteers to dip their toe in the water before committing to a voluntary role. This could be a taster session to give young people a try before they sign up to your organisation. Doing this may result in a more committed volunteer who fully understands the expectations of the role. You could allow them to try several different roles and gain ideas as to what they would like to do and what their skills are. Therefore, rather than pigeon-holing them into a particular role, you might even be able to create new roles that match their skillset.

Young people also want to feel connected and part of the bigger picture. It’s important to ensure that you have the staffing and support in place so they are not just left to get on with the role by themselves. Keep them informed about how they are making a difference and the impact that their role has on the organisation and your beneficiaries. They have a genuine interest in how they have contributed and want to be involved in wider discussions and decision making.

It’s also vital you respond quickly when a young person’s interest is sparked. They may have contacted several organisations and might just go with the one that responds the quickest. In a digital age where everything is instantaneous, they expect a quick response when enquiring about volunteering.

Do you need support with volunteer recruitment?

If you have volunteering opportunities that you would like us to promote, you can do so here or by contacting us directly. We will publicise your opportunities on our website, and potentially through our volunteer newsletters, on social media and at events.

We also have two training sessions around recruiting and managing volunteers in the next few months.

On 15 October, we are running a youth-specific session online which you can find more information on here.

The following month on 7 November, we are running a more general session. You can find more information and book your place here.

We also provide further information on good practice and managing volunteers on our website.