100% increase in young British volunteers since 2003
A report released last week showed that the number of young people volunteering in the UK has nearly doubled in the past decade. The figures, published by charity consultancy firm nfpSynergy, showed that 34% of young people gave up some of their time to volunteering in the past three months, nearly twice the 18% figure gleaned from a similar report carried out back in 2003.
This is great news for charities, and means that young people are now the most likely group in society to give up their time to charitable causes, even surpassing the traditionally volunteer-keen over 65s. Joe Saxton, nfpSynergy’s Driver of Ideas, commented, “It’s particularly good that young people are finally becoming more involved. Charities have to make sure the idea appeals to a variety of ages and isn’t just stereotyped as elderly people staffing charity shops and tombolas.”
Indeed, present-day volunteering now offers a very wide range of opportunities that is a far cry from the more traditional roles Saxton highlights. From helping out in museums and art galleries to giving up some free time to a local youth club or nursing home, volunteering is not only an opportunity to ‘give something back’ to the community, but it is also a widely accepted way of gaining some valuable work and life experience. As opposed to being a pastime for people post-retirement, for many volunteering now provides a crucial first step onto the career ladder.
Volunteering does not have to be restricted to the UK either, and there are many opportunities available for young people to get involved in helping out local communities overseas. Although volunteering abroad will often require a similar attitude and open-mindedness to similar opportunities back home, the experience is altogether different in that you will not only working in a community that is different to your own, but you will be living there too. This level of cultural immersion often presents the biggest challenge to our young volunteers, but it is also the source of the greatest sense of achievement. Living and working alongside people whose upbringing and life experiences are so completely dissimilar from your own often unlocks a sense of tolerance and global citizenship that can rarely be felt back home, not to mention the pleasure of discovering a new country inside out!
There are also, of course, many other ways in which the experience of volunteering abroad differs from helping out in your own community. Language learning is a major advantage to spending a few months living abroad, and picking up some valuable language skills will set you apart from the others when applying for jobs back home, particularly in a notoriously language-shy country such as Britain. Living abroad also has a funny way of making you more confident about yourself and your own abilities. After fending for yourself away from your friends and family for a few months, many people often find that the independence and maturity that they have accrued effortlessly shines through on their return home, not least of all in job interviews.
If you are keen to volunteer and are interested in spending some time living abroad, why not see what opportunities we offer around the world?
