The National Youth Agency - e-youthaction no. 37, May 2008

e-youthaction no. 37, May 2008

11 May 2008
This issue includes a new survey on volunteer management, Young Achievers Awards and resources available for Volunteers' Week.

VOLUNTEERING

Also of interest...

A survey of volunteer management capacity in England carried out by the Institute for Volunteering Research concludes that while volunteers are often a vital resource for organisations, many are not devoting significant resources to their involvement. It found overall demand for more volunteers, but highlights that the capacity of organisations to involve more volunteers may well be limited.

Think tank npfSynergy has claimed that youth volunteering levels have remained broadly static between March 2006 and November 2007. Its youth engagement monitor found that 18 per cent of respondents had volunteered for a charity in the previous three months, compared to 19 per cent in November 2006. There were variations among age groups, including a steady increase in volunteering by young people aged 11 to 13 during this period.

The achievements of young volunteers, activists and social entrepreneurs were celebrated at the final of the Young Achievers Awards. Awards were made in four categories: sport; community; environment; and the arts.

CSV (Community Service Volunteers) is recruiting 21 young people aged 16 to 25 to volunteer full-time for up to a year, to lead projects in locations throughout England through its Agents4Change project. Volunteers will be based at their local BBC radio station and work with local community organisations and the media to inspire at least 300 other young people to get involved in volunteering opportunities tackling real community issues.

A range of free resources is now available from Volunteering England to organisations running events and projects for Volunteers’ Week (1-7 June).

YOUTH ACTION

The spring/summer 2008 issue of youthaction magazine - celebrating young people taking action in their community - is now out. This issue is packed with examples of how young people’s action benefits both the community and the individual taking part. Email Rita Kotecha to request your free copy - bulk copies are available to organisations that are able to distribute direct to young people or for those running volunteer recruitment fairs.

BENEFITS

The government is to publish new guidance for the rules on volunteering and entitlement to benefits, third sector minister Phil Hope announced at the Volunteering England Convention. He admitted that the current rules were confusing and said the new guidance would be released by the summer. Benefits officers will also receive training to remove the current ‘postcode lottery’.

ACCREDITATION

The National Council for Voluntary Youth Services has submitted a proposal to the Department for Children, Schools and Families, asking them to consider supporting the development of a volunteer youth worker accreditation scheme as part of the youth workforce reform plans.

LOCAL AREA AGREEMENTS

The Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) has produced a briefing note on the new national indicators for local area agreements (LAAs). An average of 35 indicators is proposed for each LAA. Half of all LAAs (75) include an indicator on increasing ‘young people’s involvement in positive activities’, while 66 include ‘participation in regular volunteering’.

THIRD SECTOR

Phil Hope, Minister for the Third Sector, has appointed Baroness Jill Pitkeathly OBE as the chair of the new Office of the Third Sector’s Advisory Body. Reporting to the Minister, her role will be to drive forward the work of the Body, and be an honest broker and informed voice for the sector.

PARTICIPATION

The Children’s Commissioner for England has launched a new interactive website to gather the views and opinions of children and young people across the country. Themed rooms, linked to 11 MILLION’s work programme, will allow young people to share their experiences on specific areas such as asylum, the use of the Mosquito, being happy and healthy, and the organisation’s major project, ‘Guns, gangs and knives’, as well having the chance to raise other important issues.

The British Youth Council, the UK’s national youth council, is seeking trustees aged 18 to 25 who can commit one or two years to contribute to BYC’s strategic direction. BYC seeks to promote the active citizenship of young people and develop their abilities to participate in decision-making and controlling resources, encouraging them to work together to take collective action.

FILM AND PHOTOGRAPHY

Channel 4 FourDocs and Mediabox are running a competition for disadvantaged 13 to19 year olds to write, direct and produce their own short documentaries. Ten films will be made of which at least one will get a broadcast slot on Channel 4. The closing date is 16 June, and films must be made during August.

As part of the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008, supported by The NYA, a Europe-wide ‘Cultures on my street’ photo competition has been launched. It invites EU residents to capture the images that they think best represent intercultural dialogue. The closing date is 30 June.

EVENTS

‘Out of the Box 3’ will take place on 12 June in Taunton. Organised by Somerset Youth Volunteering Network, and described as a ‘freshers’ fair’, the day will offer an opportunity for paid and volunteer workers to share good practice and help the development of exciting and quality volunteering opportunities for young people.

The annual Mentoring and Befriending Conference 2008 will take place in Manchester on 22 May, bringing together over 300 mentoring and befriending stakeholders and practitioners. The programme includes a keynote speech from Phil Hope, workshops on issues such as commissioning, programme development and partnerships, and presentations from those being mentored and befriended, including peer mentees.

The NYA’s YW4H (Youth Work for Health) team is running nine regional events for policymakers and managers from local authorities to examine the key role that youth work has in addressing young people’s health issues. Participants will receive a free copy of The NYA’s newly published ‘Good Practice Guidelines for Healthy Youth Work’, a quality assurance tool and resource for ensuring the effectiveness of health related youth work at all levels.