The National Youth Agency - e-youthaction no. 39, July 2008

e-youthaction no. 39, July 2008

7 Jul 2008
Issue 39 contains details of research indicating high levels of volunteering among young people, a call for views on volunteering in the criminal justice system and details of various funding sources.

VOLUNTEERING

Baroness Neuberger, the Government’s independent volunteering champion, is asking third sector and statutory organisations for their views on volunteering in the criminal justice system. She is seeking views on questions including current levels of volunteering, reducing the barriers to volunteering, encouraging people from a wide range of backgrounds to volunteer within the criminal justice system, and the role of volunteering in the rehabilitation of offenders. Submissions are invited by 1 September 2008.

Also of interest...

National youth volunteering organisation v has launched a new viral video to promote vcashpoint to 16-25 year-olds around the country, through the use of online platforms such as YouTube and MySpace. The two-minute video uses the strap-line ‘vcashpoint. Your idea. Your time. Our cash’, to highlight different projects developed by young people as well as explaining how vcashpoint can benefit their community.

CITIZENSHIP

Headline findings from the Citizenship Survey 2007-08 confirm that young people aged 16 to 24 have higher overall rates of volunteering than other age groups (52% compared to 48% for all age groups). Young people were also more likely than older age groups to mix with people from different ethnic groups.

Justice Minister Bridget Prentice has launched a new group aimed at encouraging young people to become active citizens. Chaired by Professor Jonathan Tonge, the Youth Citizenship Commission will focus on questions of citizenship, political participation, volunteering and voting and will report back to the government in Spring 2009. The 12 commissioners include three young people.

THIRD SECTOR

Children & Young People Now (C&YPN) interview with Phil Hope, minister for the third sector and social exclusion, who talks about the importance of offering young people volunteering opportunities that meet their interests and develop their skills.

Phil Hope has appointed the panel of the new Third Sector Advisory Body, which has been set up to provide ministers with clear and authoritative advice on policy regarding the third sector, including charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises. The new panel members bring experience from the third sector and beyond.

Phil Hope has asked the Compact Commissioner Sir Bert Massie to lead a three-month debate across third sector organisations and local government on whether the Compact should be supported by statutory powers. He said that if the response suggests that there is a need for the Commission and Commissioner to be given legal powers to enforce the Compact, the government is prepared to start work immediately towards making it happen.

PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING

A report by I&DeA into participatory budgeting looks at how it can contribute to local democracy by supporting community engagement. It examines the extent to which councils enable people to join in and make budget decisions and the benefits and challenges councils experience in developing participatory budget schemes. It includes a case study on Brighton and Hove Children and Young People’s Trust.

ARTS

A survey into voluntary and amateur arts has found that there are nearly 50,000 groups across the country with a total of 5.9 million members, plus a further 3.5 million volunteers. Our Creative Talent: the voluntary and community arts in England highlights the challenge some groups face in attracting younger members. This was seen as important in ensuring that groups could continue and that particular arts and craft forms were not lost to future generations.

LOCAL AUTHORITY AREAS

The priorities for local authority areas were agreed with central government at the end of June. The top two priorities were reducing the number of 16 to 18-year-olds not in education, employment and training, and reducing the under-18 teenage conception rate (chosen by 77% and 70% of authorities respectively). Just over half chose increasing young people's participation in positive activities. Nearly two-thirds chose priorities related to creating a thriving third sector and/or volunteering. The Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) has set up a website allowing people to find out the indicators selected for each local authority area.

FUNDING

Applications are now open for the Opportunities for Volunteering Fund (OFV) 2009-12. Funded by the Department of Health, OFV enables local voluntary health and social care organisations in England to involve volunteers in their work. There are 16 national agents including Volunteering England, which distributes approximately £1.6m a year. Preliminary application forms must be submitted by 29 August 2008.

Future builders England has launched a new interest-free loan fund for third sector organisations struggling to meet the cost of tendering for public sector contracts. The £1 million fund will provide three-year loans of between £3,000 and £50,000, and can be used to pay for costs such as legal bills, financial expertise, staffing backfill and advice from procurement specialists.

National youth volunteering organisation v has announced that it has re-shaped its Match Fund, in order to attract new project ideas from the third sector and private funders. It has created six themes for the fund: community cohesion; environment; health; children and young people; poverty; and human rights. These themes are intended to create more attractive volunteering opportunities for young people, as well as reflecting the aspirations of private sector businesses, trusts, foundations, the voluntary sector and communities. Up to £15 million is available, with two application deadlines: 29 August and 31 October.

Mediabox is a DCSF fund that supports disadvantaged young people aged 13-19 to work alongside professionals to learn media skills that enable them to have a voice. It has received additional funding through the Department for Communities and Local Government to support projects with outcomes linked to community cohesion. Mix Mediabox will provide grants of up to £30,000 for organisations to run media projects that bring together young people from diverse backgrounds to work together on media projects that explore issues relevant to them. Applications must be made online by 22 July 2008.

RESEARCH

The Institute for Volunteering Research (IVR) has published a bulletin, Young People Help Out: Volunteering and giving among young people, which explores data on volunteering and giving among 16 to 24 year-olds based on Helping Out, the 2007 national survey. The data paints a positive picture of young people's engagement in volunteering and giving: over half get involved in volunteering and three-quarters give to charity. Young people volunteer for a mixture of altruistic and instrumental reasons, with young people being more likely than other age groups to say they got involved in volunteering to enhance their skills and employability.

The DCSF has published an evaluation of the Mentoring and Befriending Foundation’s formalised peer mentoring pilots. This concludes that the pilot project performed well in its first year of operation in 180 secondary schools. Mentors and mentees have responded positively to their experiences, and schools report a number of beneficial outcomes.

The IVR and Volunteering England have published a report on the impact of sports volunteering. This supports previous claims concerning the benefits of sports volunteering to volunteers, sports participants and the wider community. However, despite other evidence that young volunteers are well represented in sports volunteering, many of the clubs featured in this research would like more young volunteers.

YOUTHACTION MAGAZINE

The NYA is currently preparing for the next issue of youthaction – the magazine celebrating young people’s contribution to their communities based on their own stories – and is seeking articles from young people willing to share their experiences with others. There is now also an option to include inserts from other organizations in the magazine. Please contact youthaction@nya.org.uk with any ideas for articles or to find out more about inserts.

INTERNATIONAL

The European Commission has proposed an initiative to create more opportunities for young people to volunteer across Europe. It encourages member states to build on existing mechanisms through gathering and disseminating information on existing opportunities within their countries; increasing the number of cross-border volunteering opportunities under different national schemes; providing quality assurance of volunteering activities; ensuring appropriate recognition of the learning outcomes from volunteering; and providing targeted support to youth workers and young people with fewer opportunities.

Platform2 gives young people aged 18 to 25 year olds opportunities to volunteer in a developing country for 10 weeks and then come back and creatively express their experience in the UK. Typical projects include constructing community buildings, caring for and teaching children, building infrastructure at eco centres, and assisting in HIV clinics. The scheme is free, and places are still currently available for projects beginning in August and September 2008.

AWARDS AND COMPETITIONS

Nominations are now open for Youth Action Network’s Makin’ it Real Awards, which are designed to reward and recognise young people and workers who have made a positive difference to their local communities. Awards are in two categories: the Young Volunteers’ Award, for groups of two or more people under 25 for projects that have taken place in England during 2008; and the Worker’s Award, for staff who have supported young people in developing a new project. The closing date for nominations is 31 October 2008.

The Youth Action Network also runs an annual ‘young whippersnapper’ photo competition, which invites young volunteers across the country to submit images which showcase projects already taking place, or would encourage other young people to get involved in youth action.