News
Young People Use Volunteering as a Pathway to Employment
07 October 2010
Press Release
Immediate
7 October 2010
New research undertaken by The National Youth Agency, funded by the Office for Civil Society, has found that young people value the opportunities provided by volunteering to 'stay ahead of the competition' in the recession-hit labour market. However, one in ten young people consulted felt that organisations which might use volunteers were not interested in young people and what they have to offer.
More than 85 per cent of over 1,500 young people consulted said that they feared the impact of the economic downturn on their future job opportunities. However, 45 per cent of young people surveyed said that they felt volunteering would help them to find a job in the future.
The findings are part of new research into the impact the recession on youth volunteering, launched this month (September 2010).
The research also uncovered that almost a fifth (19 per cent) of young people felt the recession had changed their views of volunteering - increasingly seeing it as an opportunity to improve their employability.
Jon Adamson, National Youth Agency research coordinator, said: "The research has provided a real insight into how young people view volunteering since the economic downturn.
"We were very interested to find that although young people's perceptions of the opportunities provided by volunteering had shifted, young people under 16 still feel there are multiple barriers to getting involved in volunteering, including a lack of opportunities and negative stereotypes."
The study also highlighted gender differences in perceptions of volunteering: young women were more interested in volunteering than young men, and were more likely to identify the altruistic nature of volunteering.
Of the many benefits offered by volunteering, young people said it improved self confidence and their understanding of the world of work - but young women were again more likely to indentify these gains.
Young people who were not involved in volunteering were asked about what would encourage them to get involved. Training and work-related benefits were most frequently identified, but young people were also very enthusiastic about the idea of 'taster' or bite-sized volunteering opportunities.
"We were surprised to see such significant differences between the views of young men and young women about the opportunities provided by volunteering, but encouraged by their aspirations for volunteering, and their appetite for exploring new ways to volunteer," adds Jon.
For further information or to download a copy of the research visit: http://www.nya.org.uk/policy/research
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Notes for Editors:
About the National Youth Agency
The National Youth Agency (NYA) works in partnership with a wide range of public, private and voluntary sector organisations to support and improve services for young people. Our particular focus is on youth work and we believe strongly that by investing in young people's personal and social development, young people are better able to live more active and fulfilling lives.
Working with young people, we advocate for more youth-friendly services and policies. We have four themes:
- Developing quality standards in work with young people
- Supporting services for young people
- Developing the youth workforce
- Promoting positive public perceptions of young people
We deliver our work through training and consultancy, campaigning, publishing and on-line communications. Through our activities we want to ensure that young people have a strong voice and positive influence in our society.