27 June 2024

Why do young people volunteer?

The reason the young person wants to volunteer can affect the amount of commitment they are willing to give.

• Studying Health and Care
• UCAS application
• Duke of Edinburgh Award
• Work Experience

Age Group

• While some organisations are unable to take on young people under 18 there are organisations with, for example, retail shops who can provide enough supervision to take on a young person from the age of 14. Many of these students are likely to be taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh scheme and there is always an opportunity to encourage them to stay on once they have achieved their DoE Award.

Supervision and support to build confidence

• Many young volunteers may lack confidence and the ability to communicate outside of home and school. A number of our guests at these discussion groups have found that the best way to overcome this is by initially buddying them up with a more experienced volunteer.

“Younger volunteers often need a little bit more support and guidance so make sure that they have a buddy that can show them how to communicate with patients and this goes a long way in building their confidence.”

“We have very shy characters when they start and working alongside other volunteers helps to bring them out of their shell”.

“It’s very satisfying to see the confidence growing in a shy young person.”

• One organisation is developing their work experience programme with plans to have designated supervisors with the right level of DBS check etc.

• Although the Meet and Greet role can be unpopular, buddying the young volunteer up with a more experienced volunteer can be a great way to help them gain more confidence in interacting with patients and members of the public before moving them on to another area.

Challenges retaining and keep young volunteers motivated

• Once they have finished the required hours some do not wish to continue.

• Don’t underestimate the effect of the high cost of living on students and that they would possibly choose paid work over volunteering.

• Students, schools and colleges often misunderstand the difference between volunteering and work experience.

• Getting younger volunteers to log their hours can be an issue and organisations find that they are constantly reminding the students.

• The National Volunteer Certificate was a great motivator and now this is no longer available organisations are looking for alternatives.

Top Tips

• Remember that some young people can have a very low boredom threshold.

• Manage volunteer expectations with a signed volunteer agreement.

• Strategically placed signs and posters reminding the young volunteers to log their hours.

Training and Reliability

• Training can be a ‘sticking point’ as some students may require a lot of chasing to get them to complete all of the modules. Although it is time-consuming it does help to develop their skills.

• Young volunteers often don’t let their main contact know that they are unable to attend their shift. Although they are briefed and given contact details when they start there is often a lack of understanding about their own personal safety and the logistics of the service they are volunteering with.

Top Tip

Establish a routine by following up straight away with an email or contacting the school/college.

Unusual and popular volunteer roles

“We have one volunteer who comes in once a week to play the piano.”

• Maternity
• A&E
• Meet and Greet

Staff Engagement

The number of volunteers varies from organisation to organisation and the way they are managed varies.

• Some hospitals will manage their volunteers within teams and often have a staff member as a volunteer champion or volunteer link.

• Some hospitals and hospices have dedicated Clinical volunteer leads.

• Retail volunteers are managed by shop / cafe managers

Useful Links

• Youthwatch Leeds
• Youth volunteering webinar recording
• Resources linked to Youth Volunteering
• More discussions on Youth Volunteering