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Young People and Volunteering in ScotlandSlide ReportJune 2015
Helen Harper and Gemma JacksonVolunteer Scotland, Policy and Research
[email protected] [email protected]
www.volunteerscotland.org.uk @VolScot
Why did we carry out this research?• We want to grow volunteering participation
in Scotland.• To know HOW to grow it, we need to learn
more about participation.• Young people are the next generation of
volunteers....• We know about adult participation...but not
young people.
Who took part?
• Our survey was included in the Ipsos MORI Young People in Scotland Survey in October 2014.
• Over 2000 young people aged 11-18 took part
• They attended state sector schools• They completed a paper survey at their
school during class time
What did we want to find out?
• To what extent young people participated in volunteering (through a club, organisation, or group)
• Who helped or encouraged them to volunteer• What young people thought about
volunteering• What would encourage them to volunteer• What kind of volunteering they would like to
get involved in.
What happened next?
• Shared the results with practitioners such as: Youth Link Scotland, Young Scot, Education Scotland, Scottish Government, Skills Development Scotland, Volunteer Scotland Learning & Practice Team, Stirlingshire Voluntary Enterprise......
These conversations continue.
We’d love to hear your views and ideas.
Share with colleagues, get in touch!
To what extent do young people volunteer?
Yes we volunteer in No Other 0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
we do
..school time.
..but we'd like to
Don't know
...our spare time.
..and we
don't want to
NA
Who volunteers?
45%
34%
20%
14%
18%
5%
17%
To what extent do young people volunteer?
11 - 13yrs 14 - 15yrs 16 - 18yrs0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Volunteering in spare time, differences by age
32%31%
44%
To what extent do young people volunteer?
No more than once a year
A few times a year
Five or six times a year
At least once a month
About once a week
A few times a week
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%
Occasional
Regular
How often do young people volunteer?
19%
27%
13%
7%
19%
11%
I‘m more likely to volunteer regularly, and volunteer in my spare time.
I’m more likely to say I don’t
want to volunteer.
I’m more likely to volunteer
occasionally.
Source: Young People and Volunteering in Scotland Survey 2014, Volunteer Scotland
We’re 11-13 yrs old We’re 16-18yrs old
We’re less likely to volunteer now, but we’re interested in doing it in the future.
We’re more likely to
volunteer during our spare time.
Source: Young People and Volunteering in Scotland 2014, Volunteer Scotland
We’re more likely to
volunteer regularly.
Practitioner responses....
Why don’t young people
volunteer?
Lack of opportunity? (schools and orgs think
there’s more red tape to involve young people)
Young people have negative perceptions
of volunteering
Maybe schools and yp don’t know what counts
as volunteering...litter picks? School committees?
Who helped or encouraged young people to volunteer?
Neighbour
Someone at local job centre
Someone else
Did it on my own
Community organisation
Scheme Rep (DofE)
Other family member
Someone at a club/group
Friend
Teacher
Parent/guardian
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45%
41%
32%
30%
24%
18%
11%
10%
6%
2%
1%
Who encourages young people to volunteer?
11 - 13yrs 14 - 15yrs 16 - 18yrs0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
Other family member(s)Friend(s)Teacher(s)My parent(s) or guardian
Who encourages young people to volunteer, differences by age
27%
20%
6%
37%
29%
25%
24%
26%45%
48%40% 34%
Who encourages young people to volunteer?
Boys Girls
Encouraged to volunteer by friends, differences between boys and girls
60%
40%
I‘m more likely to volunteer regularly, and volunteer in my spare time.
I’m more likely to say I don’t
want to volunteer.
I’m more likely to volunteer
occasionally.
Source: Young People and Volunteering in Scotland Survey 2014, Volunteer Scotland
I ‘d like to volunteer with my friends
We’re 11-13 yrs old We’re 16-18yrs old
We’re less likely to volunteer now, but we’re interested in doing it in the future.
We’re more likely to
volunteer during our spare time.
Source: Young People and Volunteering in Scotland 2014, Volunteer Scotland
We’re more likely to
volunteer regularly.
Our teachers are more
likely to get us into
volunteering.
Practitioner responses...
Gatekeepers to volunteering
Helpful to see clearly who could be
‘targeted’ to help grow volunteering.
Parents & teachers needed to be aware of the different types of volunteering, and
what counts as volunteering
Young people tend to be risk averse, they want to
do what their friends are doing.
What do young people think about volunteering? Responses....
Negative perceptions of volunteering
Young people not interested in something that ‘didn’t
pay’. Sometimes friends and
family reinforced this
view.
Young people had a traditional view of
volunteering – it means giving up a lot of time, regularly, over a long
period.
Is this view perpetuated by
the awards system (e.g.
DofE, Saltire) ?
Young people struggled to
see the benefit of
volunteering
What do young people think about volunteering?
Helping
people
out
Being a
good citiz
en
A way
to dev
elop sk
ills or e
xperi
ence
A way
to m
ake a
differen
ce
A chan
ce to
do someth
ing inter
estin
g
A way
to m
ake f
riends
A way
to hav
e a good tim
e
Boring
It's a
bit 'goody
-goody'
Uses u
p too m
uch sp
are tim
e
Old fash
ioned0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
PositiveNegative
Is volunteering seen positively?
10%15%
32%43%
50%56%58%
9% 8%
78%
4%
What do young people think about volunteering?
11 - 13yrs 14 -15yrs 16 -18yrs0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Thinking of volunteering as a way to develop skills and experience differs by age
46%
57%
71%
I‘m more likely to volunteer regularly, and volunteer in my spare time.
I’m more likely to say I don’t
want to volunteer.
I’m more likely to volunteer
occasionally.
Source: Young People and Volunteering in Scotland Survey 2014, Volunteer Scotland
I ‘d like to volunteer with my friends and think of volunteering as a way to make friends.
We’re 11-13 yrs old We’re 16-18yrs old
We’re less likely to volunteer now, but we’re interested in doing it in the future.
We’re more likely to
volunteer during our spare time.
Source: Young People and Volunteering in Scotland 2014, Volunteer Scotland
We’re more likely to
volunteer regularly.
Our teachers are more
likely to get us into
volunteering.
We think of volunteering as
a way to increase our
skills and gain experience.
We’re more likely to think of volunteering as a way to have a good time.
What do young people think about volunteering?Responses....
How can we ensure young people recognise the positive benefits of
volunteering?
Raising awareness amongst
gatekeepers of the positive
benefits of volunteering beyond ‘CV’ building (e.g.
Increased confidence
and wellbeing’) Perhaps we
should be promoting the
‘impact’ of volunteering
(on volunteers and
beneficiaries) rather than the
detail of the opportunity
itself
Young people are more likely
to think of volunteering as something
to benefit others, or to
enhance skills, than to
enhance their own wellbeing (make them happy, help them make
friends) – how can we
change this?
What do young people think about volunteering? (relative to other things they do in their spare time)
Go to under 18s club/venues
Take part in youth groups (Scouts, Guides, youth clubs)
Volunteer with a local group or charity
Go to drama, music or singing groups
Help out your friends/neighbours
Go to sports clubs, gyms, exercise or dance groups
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
Top six activities young people want to do in their spare time
52%
24%
18%
16%
16%
15%
What do young people think about volunteering? (relative to other things they do in their spare time)
Spare time activities, differences between boys and girls
Take part in campaigns or demonstrations
Take part in a computer club or group
None of these
Go to an art or crafts club
Go to under 18s club/venues
Volunteer with a local group or charity
Go to drama, music or singing groups
Help out your friends/neighbours
Go to sports clubs, gyms, exercise and dance groups
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
GirlsBoys
52%54%
29%20%
27%8%
8%25%
17%
18%
9%
4%
8%
12%
7%
16%
13%
5%
I‘m more likely to volunteer regularly, and volunteer in my spare time.
I’m more likely to say I don’t
want to volunteer.
I’m more likely to volunteer
occasionally.
Source: Young People and Volunteering in Scotland Survey 2014, Volunteer Scotland
I ‘d like to volunteer with my friends and think of volunteering as a way to make friends.
I’d like to spend my spare time doing sport & exercise or volunteering with a group or charity.
I’d rather spend my spare time doing sport & exercise or helping
out my neighbours, than volunteering for a group or
charity.
I’m more likely to say my friends got me into volunteering. I think of volunteering as a way to make friends.
We’re 11-13 yrs old We’re 16-18yrs old
We’re less likely to volunteer now, but we’re interested in doing it in the future.
We’re more likely to
volunteer during our spare time.
Source: Young People and Volunteering in Scotland 2014, Volunteer Scotland
We’re more likely to
volunteer regularly.
Our teachers are more
likely to get us into
volunteering.
We think of volunteering as
a way to increase our
skills and gain experience.
We’re more likely to think of volunteering as a way to have a good time.
We’d rather spend our spare time helping out neighbours, going to drama or singing groups, guides or scouts than volunteering with a local group.
Practitioner responses...
Gender stereotypes?
Could volunteering be a way to challenge
gender stereotypes?
Potentially encourage girls and boys to
consider less gender
stereotypical opportunities
and interests...?
What would encourage young people to volunteer?
If someone asked me to do something
If I could try volunteering to see if I liked it
If I could volunteer close to where I live
If it would improve my skills
If it would improve my career/job prospects
If I could volunteer with my friends
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
Top six things which would encourage young people to volunteer
56%
37%
29%
29%
21%
19%
I‘m more likely to volunteer regularly, and volunteer in my spare time.
I’m more likely to say I don’t
want to volunteer.
I’m more likely to volunteer
occasionally.
Source: Young People and Volunteering in Scotland Survey 2014, Volunteer Scotland
I’m more likely to say my friends got me into volunteering. I think of volunteering as a way to make friends. I ‘d like to volunteer with my friends.
I’d like to spend my spare time doing sport & exercise or volunteering with a group or charity.
I’d rather spend my spare time doing sport & exercise or helping
out my neighbours, than volunteering for a group or
charity.
We’re 11-13 yrs old We’re 16-18yrs old
We’re less likely to volunteer now, but we’re interested in doing it in the future.
We think of volunteering as
a way to increase our
skills and gain experience.
We’re more likely to
volunteer during our spare time.
Our teachers are more
likely to get us into
volunteering.We want to volunteer in our
local area.
Source: Young People and Volunteering in Scotland 2014, Volunteer Scotland
We’d rather spend our spare time helping out neighbours, going to drama or singing groups, guides or scouts than volunteering with a local group.
We’re more likely to think of volunteering as a way to have a good time.
Our families and friends are more likely to get us into volunteering.
We’d like to volunteer with our families.
We’re more likely to
volunteer regularly.
Practitioner reflections.....
Young people are risk averse, they want to do what their friends
are doing.
Can we increase the number of
social, group based
opportunities, and the
chance to ‘bring a
friend’ along to try out
volunteering?
What areas do young people want to get involved in?
Sport or exercise Children or yp (in school)
Animal welfare Hobbies/arts/recreation/social
clubs
Children or yp (outside school)
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
GirlsBoys
Top six areas young people want to get involved in
43% (of all boys)
26% (of all girls
15%
38% 30%
14% 18%
27% 29%
10%
What areas do young people want to get involved in?
Not stated
I don't know
Other
None of these
Religious groups
Local community or neighbourhood groups
Environmental protection
Political groups
Justice and human rights
First aid or safety
Older people/the elderly
Health or disabilities
Wildlife protection
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%
Areas young people were less interested in
15%
14%
14%
12%
11%
7%
5%
4%
4%
3%
1%
12%
7%
I‘m more likely to volunteer regularly, and volunteer in my spare time.
I’m interested in volunteering that involves younger children (in or out of school), animal welfare and sport.
I ‘d like to volunteer with my friends and think volunteering is a way to make new friends.
I’m more likely to say I don’t
want to volunteer.
I’m more likely to volunteer
occasionally.
I’m interested in volunteering in sports related
activities.
I’d rather spend my spare time doing sport & exercise or helping
out my neighbours, than volunteering for a group or
charity.
I’d like to spend my spare time doing sport & exercise or volunteering with a group or charity.
Source: Young People and Volunteering in Scotland Survey 2014, Volunteer Scotland
Practitioner responses....
Young people stick to what they know
Areas of interest
reflect their current
experience – young
people’s choices might be
driven by the context of an
award. Young people might need
more exposure to ‘what’s out
there’ before they can
make decisions
about what they want to be involved
in
Is there potential for local authorities to consider
linking volunteer involving services to schools to
create opportunities for young people?
I‘m more likely to volunteer regularly, and volunteer in my spare time.
I’m interested in volunteering that involves younger children (in or out of school), animal welfare and sport.
I ‘d like to volunteer with my friends and think volunteering is a way to make new friends.
I’m more likely to say I don’t
want to volunteer.
I’m more likely to volunteer
occasionally.
I’m interested in volunteering in sports related
activities.
I’d rather spend my spare time doing sport & exercise or helping
out my neighbours, than volunteering for a group or
charity.
I’d like to spend my spare time doing sport & exercise or volunteering with a group or charity.
Source: Young People and Volunteering in Scotland Survey 2014, Volunteer Scotland
We think volunteering is a
good thing.
We’re more likely to volunteer than
adults.
We’d be up for volunteering if it
improved our skills and job prospects,
and if we could volunteer with our
friends.
We want to volunteer in our
local area.
Think about letting us try it out first,
before we commit.
We’re 11-13 yrs old We’re 16-18yrs old
We’re less likely to volunteer now, but we’re interested in doing it in the future.
We think of volunteering as a way to increase our
skills and gain experience.
We’re more likely to
volunteer during our spare time.
Our teachers are more
likely to get us into
volunteering.We want to
volunteer in our local area.
Source: Young People and Volunteering in Scotland 2014, Volunteer Scotland
We’d rather spend our spare time helping out neighbours, going to drama or singing groups, guides or scouts than volunteering with a local group.
We’re more likely to think of volunteering as a way to have a good time.
Our families and friends are more likely to get us into volunteering.
We’d like to volunteer with our families.
We think volunteering is a
good thing.
We’re more likely to
volunteer than adults.
We’d be up for volunteering if we could
volunteer with our friends.
Think about letting us try it out first, before
we commit.
We’re more likely to
volunteer regularly.
What have we learned?
• No other age group in Scotland has such a high rate of volunteering.
• A significant proportion don’t currently volunteer, but are interested in volunteering.
• Young people are diverse. Older, younger, boys and girls volunteer differently, want different things and have different interests.
• Gatekeepers are critical. They can encourage or limit young people’s involvement.
How can we grow young people’s participation in volunteering?
1. Raise awareness with ‘gatekeepers’ (schools, parents and young people)
– ‘Traditional’ volunteering isn’t the only way. – It’s not just about CV building.– Volunteering could be a way to broaden
experience – tackle gender stereotypes and increase exposure to potential new areas of interest.
2. Explore potential of youth awards to focus on the benefits of volunteering for young people in terms of their own confidence and wellbeing.
How can we grow young people’s participation in volunteering?
How can we grow young people’s participation in volunteering?
• Create more group based opportunities• Create more family opportunities• Let young people ‘try it and see’• Tailor opportunities to the needs and interests of different young people• Create opportunities to the needs and interests of different young
people• Create opportunities that are flexible, rather than requiring long term,
high level of commitment• Ask young people to volunteer.
Encourage volunteer involving groups, clubs and organisations to:
What’s next?
Read our ReportDownload our infographics
http://www.volunteerscotland.net/policy-and-research/research/young-people-and-volunteering/
Get in touch to join the conversation – we’d love to hear your responses to the research, and ideas for growing young people’s participation.
[email protected]@volunteerscotland.org.uk
