Supporting the Youth Work Sector.
The aim of this plan was to support the youth work sector to deliver more choices and more chances for more young people through a stronger network of volunteers. The reference group for the action plan included Youth Scotland (lead), YouthLink Scotland and Volunteer Development Scotland. The following resources have been developed and are available for download from this site or can be requested in a hard copy format.
Growing Better Youth Work- a guide designed for youth groups and organisations throughout Scotland and particularly aimed at groups which are led by volunteers. The guide is organised into seven sections each dealing with a distinct area of the volunteer life cycle so that leaders, workers and volunteers can dip in out and out of the sections they need.
No Limits - is aimed at youth work providers who want to support young people as volunteers. It sets the context in which youth volunteering is taking place in Scotland, provides some guiding principles and highlights the value of volunteering as an approach for youth development
Amazing Things - A guide to the youth awards in Scotland
The Awards Conference - Valuing, recognising and accrediting young people's wider achievements.
What do young people want?
We undertook research into what kinds of volunteering young people are interested in and they told us they want to:
- see a positive impact of their actions;
- work on projects;
- work in teams;
- socialise with other young volunteers;
- gain respect from peers/parents/community;
- get recognition from employers;
- be given a chance to contribute and learn
Need more help to involve young people?
There is a Youth Development Worker who specialises in youth volunteering near you! They offer support and advice to organisations looking to involve young volunteers and to young people who want to volunteer. Contact them through your local Volunteer Centre.