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This document presents findings from a broader project looking at young people’s attitudes and experiences of volunteering in disadvantaged areas. The primary research is focused on Glasgow. The presentation starts by outlining some of the ideas that informed the project. It this describes the methods used to generate data and where participants were recruited from. It then focuses on two emergent themes: i) how young people became volunteers, ii) the value they attached to volunteering.

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One of the ideas I was interested in was the shift from ‘classical’ to ‘new’ forms of volunteering. This refers to the idea that young people increasingly approach volunteering on individualistic grounds in terms of what they will get from it and how it might help them in the future. This might mean undertaking volunteering opportunities on the basis that doing so might enhance one’s CV or UCAS application or help one entered a desired profession.

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We can see evidence of an individualistic approach to volunteering in the way it is promoted to young people. Project Scotland and the Saltire Awards both emphasise the employability aspects of volunteering. The quote from Deborah Meaden, for BBC Radio 1’s #1millionhours volunteering campaign, also emphasises the notion that volunteering is something employers value when looking at CVs. While volunteering has been found to help young people make transitions in their lives (Newton et al, 2011), the link between volunteering and employment is not straightforward (Ellis Paine et al, 2013).

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I was also interested in the notion that growing up in a disadvantaged area, or experiencing poverty, may generate a problematic relationship with individualistic attitudes. MacDonald and Marsh’s (2005) study of the lives of young people growing up in a disadvantaged area in the north-east of England concluded that a ‘lack of planning’ was a defining feature of many of their participants’ lives. The authors argue the weight of past experience had taught the young people not to plan – because nothing ever works. MacDonald and Marsh locate this sentiment within the context of a deindustrialised area with large scale unemployment and limited job prospects.

Following this, I was interested to explore the extent to which young people in areas of socio-economic deprivation adopt individualistic approaches to volunteering.

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Finally, I was interested in the notion that looking for motivations – e.g. individualism or altruism – may overlook the extent to which young people become involved in volunteering through chance or circumstance. A recent study by Volunteer Scotland (2015) explored the persons young people felt encouraged them to volunteer. They found the top people were: i) parents or guardians, ii) teachers, iii) friends, and iv) someone at a group or club to they go to. This finding highlights the importance of networks for facilitating involvement in volunteering opportunities. However, it also suggests that those who lack access to such networks may struggle to find information about volunteering opportunities or receive encouragement to pursue them.

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Focus groups and individual interviews were conducted with different cohorts of young people from deprived areas of Glasgow. Young people were classified as volunteers if they were currently involved in a volunteer programme or volunteered at the organisation from which they were recruited. Non-volunteers were defined as those who were not doing either of the aforementioned activities. The young people were recruited from organisations in Glasgow whose postcodes located them in the 0-20 percent most deprived areas according to the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation. The organisations included youth clubs/charities, schools and a college. Some of the organisations ran specific volunteer programmes, while others offered a range of activities of which volunteering was one. NB. All of the participants’ names have been anonymised in this presentation.

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Individual interviews were also conducted with some of the volunteer coordinators at the organisations young people were recruited from as well as with persons employed in Third Sector Interfaces whose roles dealt with youth volunteering.

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One of the key ways young people, particularly in third sector organisations, started volunteering was through attending an organisation as a participant prior to volunteering. Vikki describes attending the club with friends, enjoying it, continuing, and then being asked to volunteer. Suggests that young people did not actively seek volunteering opportunities but came to them through chance and circumstance. However, this is chance and circumstance within a particular context, i.e. having friends to inform them about it, a club to attend and volunteering opportunities to do. Geographical proximity was also important. A number of participants described how they seldom left the areas they grew up in and that this sense of familiarity gave rise to a feeling of comfort. Many of the opportunities the participants were engaged in were local to their areas. Without local opportunities it is questionable whether they would have attended youth clubs in different areas and/or found other routes to volunteering.

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In terms of finding out about the organisations/volunteering opportunities, friends emerged as important.

Thomas describes how he relied on his friends when younger and that if one of them did or did not do something the others would follow. Many of the participants discussed lacking confidence prior to volunteering. Having friends to attend youth clubs/volunteering opportunities with provided them with a sense of comfort as they had someone to talk to and have a laugh with.

In other instances, not having friends who volunteered was reported to act as a barrier to volunteering. Some participants were cautious of ‘getting slagged’ should they engage in activities not deemed appropriate by their peers.

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Family were also important sources of information about volunteering opportunities. A number of the participants described having parents who were either involved in the organisation where they volunteered or who encouraged them to volunteer. Having this connection made it easier for participants to find out about opportunities to volunteer.

Interestingly, the majority of family members discussed were female. It may be the case that a of lack of visibility concerning male volunteers/youth workers acts as a barrier for young males who view volunteering as a feminine activity.

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Relationships with youth workers also served to help facilitate young people’s involvement in volunteering opportunities. A number of participants jokingly described how youth workers had pulled them aside and made them fill out application forms or asked them to take part in volunteering activities. Youth workers helped young people to volunteer internally and externally: Internally: making the transition from participant to volunteer within an organisation. Externally: youth workers informing participants about volunteering opportunities in other organisations.

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In terms of becoming a volunteer, networks emerged as an important factor. Through them young people found out about organisations they could attend as participants and opportunities for volunteering. As Tracey highlights, the positive support of networks made it easier for young people to start and stick with volunteering than it was for those lacking such support.

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One of the things I wanted to explore was the extent to which the participants adopted individualistic attitudes in the sense of CV or employability enhancement. For some of the participants this was an important factor, and they saw volunteering as a way of trying out potential careers or enhancing their UCAS applications. The participants who stressed this often appeared to have a clearer idea of what they wanted to do, e.g. become a police officer or attend university.

While the volunteer coordinators were aware of the employability focus in youth volunteering, and stated they included this in funding applications, they stressed that this was not something they would necessarily mention to young people. This was informed by the notion that discussing these aspects of volunteering could be off-putting and appear too school-like.

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While participants did discuss CV and employability enhancement, this often appeared secondary to other factors. Amy, for example, described how she was aware gaining a Duke of Edinburgh award would be helpful for her CV but stressed that there was more to her volunteering than this. She highlighted that she loved helping others and that she did not want to throw away everything she had gained through attending the club as a volunteer.

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During the focus groups and interviews, the participants repeatedly stressed the extent to which volunteering had developed their: i) confidence, ii) communication skills, and iii) social skills. While all of these factors would help young people ‘get ahead’ in life and help with employment or further education, the participants largely spoke about them in personal terms: how it helped them deal with shyness and helped them to make friends and meet new people.

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A few participants described how they felt they would have been unable to take part in the focus groups prior to volunteering. Donna described how volunteering had helped her to talk to new people and blend in with other people outside the youth charity.

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A number of participants also described how volunteering had helped them manage their emotions when dealing with potentially stressful situations. Rather than shouting or becoming aggressive, participants felt their communication skills had been improved meaning they were better able to deal with situations and comfort stressed service users.

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Participants also described how volunteering had enabled them to move out of their social circles and meet new people. This is in the context of young people who often reported not leaving specific geographical areas and not enjoying meeting others or going to new places. Developing these skills not only will enhance their ability to apply for jobs, but as one volunteer coordinator stated, will enable them to do things we might otherwise take for granted such as booking a doctor’s appointment or going to the hairdressers.

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Participants also highlighted the importance of the relationships they have developed with ‘service users’, i.e. people they helped through their volunteering, and youth workers. Orla stresses she would rather volunteer with the children at Scouts than socialise with her friends.

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Matt discussed his relationship with the youth workers as one of the things he valued about volunteering. However, this could serve to limit him as his familiarity with the club and staff meant he was not interested in seeking other opportunities. While some participants discussed gaining the confidence and social skills to meet new people, others appeared to develop strong attachments to particular places which could potentially limit their movements.

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A number of the participants described deriving pleasure from helping other young people and from being involved in the organisation and delivering activities that other young people took part in. Tracey sums up a sentiment expressed by a number of participants. It is worth noting that this is in the context of participants reporting they had little do to in terms of leisure activities in their local areas. Many participants discussed not getting out of the house much or simply walking round the streets. Volunteering therefore offered them an enjoyable activity.

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Finally, the organisations where young people volunteered were described by some as safe spaces. Attending the clubs as volunteers enabled the young people to momentarily forget about issues they may be experiencing outside. One of the volunteer coordinators highlighted how many of the parents of the young people she worked with faced issues such as addiction, debt or bereavement. As Amy highlights, volunteering at the youth club enabled her to forget about feeling low by focusing on the activities going on around her.

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Becoming a volunteer: In contrast to the individualism of ‘new’ volunteering, many of the participants described not having sought out a volunteering opportunity but having fallen into one through initially attending youth clubs and charities as participants. In terms of how they found out about the organisations and volunteering opportunities, friends, family and youth workers all played important roles. Having access to the “right” kinds of networks to facilitate volunteering opportunities emerged as an important finding.

Valuing volunteering: While there was evidence of individualistic attitudes in terms of CV and employability enhancement, for the majority of participants, volunteering was valued for the personal skills they developed and the relationships they formed with ‘service users’ and staff. Although these factors could help young people get ahead in the world of work and further education, the young people stressed they gained satisfaction through helping others and that attending the clubs provided them with enjoyable activities where otherwise they would have little to do.

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Please get in contact if you have any questions or would like to discuss the research further. My full PhD thesis is due to be submitted in the summer/autumn 2017.

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