Young Volunteers
Search for Volunteering Opportunities
You can gain so much by volunteering as a young person by..
- making a difference to a cause, individuals or an organisation that you are passionate about
- meeting a new people
- having fun
- gaining new skills and enhancing the ones you already have
- boosting your CV, UCAS and employability
Millennium Volunteers
Already volunteering?
Already volunteering? If you are aged 11 to 25 the Millennium Volunteers programme gives you the opportunity to gain recognition for ALL the commitment that you give to your volunteer involving organisation including the opportunity to map the roles that you have undertaken and acknowledge the training completed. You can also think about the impact that you have had on those you have supported as well as the difference volunteering has made to you!
We have over 600 community, voluntary, youth, public sector organisations and schools willing to recognise young people, like you, for their time. Just ask your organisation and see if they will recognise you too!
Email youth@volunteernow.co.uk to find out more.
Social Action
Want to do something a bit different but not sure what to do? Social Action can give you the opportunity to make a difference either on your own or with a group of friends. Volunteer Now support social action through:
- Putting you in touch with an organisation that you can get involved with
- Supporting your group to develop and implement a project around your issue/cause
- Helping you think about the impact that you have made as a result of your social action!
Social Action projects supported by Volunteer Now include:
- Bullying
- Positive mental health
- Suicide awareness
- Positive relationships
- Support for charities like NI Children’s Cancer Care, PIPS (Newry, Mourne and Down)
Email youth@volunteernow.co.uk to find out more.
NI NCS
The NI National Citizen Service is a personal development programme for 15-17 year olds. Volunteer Now is part of the NI consortium led by Co-operation Ireland and other partners include Belfast YMCA, Start 360, Youth Works, Youth Action NI and St Columbs Park House. The programme is funded in NI by the Department for Communities and also runs in England by the NCS Trust.
Volunteer Now currently supports 2 teams (groups of 15 young people) in Omagh and Strabane (summer) and Omagh (Autumn). The programme is based on 6 principles: social mixing, challenge, increased responsibility and independence, reflection, social action and inspiration.
It gives you a brilliant opportunity to take part in residentials, plan and implement a social action project that will make a real difference and its fun!
Email youth@volunteernow.co.uk to find out more.
Overseas Volunteering
Interested in Volunteering Overseas?
There are loads of brilliant opportunities to make a difference to a community or cause from as little as a couple of weeks to a year or more.
Download our latest Steps Around the World publication for more information.
The Comhlámh Code of Good Practice (CoGP) for volunteer sending agencies is a set of standards for organisations involved in facilitating international volunteer placements in the global south. Established in 2005, the CoGP is based on a vision of volunteers working in solidarity for a just, equitable and sustainable world, ensuring that overseas volunteering has a positive impact for the local project and community, the volunteer and the sending agency. Look out for their logo when searching for a volunteering opportunity overseas.
Recognition/Skills
It’s great to have recognition (MV or others) for the time that you have given to your organisation. It shows yourself and others that you:
- can commit to something for a sustained period of time
- are willing to give your time, energy and skills for the benefit of others without any financial reward
- know the importance of thinking of others!
Have you thought about the skills you have gained as a result of your volunteering?
“From my experience I loved working with the young children and learning and developing skills, such as, leadership, responsibility and communication” (200 Hour Awardee, 2018)
“I loved developing my skills and meeting new people while at the same time challenging myself to do things that I would never have considered I could do well.” (200 Hour Awardee, 2018)
The #iwill campaign have undertaken research on the skills gained through social action and volunteering in partnership with CIPD (human resource managers). They’ll listen to and appreciate the skills gained if you talk about them at interview.
Think about:
- Communication: verbal and written
- Timekeeping
- Numeracy
- IT
- Flexibility
- Responsibility
- Customer awareness
- Problem solving
Email youth@volunteernow.co.uk to find out more.
Ambassadors
Willing to share your story?
Young people tell us that they will volunteer if:
- Their friends are volunteering too
- They know how to get involved
- They have peer support
- They can make a difference
- It’s seen to be cool!
- It’s interesting and fun
- It benefits their CV, UCAS or employability
They also tell us that having someone their own age telling them about their own volunteering experience is more meaningful than someone else!
So…would you be willing to share your story within your own organisation? We are looking for young volunteers who would be willing to be ambassadors within their own organisations so that they can encourage more young people to volunteer.
If you are interested, we can provide a short training course so that you have the skills and confidence to talk about your experiences.
Email: youth@volunteernow.co.uk on how to become an Ambassador
