Today’s youth have the stereotype of being a non caring, self obsessed breed. The truth is that although there may be many who are like this there are a growing number of young people out there who do great things for other people through volunteering. The number of young people giving up their time on a regular basis to volunteer is growing and I for one hope continues to grow in the future.

The amount young people can get out of volunteering is huge. With a world which is focused on academic skills and grades volunteering gives young people the chance to learn vital life lessons and skills which can’t be taught in the classroom. I believe that regardless of what you want to achieve in life you need to spend a period of time as a volunteer as working as a volunteer can show us how fortunate we are and what changes that we can make to individuals, groups and the world.

In the classroom you work in a world of theory but in volunteering you get to be involved in a practical world and see changes that are actually happening because of the work you have done. Now you may be saying the time that you give up to volunteer could be time used to pursue your dream but the amount of energy and experience you can gain through volunteering outweighs the time you no longer have. Being able to give up your time to help others is a great skill to have.

Volunteering can open up a world of possibilities and opportunities which wouldn’t have been open to you if you hadn’t got involved. If you are not old enough to get a paid job or if you don’t have the experience to get the job you want volunteering can gain you the experience which you can use towards your career. In the short term it may seem like you are working for no money but the extra money you can sometimes make by having that experience outweighs it by far.

The face of volunteering has changed, volunteering opportunities use to be very limited but now many organisations are working in the UK to promote volunteering and create a million and one new volunteering opportunities including anything from media to arts to sports. There never has been a better time to get involved in volunteering as there are now great opportunities and great support networks out there to guide you.

One organisation who are really making a difference in the volunteering world are the Youth Action Network. The Youth Action Network is the national organisation with unique experience and expertise in the Youth Action approach to volunteering. Look out for future publications from them which will feature a piece we wrote on volunteering and the arts. For more information on them go to their website:

http://www.youthactionnetwork.org.uk/

Like this blog why not get involved in our topic of the week on the forum:

What volunteer work do you do, are you looking at getting in to volunteering and what do you get out of volunteering?

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.com/forum/viewtopic.php'p=118#118

Adam Sibley

Founder of the Talented Young People organisation

www.talentedyoungpeople.com

"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com/