National Volunteers Week is always an opportunity to reflect on trends. Over the last couple seven years Voluntary Sector professionals, especially those working in Volunteer Services, have reflected how in the post pandemic world there had been a seismic shift in registrations away from “time-rich” volunteers and towards younger volunteers. That phenomenon was partly explained by health worries from the older volunteers but equally importantly a new wave of enthusiasm for supporting the community from the younger end of the volunteering spectrum. This introduces a plethora of mediums we are able to use to communicate effectively with young people. Whether it is school assemblies, Fresher’s Fairs, the usual social media avenues or the latest apps, young people have never been as accessible as they are today.
Face to face still has its place; we know from experience that visits to local schools how the registration numbers rocketed in the days following that outreach. Not only do our team enjoy presenting to a Sixth Form assembly they also appreciate the feedback they get. Volunteering, as an experience, has to evolve constantly to the changing world we live in. On the digital side, the excellent work of our team ensures we maximise our reach and that effort is demonstrated by the profiles we receive. If there is a new digital app on the block we should take advantage of it, the days of Twitter/X and Facebook domination are long over.
Young people want more control over their time; the trend is towards bite-sized volunteering that makes a difference on the ground. Dozens of administration roles on our Team Kinetic base do not interest younger volunteers so volunteer centres need a full range of opportunities to entice applications to succeed with this cohort. Similarly, Saturday shifts at a charity shop, whilst useful for those looking to experience work environments for the first time, are not always attractive to these energetic young volunteers.
Meanwhile at the other end of the spectrum, yes, the numbers have declined from pre-Covid days, but what we do find is those from the retired/semi-retired bracket that stay involved in volunteering bring with them extensive and helpful experience. The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames is blessed with those whose experience in significant work environment are able to bring that experience to bear for the benefit of the community.
Equally important is the way that older volunteers can also positively impact the younger volunteers by the nature of shared interaction of volunteering. Role models, mentors or just old hands, call them what you will, what the turn into for young people is a font of knowledge. When the combination of youthful exuberance and older experience combine the gain for volunteering and voluntary organisations is clear and tangible.
Thank you to all our young and older volunteers.
Kumuna Kamasoh, Volunteer Officer, Volunteering Kingston.