Youth Volunteering: Kickstart’s Good Practice Model A Report for the Russell Commission

By

The Centre for Urban and Community Research, Goldsmiths College

and

CRIME CONCERN TRUST UK

MAY 2006

Table of Contents Section Page Executive Summary 3A. Introduction 4B. Methodology 4C. Kickstart Volunteering Model 5(i) Incremental Progression 9(ii) Action Plan Model 11(iii) Role models 12(iv) Supervision and Mentoring 15D. Obstacles to Volunteering 17E. Benefits to Volunteering 18F. Young People and Volunteering: Quantitative Empirical Findings 20 (i) Methodology 20(ii) Sample Characteristics 20(iii) Volunteers’ Profile 23(iv) Attitudes of those who don’t volunteer 24(v) Expectations of volunteering 25(vi) Experiences of Volunteering 26(vii) Understandings of Volunteering 28(viii) Aspirations and volunteering 30(ix) Future volunteering interests 33G. Conclusions 34H. Key Points 36I. Recommendations 37Volunteers’ semi-structured interview schedule Appendix 1Questionnaire Appendix 2List of Acronyms Appendix 3

2

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The study on evidence of best practice: what works looks at Kickstart’s model of developing young volunteers. Within the 16 to 25 years age group, the research sees no difference across gender on why young people do or do not volunteer. Age however is a critical factor as young volunteers have more financial needs as they approach late teens. Main obstacles to volunteering for those who are willing to volunteer are parental culture, peer culture and financial needs. For those unwilling to volunteer, lack of time and the need to do paid work are the factors. From the sample survey, white British respondents are twice as likely to be currently volunteering compared with black Africans/Black Caribbean. Of all respondents, a third of women already volunteer compared to a quarter of males. Main reasons why young people volunteer (in order of priority) are to gain skills and work experience, put something back in their community and have fun. Finally the social benefit system needs to encourage volunteering by allowing those who wish to put significant hours into volunteering not to lose their benefits.

3

A. Introduction This report sets out to give a clear picture of the volunteering model developed by Kickstart, a South London project which is part of Crime Concern. This model, we believe, offers a model for good practice for youth volunteering. We also set out to give a clear picture of why young people volunteer and some of the issues around this. The study was developed collaboratively by the Centre for Urban and Community Research (CUCR) with Kickstart’s staff and young people. B. Methodology Three pieces of work were carried out for this report. • There was a qualitative study, based on a series of twelve case study

interviews with volunteers and former volunteers and an analysis of the Kickstart model. This was conducted by Dr Ben Gidley, the main author of this report. Twelve case study interviews were carried out, semi-structured interviews (see Appendix 1 for interview schedule) lasting approximately 40 minutes each. The qualitative study also draws on research conducted by Ben Gidley and Imogen Slater as part of the national Positive Futures Case Study Research funded by the Home Office.1

• A quantitative study consisted of a questionnaire developed by Ade Ogunmefun, Kickstart’s Business Development Manager, with Ben Gidley. A group of young volunteers, recruited by Kickstart’s volunteer co-ordinator, were trained by CUCR in quantitative research techniques. Young volunteers trained as enumerators, surveyed 350 of their peers. A database was built by Emma Jackson (research fellow), and Hilde Stephansen of CUCR, inputted the data and analysed the findings.

• A supplementary analysis was provided from Kickstart’s management information system on volunteers that were active on the Kickstart programme between April 2005 and March 2006, looking at distribution of gender, age, and ethnicity as well as activities they engage in.

1 See http://www.positivefuturesresearch.org.uk

4

C. The Kickstart Volunteering Model Kickstart is a community level voluntary sector programme, which grew up in the area where the delivery is based in inner South London. The organisational structure is evolving from a very informal small-scale neighbourhood organisation to a more professional unit working in multiple locations across the borough of Southwark and some parts of Lambeth. There are slightly over a dozen core members of staff at Kickstart, supported by some two dozen sessional and voluntary workers. Kickstart is part of the national voluntary sector umbrella organisation Crime Concern Trust (UK) which has other similar projects across England and Wales. Kickstart has a strong commitment to volunteering. Evidence of this can be seen in the make-up of the Kickstart Staff team. Of 36 staff at Kickstart, 19 began their careers volunteering with the organisation. Ten have full time employment and nine are part-time or sessional workers. During its lifetime, the organisation has developed a strong model of volunteering. Figure 1: A conceptual model of the Kickstart Volunteering Process

5

The Creation of the Kickstart model The current Kickstart model dates to 2001, when Millennium Volunteers was brought to Southwark. At this point, Kickstart had a small number of young people giving up their time. However, Kickstart recognised (a) that there were no mechanisms to value this (hence the importance of the Millennium Volunteers Award) and (b) there was shortage of organisations willing to take young people as volunteers (which required building a network of partners to place young people). Key principals put in place at this point, to be returned to later in this report, were that young people need to be recognised for their contribution, formally through accreditation and awards, or informally through being treated as staff (an ethos of equity); and that young people need to be supported through volunteering (an action plan and supervision model).

Millennium Volunteers Key to the development of the Kickstart model was the Millennium Volunteers Project, launched nationally in 1999. The Millennium Volunteers Project rewards young volunteers, aged 16-24 with a signed certificate after 100 hours of volunteering, and an Award of Excellence after 200 hours. This was enthusiastically taken up by Kickstart, which recruited a number of young people to complete the 100 hours and 200 hours programmes, across the range of sessions delivered by the project. A key feature was identifying young people’s areas of interest and placing them in a safe environment in which to volunteer. The volunteering period gave young people a sense of responsibility and empowerment. One interviewee who followed this path said: “I thought ‘100 hours’! They must be joking. There was no way I could reach that. But I did, quicker than I thought, and I couldn’t wait to get to 200!” (Z)

6

Kickstart’s Junior Volunteer Award (JVA) This is a scheme which Kickstart created in 2002 to cater for the stream of young people who wanted to access volunteer opportunities but were too young to do the Millennium Volunteers scheme which was very popular at the time. JVA requires that a young person has a personal development plan designed around expressed interests. The volunteering opportunities would be put forward and the young person would decide which option they want to take. The hours would be agreed and tracked. Reviews and are built into the plan and a worker would be assigned to fulfil a mentoring role. JVA requires 100 hours volunteering, with a review at 50. Volunteers would then receive a certificate designed in-house and signed by the Crime Concern National Director of Prevention Services (formerly Projects Division). The age range for the JVA is 13-16 years. There would then be an expectation that the volunteer would progress to Millennium Volunteers at age 16-24. The types of activities that young people are currently involved in under JVA vary from supporting generic youth Sessions, Youth Forums with a focus on consultation, 'On a Level' Newsletter (SE1LUV), The Juice Bar, Soul Sistaz (Girls Forum). There are a range of other activities that JVAs can get involved in, such as like creating the fliers for publicizing sessions or running small dance workshops to Junior YIP kids. According to the Programme Manager, key to the success of the JVA Programme is in the process of moving the young people on through developmental pathways via training opportunities, and even employment, if young people are made aware of the next stage in their development then you are more likely to retain them. The project demonstrates what Kickstart terms the potential ‘viral effect’ of volunteering: the JVA has become fashionable and certainly acceptable to be a volunteer locally. Another observation is that volunteers like the idea of being ‘branded’. This gives them a sense of ownership especially if you allow them to create the brand name and logo. Examples of this in Kickstart are SE1 Luv, ‘Da Cotch' Juice bar, Soul Sistas, and Thug Angels dance group. Kickstart has seen at least 14 young people complete the JVA scheme. More than that number are currently on the programme.

7

Step 1: Getting young people engaged Key to the Kickstart model is engaging young people in activities. For example, L was first engaged through dance; N as interested in IT; J was interested in DJing. The activities are never conceived as simply something to do for young people, but as an attractive hook to bring them in order to start developmental work – a ‘positive futures’ rather than ‘positive activities’ conception of youth engagement. Key to engaging young people once they are brought into an activity is building trust. A, a worker who started as a volunteer, described the necessity of trust as part of building relationships with young people:

“If a young person doesn’t gain your trust then they’re not going to take that any further and they’re not going to try and go any further with a relationship with you. So I mean before you can even - like if you had to pull up a young person for swearing or anything that’s not beneficial to them or anyone else, you have to establish a relationship with them first before you can turnaround and say, because they’ll turn around and say ‘well, who are you, I don’t know who you are, you know, you can’t be coming to me and telling me that I shouldn’t be doing this, I shouldn’t be doing that.’ So in the first instance when you’re signing up with them, even when you’re outreaching, introduce yourself, let them know who you are, what you do if you can and then take it from there basically. See them again, it’s down to a simple hi, a simple hand gesture in the road when you see them, that keeps the relationship going. If they feel that you were too hard on them and you had to tell them off or tell them that they were doing something wrong, go back to them, explain yourself, if you have to apologise, apologise, but explain that, you know, ‘this is the reason why I’ve done that,’ so always give reasons why and explain yourself.”

Here A has clearly illustrated the essential two-way nature of the relationship between young person and worker, and it is one in which while the power balance maybe unequal, it is made more equitable through negotiation, explanation and, if necessary, apology. Y gave a brief personal history:

“We started off as peer educators where we were going round in the local community promoting what we as young people were doing ourselves. So we started off as volunteers. I was quite old, 19, but my colleagues T and E were both service users so they carried the message ‘Kickstart is really cool. You should get involved in volunteering, give back to the community’. They just trailed the message along with them. Coming from a young person it’s more positive for a young person to hear, they take it on more than from an adult. If their own peers are saying it then they are more likely to get involved. We have grown through the project and now most of us have got full time jobs and we’ve kept that skill of being able to keep it real for young people. I personally come from an estate like this so I know what kind of issues they are facing; drugs, crime, the griminess, the dirt, so you can really relate to them and then on top of that I went to a local school so that helps. But it isn’t about saying right I’m older give me

8

respect because it’s not going to happen. I give you respect first and hopefully they’ll give it back.”

i. Incremental progression At Kickstart, there are clear systems in place so that when a young person first attends a session they sign a membership form. One of the things this covers is what other areas they might be interested in or any needs they may have. It is the responsibility of the lead worker on each session to ensure that comments made at this stage are followed up. This may for example involve referral onto another session or even another agency. One worker spoke of going into a new estate where there was very little going on: “Yeah, as soon as we had them hooked, as soon as we had their details and everything and they trusted us, we were able to just spread them throughout the whole programme. Some of them were interested in music; some of them went to the studio.” Staff members also complete a ‘Debrief Recording’ at the end of sessions which covers concerns as well as any discussions or ‘personal and social skills progress’. Robust debriefing is an extremely positive element in the Kickstart model which represents good practice in terms of quality assurance that might be picked up by other projects. Additional to this are goals that relate to the particular session, which involve negotiation and agreement between the worker and the young person. Examples of this that the research has noted include participants being offered and encouraged to take up coaching, but also more generally to improve skills in particular areas. It seems that young people become volunteers through the example and encouragement of the staff they have contact with. This has been recorded in a number of interviews. Some volunteers enter the Kickstart programme through a different path: partners, e.g. local FE colleges or Volunteering Southwark, and other local partners refer them to the programme. Step 2: First volunteering opportunities Once a young person is engaged in an activity, they are given small responsibilities, usually at the sessions that are attending as users. Often this means helping the staff on an ad hoc basis at first, building the confidence both ways to regularise the volunteering, e.g. to a weekly responsibility. The first volunteering experience can be transformative.

“I was ecstatic after my first session. I went home and told my mum about it. I phoned up [my supervisor] and told him. I was full of myself.” (Z)

For Kickstart, the ideal is to provide credit of some sort for this sort of basic volunteering, e.g. through one of the awards available to young people.

9

SE1 LUV SE1 LUV is a programme of youth citizenship activities Kickstart has developed in the SE1 area of London, involving young volunteers in not just delivering sessions, but in designing and managing a complex programme of activities to engage other young people. Initially, young people designed a programme of rave type events which incorporated opportunities for young people to engage with local issues. With each event, learning points were identified and used to plan future events. Following the success of the events, a magazine, website, forum and music production element were added. Through involvement in every stage of ‘branding’, planning and designing the programme, young people were empowered and had strong ownership of the programme, thus actively marketing the SE1 LUV ‘brand’ through word of mouth among peers. Crime Concern Youth Consultants Three Kickstart young people have served as Crime Concern Youth Consultants. They travelled around the UK providing their knowledge and expertise as young people to improve statutory sector services for young people, e.g. advising Connexions Personal Advisors on reaching young people. Again, having their value recognised empowered young people. Branding: the viral effect Kickstart has recognised that word of mouth is the best form of marketing among young people and that the best placed to do the marketing is young people themselves. By involving young people in the design of an activity, giving them ownership over it and particularly over its ‘brand’ (e.g. SE1 LUV), young people will market it. Popularity is spread ‘virally’. The danger is that the brand can overshadow the content and young people will turn up who are not committed to the goal of the activity. However, staffs provide supervision and support and young people are placed on appropriate pathways, or better inducted into the goals of the activity behind the brand.

When young people are first involved in volunteering, they are fully checked through the CRB (Criminal Records Bureau). This can be a big concern for young people who have offending issues, who may well be deterred from volunteering at this point. This concern can be exacerbated by the wait often required for a CRB check. Step 3: From volunteering to sessional work to full-time work The step from ad hoc volunteering to a regular commitment can be an huge step for young people, which can transform their image of who they are and what they are capable of. Here is L:

10

“When he asked me to take the lead in the classes, I was overwhelmed he’d asked me to do this. I mean, I’d only been going along for a few weeks. But when I did it, it felt really natural and I knew this was something I could be good at… At first it was difficult, with my friends in the class, but the young people start to respect you when they see you are serious.”

As volunteers take on sessional work, they are increasingly likely to be responsible for other volunteers, often only slightly younger – and in some cases older. This new responsibility can be a big step for some. “It felt really weird”, L said, “being in charge of other people when they were all my age. But I knew that I was supported and knew what I was doing.” The step from volunteering to paid work was viewed by some interviewees as a great step, a moment of great pride, a fulfilment of their hopes. Others, however, minimised the importance of this step. “I was still doing exactly the same thing, but more hours and more responsibility and pay”, said one interviewee. “You’re made to feel like a real staff member when you’re just a volunteer, so it doesn’t feel much different”, said another. Finally, a number of former volunteers have progressed from sessional to full-time work within Kickstart. C(ii) An action plan model: accreditation and training There are a number of ways in which volunteers get credit within the Kickstart model. First, there are informal or semi-formal forms of credit within the organisation: positive reinforcement from supervisors at monthly supervisions, a Volunteer of the Month that all volunteers get to vote for, the sense of being part of the Kickstart team. Second, there are the basic awards and certificates, such as the Millennium Volunteers and Junior Volunteers Awards. Third, volunteers are encouraged to take up short training opportunities, e.g. in health and safety, child protection, or skills relevant to their interests. Accreditation, e.g. from the Open College Network, is pursued wherever possible. Fourth, Kickstart supports volunteers and sessionals on to more structured courses, culminating in a Diploma and then Degree in Youth and Community (usually from Brunel or Greenwich). Those young people who are keen for more learning (one interviewee said “I was hungry for more learning”) are identified to be particularly nurtured within the organisation.

Training opportunities and progression Entry level: • Lambeth Profile of Achievement City and Guilds A youth work path: • London Youth Presidents Award, George William College • London Youth training programme • Brunel courses A sports path (partnership with Millwall): • Junior Sports Leader Award (14-16)

11

• Community Sports Leader Award (16+) • FA Level 1 & 2 Dance and music paths: • under development, partnerships with Community Music Business path: • emerging Kickstart future plans • Identify award/recognition for ‘adult’ (25+) volunteers • Consider opportunities for under-14 volunteers

This fits into a wider “action plan” model, based on a social work casework model. As soon as they are registered, volunteers are encouraged to develop a personal action plan, with clear goals both within and beyond the volunteering period, which can then be referred to at supervisions and monitored at regular reviews. The model is that a user fills in a Membership Agreement on first contact with Kickstart, then a Personal Development Plan as soon as a young people identifies a need (e.g. a desire to take up DJing). Volunteers are inducted through a formal interview, and then a Volunteer Action Plan is developed at subsequent supervisions. Review dates are set, usually 3- or 6-monthly, with supervisions in between, usually at least monthly. However, this model clearly cannot be reproduced with robust systems and adequate staffing. If robust systems are in place, one volunteer development worker can recruit, induct and supervise up to 40 volunteers in every 6-month cycle. Issues around pathways There are three areas where the Kickstart pathways are likely to develop:

• Junior volunteers: there is no national infrastructure for volunteers under 16. Kickstart has developed the JVA for the 14-16 group. However, the under-14 is not yet catered for, but there is clear demand for volunteering pathways for younger service users, e.g. Junior YIP users.

• Similarly, there is no national accreditation infrastructure for post-25 volunteering. The issues here are very different, particularly as the importance of paid work versus volunteering becomes sharper.

• As with other youth services, Kickstart has not yet developed pathways in the business sector as well as in other sectors. This is a priority for Kickstart. Its importance has been emphasised by the dis-engagement from volunteering among young people who have business career aspirations that found in our quantitative study (see below).

C(iii) Role models As young people are taken along the Kickstart pathway, there are always figures slightly further along the same path who can act as role models – young people

12

from the same estates, who were initially recruited in the same way, who have been given slightly more responsibility. Because of these role models, the progression route is very clear to young people. Central to the success of the role models in the Kickstart programme is a shared set of experiences between the young people and the role model.

“So, you know, streetwise is where I’m from, local, you know. I lived in Jamaica for some time, that helps with the young people that I come into contact with that are from Jamaica and don’t have, you know, don’t have a clue where to start when they come here, so that has helped me to relate to them a lot. And just general kids, I can relate to them all the time, because, you know, I understand where they’re coming from and what’s going down and what’s not and what’s in and what’s out and you know. Yeah, we can always chat like normal and they don’t feel like they have to be different around me they can be themselves and I can be myself around them as well. And that’s how you gain a lot of respect. I think my background definitely helps, it always does. That is what I always take them back to, I show them where I’m coming from and they’re like ‘wow.’ Well, I can do this too.” A

All of the staff we interviewed felt that their personal backgrounds and life experiences bore a direct relation to their ability to work with young people. In many instances there wasn’t just an awareness of common experiences between the worker and those they work with, but staff had actually grown up on the estates or in the areas in which they worked. This factor is not only a key element of the success of much of the delivery that the research team has seen, but is in itself a prime indicator of success. Young people moving through a project and progressing to become employees of the project, thus delivering in the ways in which they have been delivered to, is eminently sustainable and self-renewing. It ensures that real learning is passed on, and utilises the enthusiasm and example of the converted. The staff themselves therefore can become aspirational role models.

“I’m 19. And they’re telling me, like a lot of them are looking at it and saying ‘well, if you can do that, I can do that.’ So straightaway, there’s already a role model situation going on. I make sure when they’re around me there’s no like pornos on their phones and stuff and no messing around, because some of them really are just being boys and they're trying to play fight and stuff and say ‘look, you can do that at home,’ they’re all talking about fights and stuff. A lot of them know me from my estate, when I was a bit younger, I was involved in a few fights and they have seen me going around when I was younger. I had a big group of us, there was like 30 of us, that would walk around, and they’d see us in the sort of gang. And they’ve seen me change, and they’ve seen me look at becoming more responsible, they’ve seen me leave home, they’ve seen me get my place, they’ve seen me do a lot and they’ve helped me through it.” D

In the following quote the worker illustrates what he feels is one of the main advantages of having role model status, and in representing two worlds simultaneously:

13

“They realise you’re from the same background as them, but you’ve grown and achieved and had different experiences. Having been there you can explain the good and the bad in different choices, give both sides of the argument so they can make choices, and they trust you because they know you’ve been there.” Joe

Working with young people on his own estate and on others locally, D undeniably brings knowledge and experiences which are valuable to the work – and which give him particular advantages over an ‘outsider’. Importantly, with many of the young people he doesn’t have to work on gaining their respect and building connections with them as he already has this. Therefore, he is already a role model, he is ‘one of us’, and he is the epitome of the bad boy made good.

“And these people have been on sessions, and they’ve just run people wild, and I’ve been able to get through to them just because I was giving them a chance, rather than saying ‘look, you’re wrong,’ I stopped them and said ‘look, no smoking here.’ That smoking was fine, I think it was just weed and hoods and stuff they weren’t allowed to touch it, I was like ‘look, we’re not having that here, okay, thanks,’ and then they’ll do it again and I’ll say ‘no, no, no,’ and I’ll be serious with them ‘let’s not do that.’ And they say ‘alright.’ And I sort of became a middleman, and I think as long as you can understand them and they understand you, you can reach them.” D

The role of youth workers has traditionally been one that negotiates between young people and various forms of authority, while setting itself apart from these. Youth workers differentiate between their role and that of teachers, or police officers, in that the relationships they have with young people are voluntary and informal, and that these need to be founded on trust and understanding. When youth workers are also peer role models, as we’ve described above, this can be even more effective. An older Kickstart worker described D as a “bridge” and “almost a translator”: “other kids look up to him as a hero, a local lad whose come through the project, and having someone like that in place makes it a lot easier if I want to help them access other opportunities, because he can help them negotiate these paths as he’s had to.” However, this worker also spoke about the fact that the younger workers who came through the project often have difficultly addressing some discipline issues, and often like to work with “older heads” to do so. This perhaps tells us something not about different degrees of respect young people have for different sorts of workers, but rather about different types of respect, which relates to the point we made about different youth work ‘characters’. There can be a personal price to pay for being a role model. Most of Kickstart’s ‘homegrown’ workers literally come from the same estates as users of the services. This means, as one person put it,

“You are a youth worker 24/7. They’ll come up to you in the street. They know what you put in your shopping trolley. And if you go to a party, you can’t even smoke a cigarette because you don’t want to look hypocritical. Until you literally

14

close your door at night, you’re on the job. And even then, they might phone you up with some crisis – felling suicidal, an unwanted pregnancy. It’s tough.” J

This creates issues of professionalism and boundaries, a key topic for many supervisions. One interviewee said: “It is possible to draw lines.” A final aspect of role modelling within Kickstart is the fact that workers are very aware, not just of the people just in front of them on the pathway, but also of those just behind them. This means that they are able to spot when a volunteer is getting into any difficulties and provide any support needed. It also means they are constantly “on the look-out for talent”, identifying young people who could be developed and brought into the team. C (iv) Supervision and mentoring As Kickstart has built up its volunteering model, it has had to put in place more robust supervision mechanisms. Initially, the number of volunteers was small enough that supervision could be very personal and flexible. A volunteer project worker had personally recruited all volunteers and knew the issues they faced and could structure supervisions around this, providing them as and when they seemed to be needed. As there was regular contact with workers anyway, there seemed to be little need for a formal, regularised timetable of supervision. As the volunteer base grew, this informal model became less plausible. More structured supervision systems were introduced. Young people were encouraged to have diaries. Supervision is based on clear action planning with progression routes. Discipline was introduced, treating volunteers as staff, with suspension for certain types of behaviour and a ‘three strikes’ rule. Mentoring is vital to supporting volunteers. One interviewee said: “If I make mistakes at Kickstart, I get picked up, but in a learning kind of way. You take it away and reflect on it” Often mentoring goes beyond work performance; one interviewee was supported to set up a business by her supervisor. Peer Educators Kickstart Crime Concern develop peer educators by training young people in youth-related matters such as antisocial behaviour, substance misuse, sexual health and relationships, domestic violence to mention a few. Young people developed as peer mentors now have the information tool to support their peers and exert a positive peer pressure on other young people on issues that affect them.

15

Incentivisation Training, supervision, professional mentoring and particularly accreditation form part of a package of incentives offered to young people for volunteering. Two other key incentives are work experience placements and vouchers.

• Work experience placement: Kickstart has built up links with a roster of employers and organisations locally in order to offer young people suitable work experience placements. This is vital for excluded young people who are unable to build up work experience through more conventional paths.

• Vouchers: More mundanely, where funding is available, vouchers are offered as incentive payments for volunteers.

An ethos of equity One final point to note, which came through in several interviews, is the ethos of equity within Kickstart. Volunteers and sessionals are made to feel as much part of the organisation as full-time staff. For volunteers who had experienced other youth service agencies, as sessionals they were simply called in as a resource as needed, the contrast was stark.

“Here, you can come in and use e-mail, just pop in for a chat. You’re really part of it, not just someone they call upon when they need you.” F

16

D. Obstacles to Volunteering Only three obstacles to volunteering have emerged from the case study research. The first is when volunteering comes into conflict with aspects of parental culture; the second is when volunteering comes into conflict with aspects of peer culture; the third is the short-term need to earn money. Volunteering in conflict with parental culture There was one powerful example of this in the case study interviews. A young man from a Turkish background had a father who owned a small business. There was a very strong family expectation that the son would work in, and ultimately take on, this family business. Hence working without pay in a youth work context was seen as very negative. It took the young man considerable courage to stick with the volunteering route, leading to conflict within the family. However, the fact that this route ultimately led to secure employment, and that the young man had clearly developed enormously as a person, eventually demonstrated the value of the path he had chosen, which was then recognised by the family. Volunteering in conflict with peer culture More frequently, interviewees spoke of coming into conflict with, or even losing, their friends because of pursuing the volunteering/youth work path. Being involved in Kickstart meant avoiding being involved in anti-social and criminal activities which are common in the young people’s peer culture. Avoiding such activities could generate conflict. Even where the young person’s friends where not actually involved in such activities, but were simply seen by the volunteer as “doing nothing much” with their time and with their lives, the volunteer’s commitment to personal development can be seen as challenging by friends. Volunteering in conflict with financial needs Finally, volunteering clearly has the short-term drawback of taking the time that could be used in paid employment. For young people who start volunteering while still at school, or who are unable to secure paid employment because of their lack of formal schooling, this is not a great issue. For these young people, the volunteering is a clear route to paid employment. For older young people, though, who are doing what they have come to see as “dead end” jobs – manual jobs, low-paying retail jobs, or low-grade clerical jobs – with little chance of career progression, the choice to volunteer can be very difficult in the short-term. To gamble away job security, these volunteers need a great deal of support and supervision. In most cases, the long-term pay-off is a better, more satisfying job, with clear progression routes – but this is not a guaranteed outcome. This means that a benefits system that works well with volunteering is vital at a national level, as is providing volunteering activities that are relevant and offer clear opportunities for learning and development at a local level.

17

E. Benefits to Volunteering On the other hand, several benefits to volunteering emerged from the case study research. These include: • Job satisfaction: Interviewees spoke again and again of how satisfying it was

to work in the youth and community centre, and that this satisfaction was more valuable than pay. “It’s more than just a job” was a common refrain in interviews.

• Personal development: All of the interviewees spoke of the ways in which

they had grown and developed as people through volunteering. They had learnt about their capabilities, discovered skills within themselves they had not realised they possessed, and therefore become more confident. People skills were most frequently cited as a skills set volunteers had developed – skills transferable to every aspect of life. As one interviewee said, “It’s been an amazing journey.” Personal skills often cited are confidence, self-esteem, social and inter-personal / communication skills.

• Career development: Volunteering had been key to advances in careers for

most interviewees – whether as a step in the door, a way of getting new experiences, or as a space in which the volunteer was supported to make choices. Most interviewees felt they would be in dead-end jobs if they had not pursued the volunteering path, or that they would be unemployed or completely outside the formal labour market.

• Learning opportunities: Interviewees particularly valued learning opportunities

generated through volunteering. This included both formal, accredited learning – of which “uni” is clearly the high point – but also informal learning opportunities, in terms of new skills and knowledges gained from fellow workers.

• Serving the community: Interviewees again and again spoke of “giving back”,

“doing something for the community” and “representing” their area or their generation. This was key in the job satisfaction mentioned above.

Active Citizenship and Public Service The desire to serve the community, to “give back”, is a key aspect which emerged from the interviews. We see the Kickstart model as fostering a very strong sense of active citizenship and public service among young people. The idea of doing good for the community is deeply embedded in the activities young people locally are engaged in. Being called upon to “represent” Kickstart, to “represent” their “ends” (i.e. their neighbourhood) or to “represent” young people was clearly a powerful motivational tool. The fact that young people see great

18

value in youth and community work, a value equal to or greater than the monetary value associated with other career paths, such as entrepreneurship, is evidence that the public service values that have traditionally characterised the voluntary sector can be embedded in the youth culture of the inner city.

19

F. Young People and Volunteering: Empirical Findings from Quantitative Research i. Methodology • This quantitative study consisted of a questionnaire developed by Ade

Ogunmefun, Kickstart’s Business Development Manager, with Ben Gidley. A group of young volunteers, recruited by Kickstart’s volunteer co-ordinator, were trained by CUCR in quantitative research techniques. They surveyed 260 of their peers2. This random sample covered both volunteers and non-volunteers and was conducted in a variety of settings, including at Kickstart projects, shopping centres, high streets around the Elephant and Castle, Walworth, Rotherhithe and Bermondsey areas.

• The questionnaire contained both qualitative and quantitative data. In order to

include qualitative data in the statistical analysis, emerging themes in the answers were identified and categories generated from the research, rather than imposing an external analytical framework.

ii. Sample Characteristics

• The young people in the sample were mostly based in South East London (87%). There were more males (61%) than females.

• The three main ethnic groups represented were Black African (30%),

White British (22%) and Black Caribbean (20%). Due to the small numbers in the other ethnic categories (for example only nine people defined themselves in any of the Asian categories) we subsumed these under the headings ‘White Other’, ‘Asian’, ‘Mixed/Other’. It could be misleading to make generalisations on such low figures, so the analysis of ethnicity concentrates on those who identify as White British, Black African and Black Caribbean (Fig. 2).

• Gender was not evenly distributed across ethnic groups (Fig. 2.1). There

was a concentration of males in the Black ethnic groups. For example 41.8% of the White British respondents were male as opposed to 78.9% of the Black African respondents.

2 Some questionnaires were excluded because the respondents were under 16, making the valid sample 246.

20

Figure 2.1: Ethnic groups in sample

22.73%

8.26%

30.17%

20.25%

3.72%

14.88%

White BritishWhite otherBlack AfricanBlack CaribbeanAsianMixed/other

N=242 Figure 2.2: Distribution of gender within ethnic groups

FemaleMale

White British Black African Black Caribbean

10

20

30

40

50

21

• The sample was predominantly made up of people under the age of twenty-one (88%), with half of the sample being in the 16-17 age group (50%).

• Half of the sample were currently engaged in further education, 29% were

attending school and 21% were not engaged in education. The most common highest qualification was GCSE (40% of the sample) and 21% had no qualifications. The large numbers in the 16-17 age group should be taken into consideration here, as those respondents are too young to have taken A-levels and some may not have even taken their GCSEs yet.

• Of the total sample:

- 66 people currently volunteer - 127 have volunteered at some point (either currently or in the past) - 115 have never volunteered

This sample is, therefore, not completely representative of the Kickstart’s volunteer database, whose characteristics are as follows:

1. Kickstart had a total of 39 volunteers registered during the 05/06 year. Their profile is as follows:

Gender: 22 (56%) female and 17 (44%) male Ethnicity: 30 (77%) of BME origin and 9 (23%) White Age: Under 16 years – 14 (36%) 16 to 25 years – 21 (54%) Over 25 years – 4 (10%)

2. Of 42 volunteers involved / supported during the same period,

• 28 (67%) are female and 14 (33%) are male • The most popular session supported by volunteers (both male and

female) was dance, followed by drama (mostly female) and football (mostly male)

• 23 female attended training on substance misuse • 14 male attended training on First aid

22

iii. Volunteers’ Profile The most decisive factors were:

• Gender • Ethnicity • School Status

Of the young women in the sample 33% currently volunteer as compared to 24% of the young men. When examining those who currently volunteer, there were significant differences between ethnic groups, with White British respondents being almost twice as likely to be currently volunteering than Black African/Black Caribbean respondents. However, these differences become negligible when past volunteering is taken into consideration. Another important factor is school status, with 35% of those in further education being currently engaged in volunteering as opposed to only 12.8% of those who are not attending an educational institution. The overwhelming majority of young volunteers are engaged in youth work (65%), the next popular choice being care work (10%).

23

iv. Attitudes of those who don’t volunteer The questionnaire included a section specifically for those who do not currently volunteer. Questions were asked about reasons for not volunteering, level of interest in volunteering and what respondents would want to get out of volunteering if they were to get involved. Reasons for not volunteering The two main reasons given for not volunteering were lack of time (44.4%) and the need to do paid work in order to earn money (43.7%). These may be related, as young people who have paid employment are also likely to cite lack of time as a barrier to getting involved in volunteering. This is consistent with the findings of the qualitative part of the study, in which financial needs were identified as an obstacle to volunteering. Predictably, the need to do paid work was cited more frequently as a reason for not volunteering by people in the 18-21 age group (51.2%) than by people aged 16-17 (36.6%), who are less likely to be in full-time employment. Smaller numbers cited just not wanting to (16.7%), not knowing about opportunities (13.5%) and having to go too far (10.3%) as reasons for not volunteering. Very few cited childcare issues as an obstacle (1.6%) Table 4.1: Reasons for not volunteering

44.4%43.7%16.7%13.5%10.3%

1.6%7.1%

-Don't have time-Need to do paid work-Just don't want to-Don't know about opportunities-Too far too go-Childcare issues-Other

N=178 (those who do not currently volunteer)

24

Figure 4.1: Reasons for not volunteering

10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0%

Other -

Childcare issues -

Too far too go -

Don't know about opportunities -

Just don't want to -

Need to do paid work -

Don't have time -

N=178 (those who do not currently volunteer) v. Interest in volunteering Encouragingly, of those who do not currently volunteer, more than half are interested in volunteering (50.4%). Expectations of volunteering

• Respondents who do not currently volunteer were asked what they would want to get out of volunteering if they were to get involved. The most frequently cited reason for volunteering was to help gain employment (51.3%), followed by learning new skills (47.9%) and having fun (42.7%).

• Doing something useful (35%) and meeting people/making friends (33%)

were also relatively important factors.

• The majority of respondents ticked several responses to this question, indicating that non-volunteers have a range of expectations of volunteering, which may incorporate both instrumental motivations and a desire to do something useful, whilst having fun and making friends at the same time.

25

Table 4.2: Expectations of volunteering 51.3%47.9%42.7%35.0%33.3%

4.3%

To help get a jobLearn new skillsHave funDo something usefulMeet people/make friendsOther

N=178 (those who do not currently volunteer) Figure 4.2: Expectations of volunteering

10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0%

Other -

Meet people/make friends -

Do something useful -

Have fun -

Learn new skills -

To help get a job -

N=178 (those who do not currently volunteer) vi. Experiences of volunteering Area of volunteering Of those currently or previously involved in volunteering, the majority described their area of volunteering as youth work (64.9%). Others cited more specific activities such as care work (10.3%) and sports (8.2%). Positive experiences of volunteering

• Those young people who have volunteered reported a range of positive experiences. The most frequently cited benefits of volunteering were that it looks good on your CV (72.3%) and having learnt new skills (63.9%). These were closely followed by having met new people and made friends (54.6%), a feeling of satisfaction from doing something useful (52.1%) and having had fun (49.6%). A handful reported, without being prompted, that they had gained paid employment as a result of volunteering.

26

• Again, the majority of respondents ticked multiple responses to this

question, indicating that young people have a range of positive experiences of volunteering, incorporating both instrumental benefits such as enhancing their CV and gaining work-related skills, as well as social benefits and the satisfaction of doing something useful.

Table 5.1: Positive experiences of volunteering

72.3%63.9%54.6%52.1%49.6%

4.2%4.2%

Looks good on CVLearnt new skillsMet people/made friendsFeels good to do something usefulHad funGot employmentOther

N=127 (those who have volunteered) Figure 5.1: Positive experiences of volunteering

0.0% 25.0% 50.0% 75.0%

Other -

Got employment -

Had fun -

Feels good to do something useful -

Met people/made friends -

Learnt new skills -

Looks good on CV -

N=127 (those who have volunteered) Negative experiences of volunteering Encouragingly, only 26% of those who have volunteered (33 people) reported that they have had negative experiences. Of these, just over half cited not getting paid (54.5%) as a drawback of volunteering. Others were dissatisfied with the level of commitment or time demanded of them (21.2%) or found the work itself difficult (18.2%). A small number reported that they had incurred costs from their volunteering work (6.1%).

27

Table 5.2: Negative experiences of volunteering

54.5%21.2%18.2%6.1%6.1%

Not paidTime consuming/commitmentHard work/difficultIncurred costsOther

N=33 (those who have volunteered) Figure 5.2: Negative experiences of volunteering

10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0%

Other -

Incurred costs -

Hard work/difficult -

Time consuming/commitment -

Not paid -

N=33 (those who have volunteered) vii. Understandings of Volunteering When asked to describe their understanding of volunteering, many respondents offered explanations which encompassed more than one category, for example ‘helping the community and gaining skills’.

• The majority of respondents stressed the altruistic aspect of volunteering, the word ‘helping’ recurring as a description in many of the questionnaires. Only 20% offered an explanation which emphasised the importance of gaining skills or experience. This is at odds with how people have answered when asked about their own attitudes and experiences of volunteering, where gaining skills and experience is highly significant. Perhaps this reflects dominant discourses of volunteering which tend to be about ‘helping’ rather than personal or career development.

28

• The other aspect of volunteering that was emphasised was volunteering

as unpaid work, this description of volunteering figuring in 50% of the questionnaires. Once again, this highlights the tension between volunteering and the need to do paid work.

Table 6.1: Understandings of volunteering3

50.0%39.0%21.0%20.0%3.8%

Unpaid workGeneral altruism/helping othersHelping communityGaining skills/experienceOther

N=246 Figure 6.1: Understandings of volunteering

10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0%

Other -

Gaining skills/experience -

Helping community -

General altruism/helping others -

Unpaid work -

N=246

• The 18-21 age group were more likely to stress both that volunteering is about ‘unpaid work’ and ‘gaining skills’, perhaps because for this age

3 We have distinguished between ‘Helping community’ and ‘General altruism’. ‘Helping community’ refers to those answers that specifically mentioned the local community, whereas ‘General altruism’ refers to those answers that stated ‘helping’ in a more general way. However, at times in the analysis we have combined these variables..

29

group these issues are more pressing than for the 16-17 year olds who may be still engaged in education. Only 14% of 16-17 year olds mention gaining skills in their descriptions.

• Young women are more likely to emphasise the altruistic aspect of

volunteering than their male counterparts, with 78% of young women giving such an explanation as opposed to 49% of young men.

• While all ethnic groups emphasised the unpaid nature of voluntary work in

their descriptions, White British respondents were more likely to offer an understanding of volunteering that emphasised altruism with this featuring in 75% of their explanations, as opposed to 49% for Black African and 47% for Black Caribbean. Both Black African and Black Caribbean groups were over twice as likely to emphasise the gaining skills/experience aspect of volunteering than White British. However this may be misleading, as the gender distribution is very uneven across ethnic groups (see fig. 2.1). Furthermore, there is a higher concentration of Black people in the 18-21 category who are also more likely to mention gaining skills and experience in their explanations. It is likely that these differences between ethnic groups can be explained by gender and age.

• Perhaps unsurprisingly, those who currently volunteer describe the

altruistic aspect of volunteering (85%), whereas only 41% of those who don’t currently volunteer mention this in their description.

Kickstart’s volunteers’ own aspirations Volunteers registered with Kickstart in 2005/6 personal goals as indicated in their assessment plan are to: • Gain skills and work experience (41%) • Put something back in the community / help others / make a difference

(21%) • Have fun (e.g. doing sports, music etc with other young people) (10%) • No response (28%)

viii. Aspirations and volunteering Career aspirations

• The most popular career aspiration was to work in Creative/Media. This category includes the music industry, dance and design which were all popular choices. Working in the public sector was also a popular choice, with youth work being particularly popular.

• Those who aspired to work in the public sector were four times more likely

to have ever volunteered than not volunteered. Those who aspired to work in professional occupations or skilled manual labour/ the forces were twice as likely to have never volunteered than to have ever volunteered.

30

Table 7.1: Career aspirations

23.2%16.2%14.1%14.1%11.9%

9.7%5.4%5.4%

Creative/mediaPublic sectorSkilled manual/forcesProfessionalSportBusiness/self-employedDegree/educationGeneral success/wealth

N=198 Figure 7.1: Career aspirations

21.72%

15.15%

13.13%13.13%

11.11%

9.09%

5.05%

5.05%3.54%3.03%

Career aspirationsCreative/mediaPublic sectorSkilled manual/forcesProfessionalSportBusiness/self-employedDegree/educationGeneral success/wealthOtherNone

N=198 Could volunteering help achieve career aims?

• Overall, 62% of the respondents thought that volunteering could help them achieve their career aims. There is much variation between different kinds of career aims and whether respondents considered volunteering could help them achieve these aims. Predictably, this figure was higher amongst those who have volunteered (72%).

31

• For those who aspired to work in the Public Sector or in Sports, 77% stated that volunteering could help their career aims. The figure was also high (69%) for those who aspired to work in Creative/Media occupations. The gap narrowed for those who aspire to work in Professional occupations with 58% stating that volunteering could help their careers. Those who aspire to work in business were split 50/50 on whether volunteering could help them achieve this aim. The highest figure for those who thought volunteering couldn’t help them achieve their career aims was for those who aspired to be work in the Skilled Manual/Forces category, with 57% stating volunteering wouldn’t help. The figures were also high for those who stated the aim of getting a degree/education and those who alluded to general success or wealth as aims for the future with 56% of young people in these categories stating that volunteering would not help them achieve their career aims.

• It should also be considered that some of the respondents who didn’t think

volunteering could help them with their career aims did still stress the beneficial effects of volunteering on their personal development.

Table 7.2: Career aims by belief in benefits of volunteering

77.3% 22.7%76.7% 23.3%69.0% 31.0%57.7% 42.3%50.0% 50.0%44.4% 55.6%44.4% 55.6%43.5% 56.5%62.0% 38.0%

SportPublic sectorCreative/mediaProfessionalBusiness/self-employedDegree/educationGeneral success/wealthSkilled manual/forces

Careeraspirations

Total

Yes No

Can volunteering helpcareer aims?

N=179

• The most popular reason given for how volunteering would help achieve career aims was gaining ‘Experience in the field’, closely followed by ‘General Personal Development/Skills’. The other most popular reasons given were ‘Making Contacts’, ‘Training’ and ‘Looks Good on CV’.

• Of those who thought volunteering wouldn’t help 59.3% stated that it

wasn’t relevant, and 26% that it was too low skill.

32

(ix). Future volunteering interests Finally, all respondents were asked what sort of activities would appeal to them if they were to volunteer in the future. A range of options was given and respondents instructed to indicate all of the activities they would be interested in. As the table below shows, the most popular activity is Sports (chosen by 54.2%), followed by Music (48.5%), Youth Work (46.3%) and Performance (37%). Table 8.1: Future volunteering interests

54.2%48.5%46.3%37.0%26.9%18.5%18.1%15.9%13.2%

5.3%

SportsMusicYouth workPerformanceMediaCommunity workOffice workWorking with publicVocational skillsOther

N=246 Figure 8.2: Future volunteering interests

10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0%

Other -

Vocational skills -

Working with public -

Office work -

Community work -

Media -

Performance -

Youth work -

Music -

Sports -

N=246

33

G. Conclusions from the quantitative study The survey data demonstrates that the young people in the sample have a positive attitude towards volunteering. Those who do volunteer overwhelmingly report positive experiences and attitudes towards volunteering, and over 50% of those who don’t currently volunteer state that they would be interested in volunteering. Concerns relating to employment are prevalent in the responses of both volunteers and non-volunteers.

• Having to work to earn money and time constraints are the main reasons given for not volunteering. However, those who don’t volunteer do recognise the beneficial impact volunteering could have in terms of helping them develop new skills and gain employment.

• Similarly, those who have volunteered emphasised employment-related benefits such as ‘it looks good on my CV’ and having learnt new skills.

Social benefits (making friends and having fun) and the satisfaction of doing something useful were also frequently cited, both by those who volunteer and those who don’t, indicating that young people’s experiences and expectations of volunteering encompass a range of motivations. This is further underlined by the ways in which respondents described their understandings of volunteering, which frequently incorporated multiple aspects such as helping others and gaining skills. In contrast to answers given about their own attitudes and experiences, the majority here mentioned altruistic aspects. This may be a reflection of dominant discourses of volunteering, which tend to emphasise helping others rather than personal benefits. In addition, an understanding of volunteering as unpaid work was prevalent, particularly among young men and those in the 18-21 age group. This means that the impact of national benefits policy on volunteering must be carefully considered, and the impact of volunteering on employment routes must given wider recognition. The majority of respondents thought volunteering could help them achieve their career aims, through giving them experience in their field and by offering opportunities for general personal development. This figure is higher for those who volunteer. There was considerable variation between respondents aiming for different careers in whether they thought volunteering could help achieve their ambitions. Among those who did not think volunteering could benefit their career, the most frequently given reasons were that it was not relevant to their field and that it was too low skill. This suggests that there is scope for Kickstart and other organisations to emphasise the benefits of volunteering to a range of careers. In general, the emphasis that respondents place on employment and experience

34

underline the importance of providing volunteering activities that are relevant and offer clear opportunities for learning and development.

35

H. Key Points Kickstart practises a ‘positive futures’ model of youth engagement rather than (or as well as) a ‘positive activities’ model – i.e. creating a sense of aspiration and wider horizons, rather than simply providing ‘something to do’ or ‘diverting’ young people from anti-social activity. Kickstart provides a platform for young people to talk about their progression – hence a longer-term vision of engagement and transformation. Kickstart’s volunteering model values young people’s achievement and, crucially, gives them the opportunity to assess and appreciate their own achievement. Securing accreditation for achievement where possible is key to this – especially formal accreditation, e.g. through the Open College Network. Kickstart has developed a progression pathway within its programme, as an alternative pathway to the formal schooling route, as a parallel pathway for those still engaged by formal schooling, or as a progression route beyond schooling for those who have left formal education. A key feature of the Kickstart model is providing role models – individual young people with similar life experience just in front along the Kickstart progression route. These are realistic role models, similar enough to provide a real sense of possibility. The Kickstart model is about fostering a sense of active citizenship and a public service ethos, by promoting the values of ‘representing’, ‘giving back’ and fulfilment. The developmental model and short-termism: Most funding regimes Kickstart is able to access are short-term (usually one to two years funding support). However, the developmental ‘positive futures’ ethos of Kickstart, with individual progression pathways and role modelling, requires long-term investment.

36

I. Recommendations Best practice in volunteering:

• Key elements in volunteering good practice include: o developing good contacts with a range of local employers and

organisations who can provide placements; o giving credit to young volunteers, formally and informally; o a case work model that helps young people action plan; o a range of pathways for progression; o professional mentoring and supervision.

• In developing robust volunteering models, it is vital that organisations are able to put in place solid systems of regular supervision and tracking. This requires sufficient resourcing in terms of staff time.

• The long-term developmental dimension of volunteering works best where organisations are working with long-term funding, in order to see young people through progression pathways and exit routes.

National policy:

• Benefits policy nationally must make volunteering easier not more difficult. This means there needs to be an official recognition that volunteering, even for long hours, do not mean a young people is not actively seeking work. This is especially important in terms of young people from ‘socially excluded’ backgrounds, most likely to be relying on the benefits system as they make a transition from education to adult life.

• Streamlining the CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) checking system is essential to making volunteering easier. Young people change rapidly and delays to volunteering opportunities caused by waiting for CRB checks can be enough to put them off, potentially losing them forever. This is especially an issue when working with marginalised young people who may have had bad experiences with the criminal justice system.

37

Appendix 1: Kickstart volunteers, semi-structured interview schedule, March 2006

1. What had your life been like before you first came into contact with

Kickstart – what sort of thing did you do with your time? 2. a. What was your first contact with Kickstart? B. What was it that got you

engaged? 3. a. How did you first get involved in volunteering? b. What motivated you?

c. How was the experience? d. What would have made the experience better?

4. Were there any barriers that had to be overcome for you to volunteer? 5. Progression within volunteering: In the volunteering you have done at

Kickstart, could you say that there has been progression – e.g. from less to more responsibility? Could you describe the steps in this? b. What supervision or support have you received? c. Could you suggest anything that would improve the way progression and supervision works in Kickstart?

6. What is the difference between volunteering for Kickstart and getting paid work for Kickstart, e.g. as a sessional worker? (If relevant: what is your experience of this transition?)

7. Finally, looking back, what sort of distance do you see yourself as having travelled through volunteering with Kickstart? What impact has it had on your life up to now – and what impact do you see it continuing to have in your future? (Prompt: what next steps are you planning and how has this been affected by your time at Kickstart?)

38

Appendix 2: Questionnaire 1. Name:

Enumerator: Questionnaire setting:

First name Surname 2. Age: 3. Gender: Male Female 4. Ethnicity: White: British Irish Other Specify______

Black: African Caribbean Other specify _____

Asian: Indian Pakistani Bangladeshi Chinese

Mixed: White/Black Caribbean

White/Black African White/Asian

Other (please specify):

Prefer not to say Not Known

5. Address: Postcode: 6. School status: School College/Further Education Not attending 7. Highest qualification: None GCSEs AS Level A Level

Other (specify: 8. Do you currently volunteer in any way? Yes No [If yes, go to 10. If no, go to 9] 9. Have you volunteered before? Yes No [If yes, go to 10. If no, go to 11] 10. Area of volunteering:

e.g. youth work, environmental projects, church, local community group [Now go to question 11 for people who haven’t volunteered, or question 15 for people who have]

Questions for people who don’t volunteer:

11. Why haven’t you volunteered? (Tick all that apply) Too far to go I don’t have time I have childcare to deal with I need to do paid work to earn money I don’t know what opportunities there are I just don’t want to Other (specify:

12. Would you be interested in volunteering? Yes No

13. If you volunteered, what would you want to get out of it? (Tick all that apply) Help me get a job Meet people/Make friends Have fun Do something useful Learn new skills Other (specify:

14. Would you be willing for Kickstart to contact you with information about volunteering opportunities? Yes No [If yes, check contact details above are complete] [Now go to question 17]

39

Questions for people who have volunteered:

15. What are the positive things you’ve experienced about volunteering? (Tick all that apply)

Looks good on my CV Met people/Made friends Had fun Feels good to do something useful Learnt new skills Other (specify:

16. Where there any negative things? : Questions for everyone:

17. Do you know someone who is a volunteer? Yes No If yes, who is this? A friend A relative Other (specify: What do they do?

e.g. youth work, environmental projects, church, local community group

18. What’s your understanding of volunteering? 19. What career aims or ideas do you have?

20. Do you think volunteering could help you achieve this? Yes No 21. If you were to volunteer in the future, what sort of activities would appeal to you? (Tick all that apply)

Sports Youth work Media Music Performance Office work Vocational skills (e.g. carpentry, electronics) Community work Working with the public Other (specify:

22. Do you have any other comment you want to make?

Thank you for taking part in this survey!

40

Appendix 3: List of Acronyms 1 YIP Youth Inclusion Project 2 JVA Junior Volunteer Award 3 MV Millennium Volunteer 4 CUCR Centre for Urban and Community Research 5 ‘Uni’ University 6 PDP Personal Development Plan

41