Youth volunteering
A new independent youth-led charity, v, was launched on 8 May 2006 to take
the lead in delivering a step change in the quality, quantity and diversity
of volunteering opportunities available to young people aged 16-25 in
England as set out in the Russell Commission report. The aim is to involve
1 million more young people in volunteering within the next five years.
Find out more on the v
website.
Background
The Russell Commission was established in May 2004 to develop a new
national framework for youth action and engagement.
Following extensive consultation with young people and the voluntary and
community sector, the Commission put forward 16 recommendations, designed
to engage more young people in volunteering and community action. The major
recommendation was to create a new dedicated implementation body to
commission, through a series of contracts, the delivery of the national
framework.
The recommendations were accepted by government and £100 million of public
funding has been allocated over three years to support their
implementation. v has a target of raising £50 million from the private
sector. All funding raised from the private sector will be matched on a
pound for pound basis by HM
Treasury.
Implementation of the Russell Commission recommendations
v is working in partnership with volunteer-involving organisations, young
people, and business and government, to make volunteering a valued part of
young people's lives.
v has completed its first funding round to create new, youth-led full-time,
part-time and short term volunteering opportunities, and 20 teams of Youth
Volunteer Development Managers and Youth Volunteer Advisers.
The Government is responsible for implementing the four ‘public sector’
Russell Commission recommendations:
-
creating volunteering ethos in schools, colleges and universities
-
opening up volunteering opportunities for young people in public services
-
removing financial barriers to young people volunteering
-
tackling barriers faced by disabled young people who want to volunteer.
The Office of the Third Sector has started working with other Government
departments to implement these recommendations.
You can find out more at the Russell
Commission website [External website].
