JVN Blog

Here’s an uncontroversial statement: educating young people is extremely important. Academic success is at the forefront of government policy and many parents’ minds, and this has been the case as far as we can remember. But academia, nowadays, has an educational rival. Citizenship and so-called informal education has an established place on the National Curriculum. The fever of London 2012 and the rhetoric about Big Society, however vague or empty we might perceive it to be, is nonetheless fresh in our minds and the message is pretty clear: we all need to set the example of ‘good citizenship’ for our young people. In my job as Youth Co-ordinator at JVN, I am told by schools that their students should be model examples of good citizenship, and they are constantly trying to think of new ways to promote themselves as beacons of the community. It is somewhat surprising, then, that charities – the very organisations we want our next generation of good adult citizens to become involved in – are reluctant to engage people at a young age. This is not to say they do not want their, or possibly their parents’, support. Rather, there is very little for young people to do in the way of helping them. Those without money to give can give time by volunteering. But all too often it is the case that charities do not consider it a worthwhile investment to pay someone to supervise young volunteers. There are obvious limits to what young people can do, but this does not completely negate the value of what they can bring to an organisation. And it is easy to understand why young people feel disenchanted with and detached from organisations that seem to exclude them from their activities. I propose that young people actually have a lot to offer, however unskilled we might think them, and that we should make a conscious effort to help them effectively support whatever causes our charities are championing. I’m going to use two examples to show the value of young people’s volunteering and how we might motivate them to become involved. The first example is of a young man called Ethan – those of you who read the JVN blog or follow us on Twitter will already be familiar with him. ‘Ethan’s Challenge’ enlisted the help of JVN to assist him in completing 13 different volunteering ‘Missions’ with 13 different charities before his Bar Mitzvah. It was indeed a challenge for him, but the end result had great long-term benefits, not only for Ethan but for the charities. When we interviewed him recently after his 13^th challenge, he himself identified the benefits himself. It was the sense of identity with the community he gained that was the most memorable thing from the experience. Not only was it a learning experience, but the empathy for others in the community was also evident. He said, “I learnt that a lot of people I helped were amazing and had gone through so much.” When asked why it was important to volunteer young, he answered, “They get into a routine and it gets them prepared for when they are older and can do more challenging tasks.” This is how volunteering should be. Just like learning anything else, it should be a journey that starts when you are young and that you progress along for the rest of your life. And, when young people are engaged with organisations and individuals within the community, they can provide a perspective on it that adults cannot. They learn to empathise and are willing to help out more – and crucially, because they are young, they have more time to do it. There’s nothing to stop a student visiting someone after school and being home in time for dinner. Therefore, the first benefit that young people can bring is time, and the energy to fill it with good deeds. Charities should encourage this and see young people as willing volunteers, not merely propaganda tools. The second benefit is confidence, and the example I am using to show it comes from a place typically (yet regrettably) lacking in it. The Yoni Jesner Award Scheme – run every year by JVN, the Yoni Jesner Foundation and JLGB – recognises the efforts of young people who complete 20 hours of volunteering in the community. For the first time this year 12 young people from the Langdon Brady Club were involved. The Brady Club provides social and constructive activities for teenagers with some form of learning disability. Through specially arranged sessions with a handful of charities, Brady Club members were able to give back to their community and earn their Yoni Jesner Award, and stood side by side with over 130 other young people at the Awards ceremony. I use this example because it is fairly unique, but the moral of the story rings true for almost all young people – if you give them a task of responsibility where they can see they are having an impact on others it gives them confidence in their own abilities and also the qualities that come with it (leadership, teamwork, organisational skills and so on). And, moreover, if the community can see these people making a difference, the community also gains confidence in their abilities. So the benefit here is mutual: whilst there is an element of self development for the young people involved, we can also be surer as a community of the abilities and the experience our young people have to actually make a difference and become to next generation of community leaders. Louise Melzack, who organised a volunteering opportunity at UJIA for the Brady Club, agrees. “Volunteering,” she says, “gives a great sense of empowerment to someone who may not have a great deal of confidence, or who often feels like they are the one who needs the help… A young person can take that feeling and project infectious enthusiasm to their peers, and in turn that positivity will impact all those involved; beneficiaries, professionals and volunteers.” Young people are encouraged to volunteer by the government, our schools and the community, and are consequently more prepared than ever to take on the responsibilities volunteering roles bring. The examples I have given here are at different ends of the spectrum – a handful of young people take the initiative and set themselves a volunteering challenge, while some others need a more generous amount of assistance in encouraging and enabling them to volunteer. And of course there is everyone in between. Thousands of young people have the time and, with a bit of indication as to the opportunities out there, the willingness to volunteer. Charities should take notice and make their offices, events and other platforms a welcoming space for young people to help out, and in doing so amplify their self-confidence and the community’s confidence in the leadership of tomorrow. Whether we encourage young people to volunteer by alluding to religious texts, by pointing out the incentives for their CV or by pushing the appeal of community spirit, we should leap at the opportunity to maximise that encouragement and use the time that young people have. And in doing so we will not only be improving their future prospects but also our own. Charities need to focus on the long-term goals of youth volunteering whilst appealing to the short-term goals of the individuals at their disposal. Perhaps it is charities who should think more about their responsibility to the community and not just our government and schools. I would like to end by quoting a famous line from Ethics of the Fathers: “If I am not for myself, who will be for me. If I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?” It is no coincidence that these questions are posed together. The ideas of self-responsibility and self-development are presented alongside the notions of community responsibility and guaranteeing our future. And the emphasis is on now – w
hether you are nine or ninety-nine, whatever stage of life you are at, you have a part to play. If charities want to maintain our community and use the full range of human resources available to them, this means advocating and promoting the opportunities for young people to volunteer just as dynamically, enthusiastically and passionately as they do for adults. This year Mitzvah Day is Sunday 17^th November, if you want to get involved check out the Mitzvah Day Website. For year long volunteering opportunities have a look at the JVN’s homepage.