JVN Blog

This week, thousands upon thousands of schoolchildren up and down the country will be kissing their parents goodbye and making their way inside to school for the very first time. New Year 7s (aged 11+), and those returning for years 8-11 and Sixth Form, have a very exciting year ahead of them.

It’s time to start big school!

Those of you in the Jewish community may soon find your children coming home with a letter or telling you about a presentation they saw encouraging them to participate in a volunteering programme. This is where your children and the school can exceed your expectations. School is about so much more than “Education, Education, Education.” It is also a hub of social and community activity with opportunities to make a real difference to the lives of others, as well as improve themselves both academically and as good citizens. When we ask what communities they are part of, secondary school students almost exclusively list their school community within their top three, often alongside family, youth groups, religious communities and the like. JVN is here to help your children make the most of their school time by supporting these volunteering programmes.

Here are the top 5 reasons to encourage your children to get involved:

1. Each programme is geared towards earning and award. There’s the Yoni Jesner Award for Years 7 and 8; the Yoni Jesner Award Plus for Years 8 and 9; the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (Bronze, Silver and Gold level) for Years 9-11; and the vInspired Award for Sixth Formers. As well as receiving a certificate at the end of it, these awards make a fantastic addition to your child’s CV and also their UCAS (university application) forms. Universities and employers are increasingly looking for well-rounded individuals with transferable skills, not merely strong academic performance. These awards are a fantastic way to prove that your children make the grade.

3. The opportunities on offer for all these awards are age-appropriate, and many are suited to families and younger children too. Research has shown consistently that those children whose parents and families volunteer are more
   

   Have you tried volunteering with your family?

   likely to do so themselves, thereby helping them become more responsible citizens. To get your children involved both inside school and outside, why not set them an example? Visit www.jvn.org.uk to find a volunteering opportunity for you or call the office on 020 8203 6427 and we will be happy to assist.

3. Leading on from this, taking responsibility is a big part of growing up. Volunteering, especially within a structured environment, encourages young people to think of others around them and to learn new skills, even subconsciously, by offering to help. Confidence, communication and thinking on your feet are three of the most common transferable skills that young people can learn through volunteering – all useful for job interviews and later life in general.

4. Young volunteers are increasingly valuable and can make a real difference to the community. JVN is partnered with JLGB, whose new system “evolve” administrates the awards schemes. The evolve team is also working with charities to help them think of new ways to involve young people in their work. This year will see many more opportunities for your children to become involved in a whole range of volunteering options through their school, and older students will have more opportunities available at their Sixth Form volunteering fairs. Volunteering doesn’t have to be difficult! To find out more about what evolve will do, watch the 3-minute video here.

5. JVN, JLGB and evolve are all about starting young people off on
   

   Where will your volunteering journey take you?

   their volunteering “journey”. And the journey is only just beginning for Year 7s. Those in later years are learning to set their own milestones and find their own ways to reach the next step. Young volunteers become older volunteers and secure our community’s future. By encouraging your child to become involved in volunteering via their school you are affirming their sense of belonging within their school community, which is easily transposed to the outside world (where, ultimately, those they are helping through their actions will be); and you are setting them off on a journey of volunteering which will help them when they come to take on life’s next big step, whether that is a gap year, university or employment.

To get volunteering and set an example to your children, register as a volunteer at www.jvn.org.uk and begin the search for a volunteering experience to suit you. And to find out more about JVN and evolve’s programmes aimed at young people, and what your children can do to volunteer, contact JVN’s Youth Co-ordinator and evolve Schools & Awards Co-ordinator Mike Silverstone at mike@jvn.org.uk or by calling 020 8203 6427.