7 - actualités

Volunteering among youngsters

Volunteering may be a fundamuntal step for all young people to prepare their future social and professional life. It ca be much more decisive for their future : feeling useful for the collectivity, meeting people they wouldn't have had the chance to meet in their normal life.

The positive impact of volunteering for youngsters
Volunteering needs to offer opportunities to take on stimulating work, to develop skills, to explore different careers and to get work experience. If instrumental motivations are not new, they appear to be increasing rapidly among young people. In times where studies are longer and entering the labour market is more difficult (unemployment rates are higher in the younger population), young people should involve in voluntary experiments that will enrich their background, apart from their previous education or background. Sometimes a voluntary involvement may be the firts step for a future job.

Volunteering in France
Less than a half of the youngsters in Ile de France, more than a half in Champagne Ardenne and two thirds in Midi-Pyrénées have volunteered. It is upon the national results. Very few youngsters are reluctant to volunteering. One of the main reason for not volunteering is the lack of information. Promotion and clearer information could improve a great deal volunteering among French youngsters. Many associations are ready to welcome more young recruits among them. They just have to adapt their needs and become more flexible in their time organisation to involve more young volunteers.
Volunteering in Germany
37% of the young people volunteer ; 14% of the young generation is highly engaged in voluntary work. There is no evidence for the view of a "selfish generation" threatening the voluntary sector by refusing to volunter. Aspirations have shifted a little bit in this direction. If voluntary associations are able to offer some rewards to theri volunteers, this can be "fun" or a certificate which can be used for a job application, they should be able to find young volunteers for a good part of the work they have to do.
Volunteering in Italy
The most credible national surveys report that the majority of young people (6 out of 10) belong to some sort of association and that same percently sharply decreases from adolescence to the nearing of adulthood. It is a membership that is more and more widespread, diversified, and active. The youth who is the most active participant is the student worker while being a worker or jobless youth registers the lowest level of particiaption.
Volunteering in Spain
Very few data are available in Spain on volunteering. Due to the recent impulse of volunteer service in non-profitable organisations in Spain, there is a difference between the legal realities in a national level than in the local government.
Volunteering in the Netherlands
Approximately one third of volunteers are young and this group is mainly active in youth work and in sports clubs. Young people are manifestly underrepresented in education, welfare, culture, idealistic organisations and politics. More boys are active in sport than girls who are more committed to work in welfare, school, culture and idealistic organisations.
Volunteering in the United Kingdom
One of the major findings from the 1997 National Survey of Volunteering was that levels of volunteering by younger people had declined dramatically between 1991 and 1997. Whilst 43% of those aged 18-24 are involved in formal volunteering, this figure represents a drop from 55% in 1991. More worryingly, those between 18 and 24 volunteer less hours per week than older age groups.

Further information

The results of a comparative research lead in France, Germany, Italy, Spain , in the Netherlands and in the United Kingdom have been published : publication 3 - Iriv

Iriv & alii, Volunteering : an opportunity for youngsters in Europe, Pilot project supported by the European Commission and the Council of Europe, 2000.