Volunteering for Young People
Welcome to the Volunteer Centre’s webpage for young people. If you would like to try something different, and think you might be interested in volunteering, you’ve come to the right place.
What is volunteering?
So, what's this volunteering lark all about anyway?
Volunteering means many things to many different people, but it could be…
"An opportunity for someone to gain invaluable experience through their own commitment and time, to improve their skills, confidence and contacts whilst helping others".
There are literally hundreds of people who volunteer in Glasgow every day, working in a variety of different roles – there are so many different types of voluntary activity that you can get involved in, and loads of ways in which you can benefit from volunteering, besides working wonders for the wider community.
Why Bother?
The next time you call someone a 'do-gooder' because they volunteer, think about the many positive things you could get out of volunteering:
- The opportunity to gain valuable experience and to enhance your career prospects
- To learn new skills, or use and enhance the ones you already have
- To obtain up to date character references and add to your CV
- To build confidence
- To face new challenges
- To experiment with different things
- To get out and about
- To use up your spare time, doing something worthwhile
- Helping others, and the wider community
- Meeting new people and making new friends
- Working as part of a team
- The chance to obtain awards and certificates for your efforts – see below for more information on the national MV Awards sponsored by the Scottish Executive
- And most importantly, to have fun!
What skills will I need?
- For most volunteering activity, you don’t need any special skills or qualifications
- But you could gain valuable experience and knowledge, and learn new skills through your volunteering
When would I volunteer?
Concerned about how volunteering will affect your hectic social life? The good news for you is that volunteering is meant to be flexible so you can fit it around other things in your life:
- Friends & family
- School or college
- Part-time of full-time work
- Or any other commitments you have e.g. sporting involvement
Got lots of time to spare? Click here for more information about full-time volunteering (min 30 hours per week for min 3 months) with Project Scotland.
Where can I volunteer?
At any one time, there are over 500 volunteering opportunities looking for over 4,500 people throughout Glasgow so you should be able to find something to do in your local area. If you’re willing to travel, you could access volunteering anywhere in Glasgow.
To search for opportunities in Glasgow on our database, click here
Or alternatively, for more information, or to make an appointment to meet with an advisor, contact us on 0141-226-3431 or email info@volunteerglasgow.org.
Interested in something a little further afield? Check out our information regarding overseas opportunities.
Not sure what you want to do? Keep on reading to find out more.
What Kind of volunteering can I do?
Volunteering is all about experimentation i.e. about trying out new things:
- Finding out what you enjoy
- Finding out what you are good at
- Meeting new people
These are just some of the things you can do:
- Want some practical experience for a career in admin?
- Got an ear for music, or wanting to put your artistic temperament to good use? Have a look for Arts opportunities
- Are you the outdoorsy type? Check out our Sports/ Outdoor Activities opportunities
- Want to help to make your local area more attractive? Why not try conservation/ gardening work
- Want to tutor children with their reading and writing? See our Tutoring opportunities, or search in the Education/Literacy section.
- Of course, there’s always good old charity shop work!
- And many, many more…
Still not convinced?
The MV Award
The MV Award is open to any young person in Glasgow, aged between 14 and 25. It is designed to recognise the value and importance of young people’s volunteering, and so rewards them for a sustained commitment to their chosen voluntary activity or activities.
You could be earning hours by:
- Completing work within school, such as ‘buddying’, ‘peer support’ or other activities during or after school
- Working on a project in your own time that will benefit others
- Helping out at the weekend, or in the evenings in a voluntary capacity
All these things illustrate a willingness to get involved and to help others, reliability, and commitment to a cause.
There are certificates for 50 hours, 100 hours and 200 hours of voluntary activity, and as it’s a nationally recognised award, it looks great on a CV!
50 hours, 100 hours, 200 hours – its sounds like a lot of time, and a big commitment, but it’s something to work towards, and think how good you’ll feel if you achieve one or more of these milestones, not to mention all the other benefits of volunteering, like the ‘feel-good’ factor of helping others, the chance to build your self-confidence, and the not-to-be-missed opportunity to learn new skills and gain experience.
Under 14 ? Don’t worry, there are still volunteering opportunities out there for you and the good news is that all the time you put into any volunteering activity can be backdated as far as April 2002, so while you might not be able to physically receive your certificate until you turn 14, you can work towards your certificates, knowing that one day you’ll receive an award for your efforts.
Already volunteering?
You could already be volunteering without realising that you are eligible for an MV Award.
- Is the work unpaid and entirely voluntary?
- Does it benefit others, or the wider community or the school?
Yes? Then email us now with the subject "MV Award – have hours" at info@volunteerglasgow.org with your contact details and we’ll get back to you asap to help you get the relevant MV Award.
