Hello everyone,

My name is Ellie, and I am the Volunteering Development Officer at CCVS. For over 9 years I have worked on an amazing project supporting people from all walks of life into volunteering – Volunteering For All.

It is incredibly rewarding work that puts me right in the middle of community groups and the people who want to help them.

During the time I have worked on this project, I have seen a positive increase in involvement from people from the global majority, those facing barriers, and people with lived experience of mental and physical health problems, in local community projects. I have seen groups becoming more and more inclusive and thriving, thanks to these volunteers.

What I would like to see more of now, is young people getting involved, especially young people with additional needs or facing barriers.

We at CCVS Volunteering For All, know so well how incredibly positive the impact of volunteering is, and how people benefit from getting involved in their community, fighting isolation and improving skills.

But also, we are aware of how new volunteers are a breath of fresh air for organisations, bringing in input and new ideas and we want to see more of that!

I have noticed that most young people have particular areas of interest in which they want to get involved, but what most don’t know is that they can find incredible roles as volunteers that could match those very interests.

For instance, did you know that you could use all your knowledge and passion as a volunteer around music, sport or computing, animals, or campaigning for a better future?

In fact, the first and biggest barrier to young people getting involved is a lack of local knowledge around volunteering opportunities.

Take a look at the Volunteer Cambs website and see what opportunities are already available there for people under 18.

You will see that there are many roles in fundraising and other events, in hospitals and libraries, with Scouts and Girl Guiding, museums and so much more.

You might not find a role directly with animals (apart from Riding for the Disabled) but you could consider volunteering in a charity shop where the profits will go to support rescued animals, like RSPCA, Woodgreen or the Cats Protection, or ask your parent to volunteer with you as a dog walker for Cinnamon Trust.

Are you a strong ally of LGBTQ+ rights and want to help their campaigns and activities? You could volunteer with The Kite Trust.

Do you want to make sure that local young people’s voices are heard and make a difference to decision-making processes? Why not to join Cambridge Youth Panel?

Or you could volunteer in one of the many sports related projects, for example GoalBallUK  or Cambridge United Foundation where people as young as 16 can get involved and support the team and so much more!

The second barrier to volunteering is the lack of time! You are so very busy with education, hobbies and social life you might think you couldn’t possibly fit in volunteering as well. But the beauty of volunteering is that it is very flexible, and you can find a role to fit in with your commitments. Some volunteering opportunities only require as little as an hour every other week, and there are others which are one off opportunities.

The third barrier is transport. I know you may not be able to get everywhere on your bike, but there are plenty of local opportunities very close to you so that you can get involved with something very local. Have a look at the map on the website and see what you can find close to you. Otherwise, do venture out and see what happens in your local community centre, ask the librarian if they are recruiting volunteers, look at the church, the community development group in your ward, or look at the community board in your school! And finally remember that there is so much you can do from home!

The fourth barrier is money. Some people in fact think that they would be out pocket as a volunteer as they have to pay for transport or other expenses, but what they may not realise is that they are entitled to a refund. So, don’t worry, you won’t need to use your pocket money, as you will have transport expenses refunded, and you may even receive free lunches and discounts! If you volunteer at festivals, you could even get to see the shows for free!

The fifth barrier is peer pressure. You might think that you could only volunteer where you already have friends, and that even if it is not the right role for you, you won’t try anything else. But volunteering is a fantastic way to meet new people, especially different people from your usual environment, and it will give you a chance to make new friends. You don’t have to consider only options that your friends are already involved in but keep an open mind and see what is out there!

The sixth barrier is a lack of experience and references. The application process might be very daunting and if you see that two references and previous work experience is needed, you might feel very off put. But did you know that anybody over 18 not related to you and who has known you for at least 2 years, can be a referee? Your teacher, your sports coach, your mum’s friend. They’ll be all absolutely fine as referees. Your previous experiences are not as important as your motivation to volunteer, you don’t need to have worked or volunteered before, what really matters is why you want to volunteer now!

The seventh barrier is that you might think that if you have a disability, you could not volunteer, but you’d be wrong! As I said earlier, I have worked with many people in the past and a good number of them lived with disabilities, but that hadn’t stopped them, and it shouldn’t stop you! You need to find the right role, one that is interesting and fun, one that allows you to use all the skills you already have and develop new ones. Be open and tell the volunteer manager how they can support you best to make the role suitable for you, help them understand how best to support you. It will be great opportunity for you to experiment with how to make your voice heard and learn how to support staff working with volunteers to make adjustments and ensure the environment is very inclusive.

I hope this blog made you a bit more curious about getting involved in volunteering! It will be such a great opportunity for you, but also your community needs your help so much. You can really support local organisations to make it a better place for everyone!

For any more info or support contact ellie@cambridgecvs.org.uk