Yahoo News In challenging times, young Londoners are volunteering to get ahead in the job market
At school and as a student, I knew that if I had I wanted to become a lawyer I had to strengthen my CV and build up the skill set I needed to get my foot in the door of a good law firm.
The problem was that the typical part time jobs I could do as a student to earn that much needed extra income, were unlikely to make me stand out. That’s where volunteering came in.
It wasn’t always easy, but in between studies and part time jobs, I volunteered at a legal advice centre, and I did community youth work. It was fun and rewarding, but it also gave me an introduction into a working environment that I had not seen before. And it gave me the opportunity to help people from all walks of life. I learned that sense of fulfilment from giving back to your community, which has influenced many of my career and life choices ever since.
The benefits of volunteering as a young adult are clear: you build confidence, a sense of initiative, and the ability to work with and help others, as well as developing skills for your future career. But it’s not just the young volunteer who benefits - the reality is, without youngsters who are truly engaged, many of our local charities and community clubs would struggle. Not only would these organisations feel the pinch without the extra help, but so would the wider community.
The time young people give up to help in their local area is invaluable in building stronger and more cohesive communities, by giving people the opportunity to get to know their neighbours and other people of different ages and backgrounds. And to see life from a different point of view.
Team London, the Mayor of London's volunteering initiative, and The Challenge, the UK’s leading social integration charity, are encouraging more and more young Londoners to volunteer through its HeadStart programme for these reasons. To date 5,300 young people have taken part in the initiative, which works by giving them a guaranteed interview in return for volunteering for 16 hours or more.
They’ve volunteered at charities which help older people who are feeling lonely or who would like to boost their IT skills; they’ve got their gloves on to replenish local community gardens; and they’ve helped people with disabilities to take part in sport.
The greatest thing about this is the way in which these young adults embrace the plethora of volunteering opportunities available to them and feel a real sense of pride and participation in their local community. Many go way above and beyond the 16 hour programme.
Ninety-seven per cent of young people who have been through HeadStart said it had helped take them out of their comfort zone, and that they were more comfortable with people who were different to themselves. Jennifer, who was recently on the programme, said it helped her prepare her future because "it's important to be able to mix with people who are different to you".
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But yes, it's also good for the CV. The skills needed in volunteering are the same ones employers look for, whether that's knowing how to diffuse a challenging situation, working as part of a team or managing time effectively. With Saturday jobs on the decline, volunteering is a way for young people to set themselves apart from the crowd and develop the leadership and communication skills they need to fulfil their potential.
That's why today we are asking more young people to give up their time for a good cause. And it's why I am urging more of our businesses to help them to do so, by stating clearly on job descriptions that they value voluntary work as well as paid employment.
So far, young Londoners have volunteered for more than 100,000 hours through 300 different organisations as part of HeadStart. And with most of these opportunities being focused in local communities, this is helping to ensure that Londoners of every background don't just live side by side - they live truly interconnected lives. This is critical in a super-diverse city like ours, where 300 languages are spoken every day.
There are so many more who would benefit from giving their time and energy to a good cause – and so many good causes that would benefit too. As a society, a city and a country, we all stand to benefit.
Matthew Ryder is Deputy Mayor of London for Social Integration, Social Mobility and Community Engagement.
