Skip to main content

What are you looking for?

Enter keywords to search across resources, guides, training, tools, and more.

Create an account for suggestions personalised to you and your organisation

Articles & Reports
1 minute read

International Youth Volunteering Resources

Meeting National Standards and Strategy Seal Meeting National Standards and Strategy What's this?

Introduction

This collection of resources by the International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE) explores the role of youth volunteering in social change and personal development. They are free to download but the site asks for your name, organisation and email.

Summary

Youth Volunteering and Social Change: Challenges and Opportunities

In 2023, IAVE commissioned four papers on volunteering that focused on key issues impacting young people. The papers were used to frame a series of online conversations and a global roundtable. In May 2023, IAVE held a Roundtable in London hosted by Volunteering Matters to expand the dialogue on Youth Volunteering, Employability and Sustainable Livelihoods. This event and the resulting report celebrates both the power of youth and the power of volunteering.

A New Generation of Volunteers as Changemakers

This Challenge Paper ‘A New Generation of Volunteers as Changemakers’ was commissioned in partnership with International Forum for Volunteering in Development (Forum), and used as a framing paper for Forum’s IVCO 2023 conference, held in Kuala Lumpur in October 2023. Available in English, Spanish, and French.

Future Leadership: The Role of Youth Volunteers

Youth volunteering is seen as providing an important experience for young people to engage with their communities and the issues they care about while enhancing their own personal development. This paper explores how learning to lead through volunteering often creates a pathway to employability and social entrepreneurial activities. It focuses on the importance of channeling the passion and commitment of young volunteers into leadership roles to sustain and grow the volunteer effort, and allow youth to define what volunteering leadership means to them. 2020. Available in English.

Youth, Volunteering and Employment

The final report of research for a dialogue, sponsored by the Telefonica Foundation, at the December 2012 IAVE World Volunteer Conference. This work came in response to the growing global crisis of youth unemployment and reflects IAVE’s belief that volunteering by young people can help prepare them for the paid workforce. Available in English and Spanish.

Benefits for Volunteer Organisations

These resources offer valuable insights for organisations working with young volunteers. By understanding the motivations and aspirations of young people, organisations can create more engaging volunteer opportunities that benefit both the community and the volunteers themselves.

Application

Volunteer management practitioners can utilise these resources to:

  • Tailor volunteer opportunities to attract and retain young volunteers by aligning with their interests and desired skills development.

  • Provide opportunities for young volunteers to take on leadership roles within volunteer programs.

  • Showcase the positive outcomes of youth volunteer involvement to attract more young people and strengthen community partnerships.


Downloads and sources

More about the author

International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE) creates a more just and sustainable world by enabling the leaders, organizations, and environments that empower volunteers.

Contribute to the Gateway


More like this

Articles & Reports

Engaging and Leading Volunteers

This article and guides provide an overview of volunteer engagement for leaders who manage volunteers.
1 minute read
The Knowledge Base, Volunteering ACT, The Centre for Volunteering, Volunteering Queensland, Volunteering SA&NT, Volunteering Tasmania, Volunteering Victoria
General
Role Descriptions

Writing a Role Description

A guide on how to write a volunteer role description.
1 minute read
Volunteering Australia
General
e-learning

Recruit and Retain Volunteers

This eLearning course is designed to equip you with the skills to recruit the perfect volunteer leaders and develop strategies to keep them engaged and motivated.
1 minute read
The Knowledge Base, Volunteering Services Australia, Useability
Disability, General
VIKTOR Lite
Tech

VIKTOR Lite

VIKTOR Lite enables volunteer involving organisations to recruit volunteers via a range of websites run by local governments, state peaks, local volunteer resource centres, Volunteering Australia and SEEK Volunteer.
Volunteer database Recruitment Onboarding / training Reporting
GoodCompany
Tech

GoodCompany

GoodCompany is a Workplace Giving Platform based in Australia and NZ. It's designed to enable companies and their people to come together to donate, volunteer, fundraise, and match donations for the charities closest to their hearts.
Volunteer database Recruitment Rostering / scheduling Onboarding / training Volunteer performance/recognition Communication / engagement Compliance Reporting Resource management Social media Event management Donations
MyPass
Tech

MyPass

MyPass is volunteer onboarding and compliance management software centred around a digital Skills Passport, designed to help volunteer involving organisations (VIOs) reduce their risk and cost of operations.
Volunteer database Recruitment Rostering / scheduling Onboarding / training Communication / engagement Compliance Reporting Resource management Event management
scheduled

Becoming an Inclusive Volunteer Involving Organisation

Join us for free training for staff and volunteers looking to promote and develop inclusivity within their organisation.
The Centre for Volunteering
Free
scheduled

Becoming an Inclusive Volunteer Involving Organisation

Join us for free training for staff and volunteers looking to promote and develop inclusivity within their organisation.
The Centre for Volunteering
Free
scheduled

National Standards Deep Dive: Standard 8

Take a deep dive into Standard 8 of the National Standards for Volunteer Involvement
The Centre for Volunteering
Free