Supporting young people – tips and benefits of volunteering

By Zaina Ali, Senior Project Manager, Education Works

Volunteers are a key element of ELBA’s Education programme, providing essential insights that helps students prepare for the world of work. ELBA work with a range of state school partners – community schools, foundation schools, academies, colleges and grammar schools – and we support them to achieve Gatsby Benchmarks 5 and 6:

• Benchmark 5 – Encounters with employees and employers
• Benchmark 6 – Experiences of workplaces & exploration of career opportunities

Many young people we work with the lack connections to industries they want to explore. That’s where our volunteers come in. An interaction with a volunteer may be their only chance to get one-on-one time with someone who works in their desired field. All of ELBA’s education opportunities, including our Career Insight Visits, are designed to boost student confidence, increase social capital and build valuable connections. These programmes focus on the Skills Builder framework, which develops essential skills like Aiming High, Staying Positive, Teamwork, Leadership, Creativity, Problem Solving, Speaking and Listening.

Our corporate partners really enjoy volunteering with us, so we wanted to share a few tips and tricks as well as benefits to volunteering with young people:

Tips on volunteering with young people:

• Every young person is different – it is important to remember that every young person is different and learns in various ways. This may be their first experience in a corporate setting and meeting new people in a professional environment. Therefore, they may be overwhelmed at the start.
• Find your enthusiasm – although the students are here to learn and upskill, the day should be fun and accessible to young people. Relatability is important to ensure students can see their future selves using these skills and knowledge.
• Be patient and adaptable – sometimes things happen which are out of our control – whilst ELBA will always be on hand to support, we encourage volunteers to be as cooperative with us and the students as much as possible.
• Be prepared – Attend volunteer briefings or access the recordings in advance to ensure you understand expectations and give plenty of time to ask questions before the session.
• Enjoy yourself! You are giving up your time to be there and be part of this session. The students will be excited and keen to engage with you also, so make the most of interacting and getting to know the students – you may also learn something from them!

Benefits of volunteering with young people:

Volunteering with young people provides numerous benefits, including personal growth, enhanced communication skills, a sense of fulfilment and the opportunity to build stronger communities. It allows volunteers to learn from young minds, develop leadership skills and potentially explore career paths, while also improving mental health, boosting self-esteem and increasing empathy.

This exposure to diverse experiences fosters self-improvement, confidence, resilience and a greater sense of purpose, as well as refining active listening and adaptable communication skills. Witnessing the growth of young people offers a deep sense of purpose and the unique opportunity to learn from their perspectives helps in understanding and navigating challenges.

Furthermore, it provides valuable skills development in teamwork, problem-solving and adaptability, enhancing both communication and listening skills and encouraging volunteers to step out of their comfort zone, ultimately broadening their empathy and perspective.

Here is some of the feedback we have received from students and volunteers from previous workshops:

Student Feedback

Volunteer Feedback

We hope this has inspired you to start or continue with your volunteering journey. We are excited to see you in an Education workshop in the near future – happy volunteering!

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