Volunteering with Young People – expand their horizons!
Volunteering with young people- expand their horizons!
Written by Rachel Bell, Head of Programmes – Education
The Education programme is a major part of ELBA’s offer and an essential resource accessed by schools to get students ready for the world of work. The support from volunteers is a key element the team rely on and an important component in providing insight for students. All education partners are state schools (community schools, foundation schools, academies, colleges and grammar schools) and ELBA supports the careers teams within our partner schools to help facilitate the achievement of Gatsby Benchmark 5 and 6:
- Benchmark 5 – Encounters with employees and employers
- Benchmark 6 – Experiences of workplaces & exploration of career opportunities
A lot of young people we work with do not have the connections in the industry they may be interested in exploring for their future career. An interaction with a volunteer may be their only opportunity to explore their options and speak 1:1 with volunteers who operate in the industry they are interested in. All of our opportunities focus on the Skills Builder framework- these essential skills are important to the students’ development – Aiming High, Staying Positive, Teamwork, Leadership, Creativity, Problem Solving, Speaking and Listening. Career Insight Visits and our offering of education opportunities are useful interventions to develop student confidence, increase social capital and make valuable connections.
Although volunteering with the Education Team is already popular amongst our corporate partners, we wanted to highlight some ways to get involved and tips for working with young people from the east London community. If you haven’t volunteered with the Education Team before, here are some top tips for working with young people with ELBA:
- 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 – while 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.
- If you have ideas- please share them! ELBA always welcomes new ideas and other ways volunteers can get involved in our opportunities.
- 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!
The students really enjoy the workshops, please see some student feedback below:
“The volunteers gave informative and vital advice for both advancing in a career in banking and to university.”
“I’ve learnt so much and I was able to ask so many questions.”
“Speaking with the volunteers and them giving an insight as to what they do, has opened my thoughts on courses.”
“I enjoyed working in a different environment to school with my peers.”
We hope to see you in an Education workshop in the near future – happy volunteering!
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