Youth Work
Youth Volunteering
YOUR choice… YOU decide… YOU’RE in charge…
Q. What’s been called one of the trendiest social activities around, second only to dancing?
No idea? Want another clue? Angelina Jolie, Bono and Miss Dynamite all do it.
Any suggestions…
… VOLUNTEERING
Betcha didn’t think of that! Want to find out more?
Millennium Volunteer Awards
 Are you aged between 16 - 25?
Do you want your volunteering efforts to be recognised?
Do you fancy a certificate signed by a Scottish Executive Minister?
If the answer is yes then all that is required is for you to register with us or for your organisation to register. Simple isn’t it?
Volunteer Registration Form MV
Certificate request form
Volunteer Timesheet
MV Flyer
Q. Is there a catch?
No there isn’t. Any volunteering experience counts towards a Millennium Volunteer Award (MVA). In order to qualify for an award you must complete 50 hrs, 100hrs or 200hrs. The choice is yours. This might seem like an awful lot of hours but the good news is that you can take up to two years in which to complete them.
Get recognition for your volunteering experiences and receive an award, take the plunge and sign up for a Millennium Volunteer Award. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Highland Wide Recognition - Young Highlander Award
Can your organisation support young people to achieve their potential?
Throughout the Highlands it has been identified that many young people under the age of 16 currently volunteer.
The Young Highlander Award has been introduced as a way to reward these volunteers for their hard work.
If an organisation has volunteers under the age of 16 helping out with, e.g:
Fundraising
Bag packing
Events
Setting up stalls
Supporting younger members
Why not nominate them to register for this award and get something back!!
There are three levels of Young Highlander Award
BRONZE AWARD =40 Hours
SILVER AWARD= 60Hours
GOLD AWARD = 120 Hours
To qualify, the young person has to volunteer for the required number of hours. Timesheets showing volunteering hours are completed and verified by the organisation.
It’s as SIMPLE as that!!!
YH Volunteer registration form
YH Certificate request form
YH Timesheet
YH Flyer
Youth Achievement Awards
These awards are open to young people over 14 yrs old. There are four levels:
Bronze - young people take part
Silver - young people assist
Gold - young people organise
Platinum - young people undertake training and lead programs
 As a group, or individually, young people identify 15-hour ‘challenges’ through volunteering experiences. These are then planned, evidenced and reviewed in their awards booklet which is available through local Volunteering Centres. Once young people have completed a peer assessment they are then awarded their nationally accredited certificate. Interested? Contact us now at your local Volunteer Centre.
What Volunteering Can Do For You
1. Personal growth - OK, I can hear your groans, but seriously this is important. It’s a scary place out there and we all need to gain confidence and increase our self esteem and self worth, volunteering can provide the support which will enable you to develop these skills.
2. Work experience - Anything you can do to improve your odds of getting a job can only help. Volunteering can provide an alternative pathway into paid employment. It offers you a chance to acquire many of the ‘soft skills’ employers value, by this I mean team working, problem solving and developing initiative amongst others. How many times do we see ‘must have experience’ in the recruitment pages of papers? Well look no further, volunteering can provide you with that experience.
3. Make friends - Making friends is fun but can also be beneficial to your future. In today’s employment market it is important to learn how to network, many of the contacts you may make during your volunteering experiences can be very important when it comes to finding employment.
4. Looks good on your CV - Volunteer work could be the one thing that makes your CV stand out from all the others.
5. Receive references – It’s good to have referees who can offer statements not only about your character but how you can perform within a work environment.
Is this enough reason?
No? Well I’ll give you one more…
Its FUN and above all its one of the biggest highs you’ll ever get in life which is not only legal but very good for your health.
Frequently Asked Questions
 Q. Will I get paid?
No. It wouldn’t be volunteering if you did. You shouldn’t be out of pocket either as expenses incurred should be reimbursed.
Q. How much time do I give?
As much or as little as you want. Volunteering can be flexible. You needn’t change your lifestyle to fit in volunteering, volunteering can be adjusted to fit in with yours, leaving lots of time for your social activities.
Q. Don’t you need special skills? I don’t think I have any.
Yes you have, you’re young, that means you have energy and vitality qualities that every organisation or employer recognises and needs. As for other skills, volunteering provides you with an opportunity to discover them.
Q. What opportunities are there?
In the Highlands you can experience various opportunities including working with children, animals, the environment, driving, education, support/counselling, fundraising, clerical work, retail and sport.
Q. Who decides what opportunity I choose?
You do, you’re in charge and you decide.
Q. How do I get started?
This one is easy to answer, contact Volunteering Highland
Duke of Edinburgh Awards
This award centres around personal and social development. Its value can be found within personal commitment, the learning process and the quality of the experience. This is made more appealing by the fact that young people themselves choose their own program around their interests, personal circumstances and local provision. In other words, you could say its ’tailor made’ to an individual young person’s starting point, interests and abilities. There are three levels
- Bronze - 14 yrs and over
- Silver - 15 and over
- Gold - 16 and over
The great thing here is its flexibility, you can enter at any level and can have until your 25th birthday to complete it. All you have to do is choose activities in four different sections (5 if it’s the gold):
1. Service (helping people in the community)
2. Skills (covers most hobbies, skills and interests)
3. Physical Recreation (sport, dance and fitness)
4. Expeditions (training for, planning, completing a journey on foot, horseback, boat or cycle)
5. Residential Project (Gold only) a purposeful enterprise with people not previously know to participants
Before you start your activity you set your own goals, you achieve your award if you aim for them and show improvement. Interested? If so, get in touch…
Youth Volunteering
Volunteering Highland
1A Millburn Road
Inverness
IV2 3PX
Tel: 01463 711393
Email: enquiries@volunteeringhighland.org
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