Youth Volunteering Crucial to Country’s Future

Media Release
For Immediate Release

6 May 2009

Youth Volunteering Crucial to Country’s Future

Encouraging more young New Zealanders towards volunteering is crucial to New Zealand’s future, says ComVoices, an independent network of more than 20 Sector organisations.

Volunteering New Zealand announced recently that the theme of this years’ Volunteer Awareness Week (14-20 June) was Youth Volunteering.

In 2009 Volunteer Wellington has already recorded a 40 per cent increase in young, fulltime workers in their twenties wanting to volunteer. There has also been a marked increase of volunteers aged 14-20 years.

Sarah Helm, National Executive Officer, New Zealand Aotearoa Adolescent Health and Development (NZAAHD) says, “It is very encouraging that more young people are increasingly seeing volunteering as an exciting opportunity for gaining new skills and experience, beyond their paid work, and as a great way of expanding their social networks.”

Young volunteers have a wide range of options that can develop their maturity and encourage skills such as sociability, leadership and responsibility.
“It’s exciting to see these young people stepping up to the mark at a time when our communities’ needs are greater than ever, says Ric Odom, Chief Executive of YMCA.
“We need to ensure the upwards trends that we have seen so far in 2009 continue by encouraging more young people to discover the value of giving; not only in terms of advancing their own capabilities but ensuring they are more resilient and flexible in times of increasing unemployment.”
“Another reason to encourage youth volunteering is that international evidence shows that many of those who first volunteer at a young age continue to volunteer throughout their lives, says Tim Burns, Executive Director of Volunteering New Zealand.

“The young volunteers of today are also for the volunteers of New Zealand’s future.”

Robyn Scott, Executive Director of Philanthropy New Zealand of says, “One of the key reasons we celebrate and encourage this focus is that with more young people out helping their communities, we can all look forward to a brighter future; one that is more grounded in the value of giving and generosity.”

Elliot Strange, Chair of the Generosity Hub says, “ensuring volunteering is in the psyche of our young people will develop a more generous and prosperous nation.

“Generosity is important for every sector of society, to help it function well. And volunteering elevates young peoples’ own view of their role in society”.

Resources for giving time

Search online for volunteering opportunities at www.volunteernow.org.nz

ENDS

© Scoop Media