YouthVIP has published a new briefing paper, “Scotland’s Poverty-Related Youth Volunteering Gap”, based on its recent research project to create a current picture of youth volunteering in Scotland.

“Young people in the most deprived areas in Scotland face more barriers to accessing high quality volunteering opportunities.”

The project looked at who is volunteering and why, barriers preventing young people accessing volunteering opportunities, and what can be done to make volunteering opportunities more inclusive, appealing and rewarding for all. As a result of this research, 9 recommendations were formed as a guide to how this could be achieved.

YouthVIP then conducted further investigations to specifically explore the challenges facing young people from the most deprived areas.

“Scotland’s Poverty-Related Youth Volunteering Gap” is the product of this activity, and highlights the challenges which should be addressed in order to create more equitable and inclusive volunteering opportunities. The paper sets out key areas which YouthVIP argues must be tackled, and how the recommendations and a youth work approach are potential ways of breaking down some of these barriers.

To view the paper in full, or for further information, please visit the YouthLink Scotland website (linked for your convenience).