The latest Community Life survey has some interesting stats on volunteering.

33% of adults in England regularly volunteered, either formally or informally, at least once a month over the last year. Of this, 36% were aged 16 to 24.

37% were aged over 75, and 40% were aged 65 to 74.

Students represent a significant proportion of volunteers across the country and with two large universities based in Oxfordshire we are lucky to have a supply of willing volunteers in our region. But student volunteers doesn’t just mean those in university, it also means those who are home educated, at school, in further education or training. And of course we have older students returning to education!

Why would a student want to volunteer?

Students volunteer for many diverse reasons. While gaining skills and experience may be obvious, they also volunteer for building their confidence, socialising and to support causes they are passionate about.

Students may be more likely to be look for flexible roles, but many also enjoy the traditional weekly commitment that brings routine, building knowledge and working on areas of their own development.

Students who are still at school require a more robust approach to safeguarding, but these challenges are manageable for many groups. Help is available if you are yet to branch into taking student volunteers under 16 or under 18. Please reach out to us to have a conversation about what is required.

Young people who volunteer often become adults who volunteer. If we can open our doors to more volunteers this will only strengthen volunteering for the future.

Happy Student Volunteer week and a big thank you to all the students volunteering in Oxfordshire!