1.
YOUNG PEOPLE & VOLUNTEERING:
Opportunities and Obstacles in Deprived
Areas
Dr. James Davies

2.
Presentation outline
• Who volunteers?
• Research methods
• Obstacles
• Objective and subjective factors
• Opportunities
• Facilitating factors and motivations
• Concluding remarks

3.
Who volunteers?
Gender & Geography
21
35
26
32
38
42
36
56
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Male Female Urban Rural
In school time In my spare time
33
23 24
22
33
50
39
34 34
16
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
None 0-20% 20-40% 40-60% 60-100%
In school time In my spare time
Deprivation
Source: YPiS 2016; n = 1,550 Source: YPiS 2016; n = 1,550

4.
• Qualitative approach
• Focus groups
• Interviews
• Young participants
• Aged 12-18
• Male and female
• Volunteers and non-volunteers
• Youth workers
• Research sites
• 0-20% SIMD areas
• Youth organisations, sports charities, educational institutions
Research methods

5.
Obstacles
Objective barriers
1. Resource issues
2. School issues
3. Lack of information
4. Spatial barriers
Subjective barriers
1. Getting 'slagged’
2. Masculinity

6.
Obstacles: objective barriers
1. Resource issues
2. School issues
I’ve never heard of them speak about it or anything like
that. (Abbie 15, volunteer)
We’ll say, “We’re looking for some young people for
volunteering at [organisation] to support the project” and
they’ll say, “We don’t really have anybody that’d be able to
do that”. (Youth worker)

7.
Obstacles: objective barriers
3. Lack of information
We all know about it ‘cos we do it, there’s people who just
sit about or kick about the streets … they don’t know how
to, where to go or who to speak to. (Faye 16, volunteer)
Brad This is the first time I’ve ever thought about it.
Will This is the first time I’ve spoke about it as well.
Stu When somebody comes in and makes you
aware of it, what you can do and then you start
actually thinking, “Oh well, if you can go and do
that, then I would”, but they never tell.
(Brad 18, Will 18, Stu 17, non-volunteers)

8.
Obstacles: objective barriers
4. Spatial barriers
It is difficult, ‘cos you’re no’ familiar with it and stuff, ‘cos
usually like I, say I’m familiar with like this area and stuff,
like going out to different areas is like, where you
don’t know it’s quite, you don’t know where you’re going
and stuff. (Thomas 17, ex-volunteer)
There’s lots of gangs and that and like some people can’t go
into this, like, people fae … just over the bridge, can’t come
over to here without getting chased back over, because of
like gangs and where they’re from. (Matt 15, volunteer)

9.
Obstacles: subjective barriers
1. Getting ‘slagged’
Taylor You can get involved, but you don’t really want to.
Robyn Aye, because you’d probably get like slaughtered.
…
JD What would put you off doing it do you think?
Zoe Because we’d get slagged and bullied.
Robyn Reputation an’ all that.
(Taylor 16, Robyn 16, Zoe 15, non-volunteers)

10.
Obstacles: subjective barriers
2. Masculinity
Ye think more feminine and all that ‘cos there is a lot more
girls doing it and I think, teenagers and all that, they’re
gunnae think, “Oh whits he doaen? He’s doaen that”, and
they’re gunna make him embarrassed and then he’s no’
going to dae it. (Liam 18, ex-volunteer)
None of the boys are really interested, so you’re an idiot
because you’re the guy with the lassies by yersel’ kinda
thing … so you, it doesnae appeal to you. (Harry 17, ex-
volunteer)

11.
Opportunities
1. Discovering
youth
organizations
2. Growing up
in clubs
3. Transitioning
into
volunteering
roles
Participant-to-volunteer transition

12.
Opportunities: facilitating factors
1. Discovering youth organizations
When I was younger I used to go to the club, it’s like my
friends were like, “Ooh come, like, obviously see this club”, I
went and I enjoyed it, so I kept going back. (Vikki 18,
volunteer)
Ma sister and ma brother done it and my mum’s quite
involved in it, that’s really how I found out about it … [my
mum is] the chair of the board. (Nathan 14, volunteer)

13.
Opportunities: facilitating factors
2. Growing up in clubs
Most of the young people we have have came through as,
they’ve been a participant in an … activity and then as
soon as they hit eleven they come knockin’ on the door, it
could be, we’ve had ones on the day of their birthday, their
eleventh birthday like, “That’s me, eleven, can I please
sign up as a volunteer”. (Youth worker)

14.
Opportunities: facilitating factors
3. Transitioning into volunteering roles
I kept going back and then they were asking me, like,
“Because, like, you come regularly would you like to start
volunteering?”, I was like, “Well, aye” [laughs] so I, that’s
really how I got into volunteering. (Vikki 18, volunteer)

15.
Opportunities: motivations
1. CV enhancement
That’s why I’d do volunteering, for my CV. (Taylor 16, non-
volunteer)
It’s good to have on your CV and … they’ll [employers] look
at that and that might make … a difference. (Grace 15,
volunteer)
If it wasn’t for like helping ma CV then I’d’ve thought it was
like no’ really any point in it, but ‘cos it, it helps your CV and
then and helps you build skills and stuff then it’s better.
(Scott 15, volunteer)

16.
Opportunities: motivations
2. Pursuing leisure
You just go outside and have a carry-on. (Niamh 14,
volunteers)
3. Social attachments
I’m still gunnae stick to volunteerin’ … because I love helpin’
and I cannae just, like, everything that I’ve gained, I
cannae just throw that away. (Amy 15, volunteer)
I wanted to gi’ time back intae it [the organisation] and do
something to help everybody else that’s like in the clubs, like
everybody younger. (Niamh 14, volunteer)

17.
Concluding remarks
What can be done to encourage youth volunteering
in deprived areas?
1. Improve access to information
2. Early engagement
3. Meaningful activities
4. Sensitivity to age and gender
5. Greater coordination with schools
6. Local engagement
7. Investing in youth organizations

18.
Further information
• Research summary
https://www.volunteerscotland.net/for-organisations/research-and-
evaluation/publications/youth-volunteering-in-deprived-areas/
• Contact
Email jamesdavies_@hotmail.com
Twitter @james925