#YouthVIP Summit - February 2022
Alongside YouthLink Scotland, we have delivered the first YouthVIP Summit, an event that was co-designed and co-delivered with young volunteers of the Youth Volunteering Legacy Group. Hosting an annual youth volunteering summit is recommendation five out of the thirteen YouthVIP recommendations and the 2022 YouthVIP Summit has set a precedent for subsequent events.
The event brought together young people and organisations across Scotland to discuss the current trends and issues in youth volunteering. The main focus of discussions was effective practice of volunteering in local communities and barriers to inclusion that young people face when accessing and experiencing volunteering opportunities.
We supported engagement with young people to provide organisational representatives the opportunity to listen to young people’s experiences of volunteering, why it was meaningful, the barriers they faced and the support they require in the future. Ensuring young people are at the core of the recommendations is the key objective of the YouthVIP project, and so it was imperative that this was a space where young people felt listened to.
The outcomes of the YouthVIP Summit were to:
Gather views and insights of a diverse group of young people and organisational representatives on youth engagement within the Scottish voluntary sector
Create equitable space for debate and conversation between young people and organisational representatives in this space
Develop ideas and recommendations for implementation of recommendations nine and ten
Represent the views, experiences and ideas developed by the young people in a visually engaging output to ensure young people are considered as part of the ongoing decision-making processes around the YouthVIP recommendations
Raise awareness and broaden knowledge of the YouthVIP project, its objectives and the recommendations
You can preview or download a PDF version of the full report, or view a text only version below.
Plain Text Version
YouthVIP Summit
February 2022
Listen to the voices of
young volunteers!
YSHive – YouthVIP Summit - February 2022 PAGE 2
Introduction
Young Scot and YouthLink Scotland delivered the first YouthVIP Summit, an event that
was co-designed and co-delivered with young volunteers of the Youth Volunteering Legacy
Group. Hosting an annual youth volunteering summit is recommendation five out of the
thirteen YouthVIP recommendations and the 2022 YouthVIP Summit has set a precedent
for subsequent events.
The event brought together young people and organisations across Scotland to discuss
the current trends and issues in youth volunteering. The main focus of discussions was
effective practice of volunteering in local communities and barriers to inclusion that young
people face when accessing and experiencing volunteering opportunities.
Young Scot and YouthLink Scotland supported engagement with young people to provide
organisational representatives the opportunity to listen to young people’s experiences of
volunteering, why it was meaningful, the barriers they faced and the support they require
in the future. Ensuring young people are at the core of the recommendations is the key
objective of the YouthVIP project, and so it was imperative that this was a space where
young people felt listened to.
YSHive – YouthVIP Summit - February 2022 PAGE 3
Gather views and insights of a
diverse group of young people and
organisational representatives on
youth engagement within the
Scottish voluntary sector
Create equitable space for debate
and conversation between young
people and organisational
representatives in this space
Develop ideas and recommendations
for implementation of recommendations
nine and ten
Represent the views, experiences and
ideas developed by the young people
in a visually engaging output to ensure
young people are considered as part
of the ongoing decision-making
processes around the YouthVIP
recommendations
Raise awareness and broaden
knowledge of the YouthVIP
project, its objectives and the
recommendations
Due to the COVID-19 restrictions in place during
the time of the event, there were adjustments
made to the Young Scot operating model and
working practices. To ensure that delivery of
engagement through co-design continued with
minimal disruption, providing young people and
organisational representatives with opportunities
to participate during this time, the session
was delivered remotely using Zoom video
conferencing and other digital communication
tools, such as Menti, a digital questionnaire
platform and Mural, an online collaborative
whiteboard.
The delivery of the event and activities were
led by the young people involved in the
YouthVIP Legacy Group, who were supported
by Young Scot and YouthLink Scotland staff.
The model for delivery meant that the
attendees met virtually in a shared space as
a full group but then completed each of the
activities in small group “breakout spaces”
led by Young Scot and YouthLink Scotland staff.
Additional support measures were offered to
all participants, in order to take part, ensuring
that the model was inclusive and accessible.
The young people in the YouthVIP Legacy
Group led on the delivery of the summit as
they each had designated sections of the
event that they presented.
The outcomes of the YouthVIP
Summit were to:
Delivery method
YSHive – YouthVIP Summit - February 2022 PAGE 4
Young Scot and YouthLink Scotland delivered
the first annual YouthVIP Summit for young
people and organisational representatives to
explore their experiences, views and vision
around youth volunteering opportunities across
Scotland. This included exploring meaningful
experiences in local community volunteering;
barriers to inclusion young people experience
when volunteering; the current practices
organisations have in place to support young
volunteers and how these can be improved.
The Summit took place on Thursday 3rd
February from 12pm to 4pm.
This event was led by the young people in the
YouthVIP project, as they led the delivery of
the event and supported staff in the facilitation
of breakout group activities. The young people
had been provided with accompanying notes
to support them in their delivery and had
attended a practice run-through session prior
to the event.
The event was also an opportunity for the young
people to meet the organisational representatives
and hear first-hand about the opportunities
and challenges in accessing and experiencing
volunteering opportunities in Scotland.
The summit had a balance of presentations
and interactive activities. There were four
presentations from: the YouthVIP group about
the project and recommendations; a Q+A
with young volunteers on their volunteering
experiences; Cabinet Secretary for Social
Justice, Local Government and Housing, Shona
Robison MSP about the Formal Volunteering
Framework; and Debbie Maltman, Research
Officer at Volunteer Scotland on current trends
within youth volunteering and the impact of the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Activities that attendees were encouraged to
participate in were an object scavenger hunt
icebreaker and a chat waterfall energizer.
The attendees were also split into breakout
groups to participate in two activities: a Mural
activity that focused on recommendation
10: campaigns to promote volunteering in
local communities; and recommendation 9:
framework for young people who face greater
barriers to inclusion. The insights taken
from these activities will help shape how the
YouthVIP Legacy Group implement these
recommendations.
Overview of YouthVIP Summit
YSHive – YouthVIP Summit - February 2022 PAGE 5
The YouthVIP Summit had a registration
capacity of 150 attendees which was
achieved. Young Scot and YouthLink Scotland
recruited young people and organisational
representatives by sharing the event through
our regional and national networks, our social
media channels and via the Get Involved
section of young.scot.
Out of the 150 people who signed up, 86
attended: 57 organisational representatives
and 29 young people (including the four young
people on the Q+A Youth Panel). Eleven young
people of the YouthVIP Legacy Group also
attended but are not included in the overall
attendance statistic.
Out of the 57 organisational representatives,
34 worked in both a role and organisation that
involves young volunteers; 17 worked in an
organisation that involves young volunteers;
and 2 did not currently work in a role or
organisation that involves young volunteers.
The young people were asked some optional
equality and diversity questions in their
registration form. Out of the 29 young people,
19 are current volunteers; 1 had previously
volunteered; and 5 had never volunteered. The
young people ranged from 13 to 26 years, with
18 identifying as female and 6 identified as
male. 1 young person attending had additional
support needs that involves challenges to
learning and understanding. 8 young people
shared their postcodes from locations identified
as being in the SIMD lower 1-2 quintiles.
Demographics
YSHive – YouthVIP Summit - February 2022 PAGE 5
YSHive – YouthVIP Summit - February 2022 PAGE 6
Recommendation 10 Mural Board
Group Activities
The first activity focused on recommendation 10: campaigns to promote volunteering in local
communities. The attendees were split into fourteen breakout rooms and completed two activities
on the Mural board: an ABC Avalanche to answer what volunteering means to them and a
whiteboard activity to consider ideas around the following question: Based on your experience, how
can we effectively promote volunteering in local communities?
The insights from these activities will support the YouthVIP Legacy Group in shaping how they begin
to implement the recommendation. Twelve common themes were identified on how volunteering
could be effectively promoted in local communities:
Activity 1:
YSHive – YouthVIP Summit - February 2022 PAGE 7
Opportunities for under 16s.
A national online hub or space where
volunteering opportunities are advertised,
providing young people with easy access
to opportunities.
Visual aids in the promotion of
volunteering opportunities, such as
photographs or videos of volunteers and
real experiences.
Promote volunteering opportunities using
all sources including social media, Third
Sector Interfaces (TSIs) connections
and word of mouth. This will ensure that
opportunities are not just limited to an
‘inner circle’.
More publicity around the celebration of
achievements and sharing success stories
through celebrating volunteer journeys
and outcomes. It is important, however,
to avoid this becoming a popularity
contest.
More collaboration through schools and
opportunities shared through Personal
and Social Education curriculum and
work experience. If schools were better
connected with TSIs, it would raise
awareness of different opportunities for
young people.
“Progression through
volunteering is a powerful
statement”
(YouthVIP Summit attendee)
Positive language around volunteering
and avoid phrases such as ‘you need to
or must do this’. Language should focus
on skills development and feelings
of self-reward.
Peer support, such as through a buddy
system will provide support to younger
volunteers and will create more of a
diverse group.
Information and drop-in sessions.
This will support young people who
are unsure of volunteering and provide
better access to information about the
volunteering opportunity and role.
Measuring skills and progression
through regular check-ins, pre and post
volunteering placement surveys and
personal development reviews.
Share case studies of real volunteering
experiences, such as meaningful
community experience or what other
organisations are doing.
Collaborative working between
organisations and TSIs, as well as
stronger connections between young
people and their local TSI.
“Organisations working
together rather than
reaching out separately”
(YouthVIP Summit attendee)
“Schools collaborate with organisations to help shape
the way young people feel towards those organisations”
(YouthVIP Summit attendee)
YSHive – YouthVIP Summit - February 2022 PAGE 8
For the second activity, the attendees explored recommendation 9: framework for young people
who face greater barriers to inclusion. This was a discussion activity, and the attendees split back
into their breakout groups to discuss different types of barriers to inclusion and what could be
done by organisations to provide support. The attendees were given prompt questions to
facilitate discussions:
Prompts for young people attending:
Have you experienced any barriers when volunteering or accessing volunteering opportunities?
Was any support provided by the voluntary organisation to overcome any barriers?
What could organisations do that would be beneficial for you when volunteering or looking to
volunteer with them?
Prompts for organisational representatives attending:
What practices do you do to support young volunteers overcome any barriers?
How could these practices be better?
What would support your organisation in becoming even more inclusive for young volunteers?
Lack of opportunities for under 16s Applications process
The COVID-19 pandemic Lack of confidence
Digital access Accessing volunteering opportunities
in general
Language Competing priorities
Stigma around volunteering Additional support needs
Lack of opportunities in more rural areas Accessing transport
Young Scot and YouthLink Scotland staff captured discussions using Google Jamboard. Twelve
common barriers were identified, and suggestions were provided by participants in what practices
could support young people experiencing these barriers.
Activity 2: Recommendation 9
YSHive – YSHive – YouthVIP Summit - YouthVIP Summit - February 2022 February 2022 PAGE 9
Many young people at the event shared that
they had difficulty accessing volunteering
opportunities because of their age, as most
opportunities are aimed at 14 to 25, and
therefore they could not volunteer anywhere
locally. One group acknowledged that age is
a significant barrier which has been existent
for years unfortunately. They felt that there
needs to be more under 16s representation
in youth volunteering, and that there should
only be restrictions for legal reasons, such as
a requirement for driving. Many organisations
agreed that there appears to be a myth around
providing opportunities for under 16s in terms
of insurance; one group felt that there should
be more education of staff around safeguarding
so organisations feel more confident to support
younger volunteers.
Some of the attendees expressed that the
COVID-19 pandemic is a barrier as it has
resulted in a lack of in person opportunities.
This has led to volunteering moving online,
thus creating an additional barrier if young
people do not have the digital means to
engage. One group highlighted that some local
authorities do provide technological equipment
but acknowledged that this can take time.
Another experience was shared regarding the
Princes Trust who offer a development award to
grant volunteers digital devices, which is open
to applications from all volunteers.
One group felt that language can be a barrier
to young people accessing volunteering
opportunities whose first language is not
English. For example, some language used
around volunteering is not suitable for
young people, such as using organisational
terminology or language that is too technical.
One group highlighted the value of engaging
with community ESOL groups with interpreters
or bilingual volunteers who could support
facilitation.
Some of the young people attending felt that
there can be a stigma around volunteering which
can be somewhat embarrassing. They shared, for
example, that there is a stereotype that you are
uncool, or rather posh, if you volunteer.
Some attendees highlighted the lack of
opportunities in rural areas as a barrier. An
organisational representative gave the example
that they are based in a very rural area where
there is no bus route and can only be accessed
by car. These attendees felt that there needs
to be a recognition that transport in rural areas
is lacking and the impact this has on young
people living in these areas.
Similarly, accessing transport was emphasised
as a key barrier for some young people, both
in rural and urban areas. Many young people
have to take public transport to participate
in volunteering experiences, a task which
can make many young people feel anxious.
Public transport can also be expensive, so
organisations covering expenses is essential.
Many attendees felt that additional support
needs were a clear barrier for some young
people, as some organisations do not have
the resources, staff training or capacity to
adapt to meet these needs. The attendees
felt that this is a barrier that needs to be
addressed and appropriate support must be
identified. Staff should not be afraid to have
open conversations with young people who
have additional support needs, asking what
adaptions they require in order to partake in
opportunities meaningfully.
YSHive – YouthVIP Summit - February 2022 PAGE 10
A major barrier that was identified was
young people’s other commitments. Some
young people attending highlighted that life
can become busy due to exams and other
commitments, and some young people
volunteering can therefore feel guilty for taking
a step back. School, college and university
can create a barrier, especially if the young
person becomes easily overwhelmed. Some
young people also gave examples of family
commitments, such as caring for siblings
or young parents. Other young people
emphasised that it can sometimes feel
like volunteering versus school; there is a
balance between studying and volunteering,
but sometimes when young people are
experiencing a heavy workload, they have to
give volunteering a miss. This can result in
young people feeling guilty for not showing
up. Some suggestions were made as to how
to better support this barrier. One group
expressed that flexibility is key in terms of
the time commitment, the location of the
opportunity and flexibility around the role and
responsibilities too. Another group shared that
voluntary organisations need to understand
that young people often cannot make the
same commitment as older volunteers; this
group suggested that organisations should
keep the young volunteers welcome on return
and connect them with other areas of the
organisation.
Another significant barrier that was raised
was the application process that some
organisations request as part of their volunteer
recruitment. Some attendees questioned
whether there was a need for application
forms for volunteering, as they can be lengthy
and may feature difficult questions to answer.
Another group gave the example that if a
young person has dyslexia, these applications
can be intimidating and off-putting. One group
suggested that organisations should remove
applications and instead, allow young people to
provide contact details. After the young person
has expressed an interest in volunteering,
the organisations could carry out ‘recruitment
conversations’ as a way to provide more
support to young people who are considering
volunteering.
YSHive – YouthVIP Summit - February 2022 PAGE 11
Lack of confidence to engage was highlighted
by some young people attending the summit as
a barrier to volunteering. This could be because
the young person has never volunteered
before, because they are quite shy, or for other
reasons. Several suggestions were made as
to how this barrier could be supported. Some
groups felt that peer support through a ‘buddy
system’ could support young volunteers’
confidence and gave the example of youth
sports club where this works well. It was also
suggested that it would be beneficial to have
a parent, friend or guardian who could attend
the first session with the young person to
support them, although it was acknowledged
that this may not always be possible due to
capacity issues. Other groups highlighted the
importance of providing clear guidance to new
volunteers through a handbook or induction
process as it would make the young volunteers
aware of which designated staff member
they could go to if they had any issues. If
the volunteering opportunity is in person, it
is also beneficial to provide a visual aid of
the location, so the young person is more
familiar, especially if they are travelling alone.
It would also be useful for young people to
meet the ‘face behind the email’ before they
begin their volunteering experience, something
that could be achieved with one-to-one Zoom
introductions. Finally, an anti-discrimination
approach should be made clear during
the induction process, to ensure all young
volunteers feel safe.
Many groups felt that accessing volunteering
opportunities in general can be a major barrier
in itself. Many young people do not have
knowledge of volunteering opportunities and
so therefore can be difficult to access. Some
young people highlighted that they were made
aware of opportunities through word of mouth,
or from organisations they already volunteer
with, and so is inaccessible for young nonvolunteers. Some attendees felt that having
information sessions, workshops or open days
where volunteers could share their experiences
could help raise awareness of various
volunteering opportunities.
There were other suggestions that attendees
raised to support organisations in being more
inclusive and accessible to young volunteers.
One group shared that organisations can
sometimes take too long in responding to
young people who have enquired which is bad
practice and off-putting. Having a designated
staff member who overlooks communication
with volunteers can resolve this.
Another idea suggested was to have a type
of audit, pledge or charter that voluntary
organisations can hold after demonstrating
that they support inclusive volunteering for
young people.
YSHive – YouthVIP Summit - February 2022 PAGE 12
Utilising connections with Third Sector Interface
(TSI) organisations, sharing knowledge
and expertise to support the creation of
volunteering opportunities was another
point raised about how to widen outreach to
young people. Using word of mouth through
partnerships with TSIs will allow organisations
to recruit a diversity of young people.
Finally, several groups shared that it is not
enough for organisations to simply provide
opportunities for young people; they need to
also involve young people at the beginning of
the project design, to ensure it is something
that young people want to partake in.
Organisations would benefit from co-designing
opportunities with young people.
YSHive – YouthVIP Summit - February 2022 PAGE 13
Feedback
At the conclusion of the event the attendees participated in a Menti evaluation quiz. The
attendees had the opportunity to tell us more about their experience of the YouthVIP
Summit; what could have been improved; what they would like to see happen next from
what was shared today; and what they want to see included in future summits.
YSHive – YouthVIP Summit - February 2022 PAGE 13
YouthVIP Summit attendees
The attendees were asked to rate the YouthVIP
Summit on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being not
at all and 5 being 100% yes.
When asked if they enjoyed the summit,
the average score received was 4.5
out of 5.
When asked if they learned more about
the YouthVIP project, the average score
was 4.4 out of 5.
When asked if they felt more inspired
by the voluntary sector in Scotland, the
average score was 4.7 out of 5.
When asked if it was easy to find out
about the event, the average score was
4.4 out of 5.
Finally, when asked if they received all
the information they needed in advance,
the average score was 4.7 out of 5.
The attendees stated a variety of things they
enjoyed about attending the YouthVIP Summit.
Common feedback was praising the event
for being youth-led, involving many young
people. Many attendees enjoyed listening to
the experiences of young people and that “the
YouthVIP group running the summit was very
refreshing”. Another attendee stated that “it
was really inspiring to hear from the young
people themselves, I loved how they were
properly involved in the event”. Another
attendee praised the YouthVIP volunteers for
leading the event, as they were “in awe of
their courage to speak today”, whilst another
expressed that “the young people are an
absolute credit to themselves”.
Many attendees found the summit inspiring
and informative. One attendee stated that
hearing the experiences from the Q+A Youth
Panel were “superbly insightful” and they
have taken away a lot of learning about
involving young people in the future in their
organisation. Another attendee expressed
that “some really valuable conversations
took place” and enjoyed “sharing insights
with others”. Other attendees enjoyed
learning more about the YouthVIP project
and recommendations; “a superb YouthVIP
Summit. Highlighted the important and
tremendous contribution young people are
making volunteering, helped develop this
even further and take forward the YouthVIP
recommendations”.
YSHive – YouthVIP Summit - February 2022 PAGE 14
Finally, another major praise of the summit was
that it was a “brilliant networking opportunity”
for attendees to connect and network with
other organisations. One attendee commented
that they really enjoyed being “able to have an
honest conversation about breaking barriers with
other organisations”. Another participant stated
that they “really enjoyed the breakout rooms
and hearing from other organisations, sharing
experiences”, whilst another saw the breakout
activities as “great brainstorming time with other
representatives and young people”.
When asked if there was anything that could be
improved about the event, the main feedback
shared was that an in-person event would be
more enjoyable and that they hope this will be
the format of the next summit. Some other
attendees expressed that whilst they enjoyed
the event, it was perhaps a little long and a
break for lunch would have been appreciated.
Another suggested that the presentations from
the guest speakers could have been shortened.
Other attendees shared suggestions for improved
networking opportunities; for example, one
attendee commented that sharing an attendee
list with contact details would be useful to
follow up discussions after the event. Finally,
an attendee suggested that more promotion of
the summit targeting young people would be
beneficial, as it felt like there was an imbalance
of organisational representatives to
young people.
When asked what they would like to see happen
from what was shared at the summit, many
attendees stated that they would like to see
“more opportunities to discuss how to embed
youth volunteering into society”. Many attendees
shared that they would like to attend an inperson YouthVIP Summit next year, whilst one
expressed that a follow up networking event
for specific regions would be useful. Another
attendee commented that they would like to
see more resources and training available to
organisations on involving young people in
volunteering. Finally, many attendees expressed
that they would like to see organisations act on
their pledges, resulting in “more opportunity for
young people to have their say and work with
organisations to make the volunteering process
and journey more young person friendly”.
When asked what they would like to see included
in future summits, some attendees shared
that they would like to see some case studies
and examples of volunteering good practice in
organisations. Another attendee expressed that
they would enjoy a training session on working
with young volunteers with additional support
needs as they would like to feel more equipped
in this area. Other feedback was “more Scottish
Government representation to see what the
government are doing to support YouthVIP”.
Finally, the attendees want to see more inclusion
of volunteering examples in different contexts
and settings, as well as “continued opportunities
to hear young people’s experiences”.
YSHive – YouthVIP Summit - February 2022 PAGE 15
Feedback from the
YouthVIP Legacy Group
In the following YouthVIP session after the summit, the young people who led the event
got the chance to share how they found the experience, also through a Menti evaluation
quiz. Out of the 11 young people who attended and led the summit, 8 participated in
the evaluation.
The attendees were asked to rate the YouthVIP
Summit on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being not
at all and 10 being 100% yes.
When asked how prepared they felt
for leading the YouthVIP Summit, the
average score was 9.5 out of 10.
When asked if they received all the
information they needed in advance, the
average score was 9.8 out of 10.
When asked how they found the YouthVIP
Summit overall, the young people shared
that they found it productive, interesting and
insightful.
“I found it really fun and
I also really liked hearing
everyone else’s thoughts and
views too”.
“My group were able to
touch on different aspects of
volunteering and I was able
to learn a lot from it”.
“Loved everyone’s energy and
dedication to the work”.
When asked how they found leading and
presenting at the YouthVIP Summit, the
majority of the young people found it “a
daunting yet equally fulfilling experience”,
and that the experience strengthened their
confidence and public speaking skills.
When asked what could have improved their
experience of leading the YouthVIP Summit,
most of the young people shared that nothing
could have improved their experience. One
young person expressed that there could have
been more engagement by having questions
prepared to boost attendees or encourage
them to speak out as there were some silences
that were quite hard to fill.
When asked if they would do it again, all of the
young people stated that they would present
and lead at the YouthVIP Summit again.
Young Scot
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