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.

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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