Voluntary sector's call to youth

Efforts to highlight voluntary work's benefits

More Scots youngsters are being encouraged to get involved in the voluntary sector.

An initiative being launched in Edinburgh is seeking to make volunteering more appealing to young people by offering them training in return for their help.

Organisers of the Millennium Volunteers project say too few youngsters are giving up their time for others, so they have come up with a way of attracting more 16 to 25-year-olds.

Each youngster is matched with a project which interests them in areas like working with children, sports, the arts and entertainment.

Challenging work

A personal plan is devised and free training offered so that the volunteer can develop skills and experience in return for their donated work.

The programme is government-funded and is also aimed at providing young people with challenging work experience.

The government insists it is not substituting volunteers for paid workers and stresses donating time in return for training can provide young people with skills for life and future employment.

Organisations involved in the project include Scottish Youth Dance, Befriending Network Scotland and the Edinburgh Volunteer Exchange.