Following a recent YOU London conference, The Lady Mayoress of the City of London, Florence King, has called for companies to encourage employees to volunteer with uniformed youth groups, and to better support those already doing so. These groups, which provide mentorship, life skills and safe spaces for young people to grow and develop, all have waiting lists in London due to a shortage of adult volunteers.

Social cohesion
Corporate-supported volunteering can have a meaningful impact on uniformed youth groups, particularly those dependent on committed individuals to provide safe, structured activities, challenge, training, discipline, education and enjoyment. By encouraging employees to give time and skills to these organisations, a business can directly contribute to shaping future leaders and strengthening social cohesion.

Sense of purpose
Freeing employees to volunteer not only strengthens local communities but also fosters a sense of purpose and engagement within the workplace. There is evidence that businesses which encourage volunteering gain from increased employee satisfaction, well-being and productivity, greater team collaboration and positive brand reputation. One in three job seekers say they would prefer to apply for roles that offer volunteer leave.

Reactive
Research from Benevity and Works4U shows that employee volunteering in London, which has recently risen above pre-pandemic levels, is reactive, ad-hoc and not reflective of community priorities. The London Vision for Volunteering taskforce found that:

  • 100 per cent of stakeholders engaged in the consultation recommended that employee volunteering should be promoted more.
  • 95 per cent recommended that employers should do more to promote volunteering opportunities to their employees.
  • 98.4 per cent of employees who had volunteered wished to do so again.
  • 25 per cent of employees do not know how much time their employer offers for volunteering.

Opportunities
In addition to delivering face-to-face activities, volunteers are needed for administrative support to aid planning and act as trustees and treasurers; roles which can often be done in their own time or as part of a company employee volunteering scheme. There are a variety of opportunities for volunteers to be involved, dependent on their skill set and time available.

To learn more about uniformed youth groups in London and how to support them visit www.youlondon.org.uk