Government launches volunteer commission
Home Secretary David Blunkett and Chancellor Gordon Brown have launched a new commission on Monday, aimed at identifying ways to encourage young people to volunteer in the community.
The Russell Commission is specifically tasked with the engagement of young people, and it is anticipated that the proposals will form part of the forthcoming National Youth Volunteering Strategy.
“Volunteering” and “community” have recently become key buzz words in the Government’s agenda with the announcement in April by Fiona Mactaggart (the Minister for Community Policy) of £5.4 million of funding to assist voluntary groups in recruiting more members.
This follows on from previous promises of substantial sums of money to promote and assist volunteering, including £80 million announced before Christmas for infrastructure building.
Speaking at the launch senior members of the Government expressed their conviction that increasing volunteering rates will bring benefits to both individuals and the community.
David Blunkett said that: “It is important that young people are helped to appreciate the importance of engagement – citizenship classes in schools are already doing this, and volunteering can have the same effect in an even more practical way. By engaging and developing young people today we are nurturing the leaders of tomorrow.”
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, also emphasised the benefits of volunteering, and explained that the commission is intended to address the situation where: “Despite the wonderful efforts of many great organisations, many still don’t know how to volunteer, where to go, who to ask for help.”
“Many don’t understand that you can give some of your time without giving all of your time. And many – particularly young people – find formal volunteering complicated and confusing. We need to widen access and remove barriers to volunteering and find innovative ways to involve excluded young people in exciting volunteering opportunities.”
Ian Russell, Scottish Power’s chief executive, heads the commission. He is also currently the HRH Ambassador for Corporate Social Responsibility in Scotland. He is to be assisted by an independent advisory group containing representatives of business, media, development agencies, volunteer groups and young people themselves.
The commission is due to report its conclusions to Government in March 2005.
