Volunteering
If you could change one thing in your community, what would it be?
Volunteering is taking part in an activity that helps others, and can be anything from helping on canal boat trips to putting on a fashion show for a charity or local cause. There really is a huge variety of options.
Volunteering can lead to a whole new world full of exciting opportunities. It’s a great way to gain work based skills, life experience, make friends, explore new ideas, and even gain nationally recognised awards …and you get all of this just through giving the gift of your time and energy to help make a difference to others.
Hertfordshire Young People in Action (HYPA) is a new project representing an evolution from the very successful vinvolved Team project across Hertfordshire between 2008 – 2011.
HYPA is all about helping young people aged 14 – 25 get into volunteering in order to boost their employability prospects and support their wellbeing.
The project particularly works with:
- Young people with disabilities
- Young offenders Unemployed young people, or those who have disengaged from education
- Young people in or leaving care
- LGBT young people
- Young people living with mental/emotional distress
- Young people living in our hostel.
There are three key strands of work: Environmental and Conservation volunteering, Employability and Personal Development volunteering, and Community Development and Youth Leadership volunteering. They create projects based on young people’s needs, and support them to design and lead their own initiatives whenever possible.
How can I get involved in volunteering?
Have a good time, gain experience and skills, meet new people, work as part of a team.
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award for 14-25 year olds is an enjoyable, challenging and rewarding programme of personal development. It is available to all young people and is a great opportunity to experience challenge and adventure, acquire new skills and make new friends.
There are three achievement levels – Bronze, Silver and Gold. To gain any one of these levels, entrants must complete four sections:
- Expeditions
- Skills
- Physical Recreation
- Service
Many organisations offer the chance to take part, including schools, colleges, youth clubs, voluntary organisations, pupil referral units and young offenders units. Visit the Duke of Edinburgh website.
Thinking about taking a gap year?
There are all sorts of ways to spend a 'year out'. The following sites offer lots of ideas and information:
- yearoutgroup : a 'not for profit association of leading year out organisations
- vinspired : a volunteering site for young people aged 16-25
- gapyear.com : a site produced 'by backpackers for backpackers'
- Direct Gov : also has information about gap year activities....go to Learning > Learning outside school
Want to get involved in running a website?
- Channelmogo website is always looking for new members to join our user groups. Did you know? By giving us your opinion and ideas, you can help change the way the website looks and how it operates. We have created a volunteering package just for you which includes an accreditation to put towards your CV! Interested? Email channelmogo@hertscc.gov.uk
- Live in Welwyn or Hatfield? "Wuzzup" is a new website run by the Welwyn Hatfield Youth Council offering local information plus more. They are on the lookout for young people to be involved in the website. Interested? Click on their logo to find out more.
- Aged 16 - 25 and not in any employment or training? Want to gain a national qualification? Find out more at Groundwork Hertfordshire's Green Team.
- Groundwork Hertfordshire supports communities in need, working with partners to help improve the quality of people's lives, their prospects and potential and the places where they live work and play. Find out about Groundwork Hertfordshire here.
Check out other volunteering opportunities in Herts
Click on the green volunteering button below " 
" and search for volunteering projects by your town or postcode!