Sadly, finding paid employment is increasingly challenging, particularly for young people who might have expected to go into jobs in hospitality, tourism or the arts. Younger age groups have a lot to offer, and research by National Council for Voluntary Organisations (January 2019) shows that they want to volunteer, both to support local causes and to reduce loneliness and isolation.
Some museums are reporting an increase in interest in volunteering from this age group. Think about how you can be ready to respond to interest from young people.
Can you:
- develop simple distance volunteering tasks for people?
- plan socially distanced roles for young people once you are able to re-open? How can you emphasize what young people could gain from joining you as well as what they need to do?
Make sure you tell young people about all aspects of your Museum’s work so they can see the ‘bigger picture’, and how a role fits into it. Perhaps you have films about past projects you can share, or a link to your collections information or audience research, or social media presence? Putting information into a Welcome Pack could make your organisation stand out and help them decide whether to give their time.
Resources to support your work with young people
If you want to welcome 16-18 year olds, you need to make sure you have processes in place to welcome and support a young person safely. Our resource on how to begin working with young volunteers can help you to think this through – and may be helpful for working with students and graduates too.