BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra today launched a year-long volunteering campaign, which involves the stations motivating their listeners to pledge one million hours of time to good causes.
The #1MillionHours campaign will run throughout 2016, with the stations highlighting “all things volunteering in a bid to highlight the benefits of volunteering for young people”. The campaign is working with featured charities Age UK, Barnardo’s, Cancer Research UK, and Oxfam.
Dan O’Driscoll, head of volunteering and engagement at Oxfam, said: “Volunteers are at the core of everything we do - they keep our shops running, they help festivals go smoothly. Without their energy, passion and kindness, Oxfam wouldn’t be able to do our vital work with people living in poverty around the world.
“That’s why we are so grateful to our volunteers, and always need more. By running #1MillionHours, Radio 1 and 1Xtra are shouting from the rooftops that volunteering is a wonderful and rewarding thing to do, both on a personal level and for humankind overall.”
As well as pledging hours to the featured charities through the Radio 1 website, listeners can also pledge their time to good causes on social media using the #1MillionHours hashtag. Pledges made via Twitter and Instagram that post the number of hours that listeners have been inspired to donate, will be counted towards the one million hours milestone.
The campaign will also include an hour-long documentary where presenter Chris Stark will head to Corby in the East Midlands to see how many people he can sign up in 24 hours, while exploring the volunteering opportunities that exist in the town. It will also see presenters spending time volunteering and talking about their experiences.
Javed Khan, chief executive of Barnardo’s, said: “In 2016, we want to reach even more vulnerable children and young people, and I'm delighted that BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra have chosen to help us make that happen. Across every region and nation, the importance of volunteers to Barnardo’s can't be overstated. If you want to make a difference, please give a little of your time and find out just how rewarding volunteering can be.”
