Youth volunteering charity v has launched the Volunteering Knowledge Network to connect individuals and organisations in the field.
The Network will aim to discuss and explore the implications of new practice, policy and research initiatives as they arise, especially in the youth volunteering field but also in related areas such as social action, community organizing or employability preparation.
It will also provide a shared voice with which to engage opinion formers and policymakers, and aim to strengthen the sense of partnership and shared interest between organisations and independent practitioners, policy specialists and researchers in the field.
The Network has been launched to coincide with the publication a study on volunteering carried out by the National Foundation of Educational Research (NFER).
In its report, Measuring the Impossible: Making a Start, Professor David Kerr and his NFER colleagues conclude that young people who volunteer during the course of their school lives are more likely to stay on longer in education, gain professional qualifications and secure higher lifetime in earnings. There are also signs that they are more likely to be active in public life and in their communities, though evidence here is less conclusive and further research is needed.
Professor Kerr said: “Though the signs are tentative it would appear from our analyses that volunteering has a genuine impact on educational and professional success and on broader life-chances of young people. However, we need more longitudinal research on volunteering to confirm what the real outcomes and impact are over time.
"This is something that I hope the new Volunteering Knowledge Network, comprising key figures and organisations in the field, will take a lead on. A strong evidence base is vital in ensuring that the government's pro-volunteering policy is securely grounded and heading in the right direction.”
One of the first actions of the Volunteering Knowledge Network will be holding a seminar to discuss the key findings and recommendations from the NFER report and how to take them forward.
