First Minister praises charter to help achieve ‘a common good’

A ‘youth charter’ drawn up by young people from across Wales has been praised by First Minister Carwyn Jones for having the potential to help create ‘the types of communities we are looking to nurture’.

The ‘Charter for Youth Volunteering’, put together by youth panel GwirForce after a year-long consultation with individuals and groups, was presented to the First Minister in a meeting at his Ty Hywel office. 

Setting out the expectations of young volunteers, the document calls on the organisations that involve them - and the Welsh Government - to recognise the benefits of taking them on.

GwirForce has also consulted a youth panel in Northern Ireland with the hope that in the long term, other panels in the home nations will also adopt the charter.

After the meeting, the First Minister said: ‘I was pleased to have had the opportunity to meet with volunteers and representatives from GwirForce and to receive their charter promoting strong engagement between local businesses and young people.

‘By doing this, it is hoped to ensure that the communities in which we live are the types of communities we are looking to nurture in Wales; where people work together to achieve a common good. I understand that there are many organisations that are keen to sign up to deliver the pledges in the charter.’

The charter was presented by GwirForce Chair, 19-year-old Steve Sellers, GwirVol support worker and Co-ordinator in Quality and Curriculum at young people’s support organisation Rathbone Cymru Christopher Partridge, GwirVol Co-ordinator Leah Doherty, and several members of GwirForce - a panel of young people aged 16-25 representing the views of GwirVol volunteers.

Launched in April 2009, GwirVol is a partnership between the third, public and private sectors, led by the views of young people in Wales. It is the first port of call for young people and organisations seeking advice and information on volunteering.
 

There are 22 part-time GwirVol Youth Volunteering Advisors based in volunteer centres around Wales to help find volunteering placements, organisations to develop opportunities for young people to volunteer, and to sign up young people to the Millennium Volunteers’ Award. 

GwirVol says the aim of its Charter for Wales is to ‘holistically sustain, promote and encourage volunteering in Wales’.
 

Steve Sellers added: ‘Young people have a lot of bad press, but young volunteers have the ability to create and develop the future of the economy in Wales with a reliable source of knowledge, understanding, skills and experience. 

‘Communities across Wales can realise immediate and longer term, sustainable benefits from the contributions and involvement from their young people.’

Graham Benfield OBE, Chief Executive of Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA), GwirVol’s administrative partner, said: ‘This is an excellent example of Wales leading the way in youth volunteering.

‘The GwirVol initiative and our youth panel GwirForce are funded by the Welsh Government Third Sector Unit, and we wanted to thank the First Minister and show him some of the wonderful work that he and the Government have supported.’ 

Stating The Facts: 

  

• Since 2009, more than 8,000 young people have been recruited through GwirVol
• Around 2,500 opportunities are created each year, with around 3,500 available for young people at any one time
• 29% of young people recruited in 2009/2010 and 26% of young recruited in 2010/2011 by GwirVol Youth Volunteering Advisors were classed as not in education, employment or training
• Over 14,500 young people have given 1,500,000 hours of their time to volunteer through the Millennium Volunteers Award
• The young people attending the Senedd presentation are Charlotte White, a volunteer with Barnados Cymru; Sioned Evans, a former volunteer with Carmarthenshire Youth Council who is currently working for Hafan Cymru; and Natalie Manca, who volunteers with GwirForce and works in the third sector with young people not in education or training
• WCVA is the umbrella body for the third sector in Wales, with more than 3,000 members including a wide range of organisations working on issues such as housing, economic regeneration, childcare, community development, transport, the environment and health