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Young People Matter - PDF
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Politics | Arts and Contemporary Culture | Atheism and Other Religions | The Church
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Young People Matter
25 June 2009
Would you believe that 14-18 year olds in
The findings of this report are really quite astonishing - nearly half of 14-18 year olds are volunteering on a regular basis. When projected across the country at minimum wage this has an economic value of £210 million a year. To put it another way, it's the equivalent of 33,000 full time workers. And if that's not enough, if we also project their charitable giving nationally then that equates to £110 million each year. The two main reasons young people are doing all this is because they want to contribute to society and they like helping people. Such results surely indicate that perceptions of them as selfish Vikki Pollards, who behave 'like animals', are far from true.
What's more, the report highlights the huge contribution religious organisations have to play in facilitating volunteering. 40% of those surveyed volunteer through a religious organisation, including, perhaps surprisingly, 10% of those who were atheists!
And it's not just that religious organisations are encouraging young people to volunteer, but personal faith and belief are significant: of those Christians who attend church nearly every week, 21% said they were motivated because their church encouraged it, while 48% said they were motivated by their faith. The more active one is as a Christian also makes a difference: 69% of very active Christians volunteer compared with 29% of those who call themselves Christian but attend church less than once a month. The figure for atheists was 30% and for agnostics 52%.
Our report suggests that it is when young people have a strong Christian faith that they both attend church more frequently and want to volunteer more frequently. Given the importance, then, of faith as a motivating factor to volunteering and the numbers of young people volunteering through religious organisations, the significance of all this is surely that faith should not be excluded from the public square.
Young people matter. And they need to know that. Let's hope then, that the results of this report can begin to break down some of the negative stereotypes surrounding young people, and let's praise them for what they are doing.
Susannah Clark, Public Theology Researcher
To read the press release and download the report, click here.
Latest comments
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(The views below are the authors', and not necessarily those of the Evangelical Alliance.)
| Written by Noel on 25 June 2009 at 14.29 |
| This is indeed very encouraging, but it is still worrying that in the famous survey in the last year or two it was found that more than 50% of UK folk are afraid of young people. Of course for some this is not always just a matter of brainwashing by tabloid stereotypes. Take the c 13-year-old lad on the Windsor-Heathrow bus I was on last December who, being bored going home from school through Old Windsor, set fire to the bus seat infront of him. Or, within days of my retiring, the c 20-year-old who hit me from behind while his mates filmed it on their mobiles ('happy slapping') one Saturday afternoon at 3pm in Windsor town centre within yards of the castle in 2006. The Queen had seen the report of this event in the paper, and when I wrote to ask her help in encouraging the young in their relationships with older folk I received a very encouraging reply. The Queen took up the issue of inter-generational relationships in her Christmas broadcast later that year. We are indeed fortunate to live in a society where an individual's concerns can be 'heard' in this way. At the same time one can understand some older folks' fears -- and if this kind of thing is happening in Berks/Surrey, what may older folk be experiencing in less privileged environments? For the future the government's quickening progress on dealing with things like child poverty may hopefully reap dividends in the long run for future behaviours. We may also perhaps take some comfort that until a few decades ago archeologists believed that the the oldest known writing was a complaint that young people didn't behave as well as they used to..... |
| Written by Paul M on 25 June 2009 at 14.19 |
| No, I'm afraid I can't believe it. I have had a read through of the report, and am relieved to see the author(s) concerns regarding the methodology. In my (considerable) experience in Manhester, these figures are not an accurate representation of the amount of youths who volunteer; certainly the statement "nearly half of 14-18 year olds are volunteering on a regular basis" is seriously flawed. Up 'ere in'north at least... and everybody knows that us Lancastrians are the warmest, most generous folk! The media coverage of this survey is positive, which is good. It should help address the unfair stigma that middle england applies to working class youths. Well done for some positive news though. |
| Written by Richard pickles on 25 June 2009 at 13.44 |
| Hiya, Thanks for this, I get encouraged by voluteering! I am wondering exactly what you mean when you speak if faith and the public square. I can't think of a much more privalidged and powerfull group than Christians already? Whether it be Bishops in the house of Lords, air time on the BBC, accadamy schools run by sometimes fundementalist religious folk - the list goes on and on. I am not sure what more would be wanted? My kids are barraged by religious folks talking about hell in school, people in town on the streets tell me how immoral I am (and they don't even know me!). I would like to hear more about what you would suggest? But don't let this dampen how wonderfull I think volunteering is! I was really encouraged. |
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Subject: Church | Children and young people | Faiths and beliefs | Evangelism | Politics
Author: Clark, Susannah
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