Volunteering

Volunteering gives young people the chance to develop a range of skills and build confidence, all while making a genuine impact in their communities. 

As part of their DofE, young people volunteer by themselves (or as a part of a team) for an average of an hour a week for 3-18 months, depending on the award they're completing and the choices they've made in other sections.

There are lots of different volunteering options within Scouts – including being a young leader or adult volunteer delivering adventurous activities – and in the wider community.

Finding opportunities for young people under 16 can be tricky, though. And aligning these with to specific interests and goals may take a little while, so it's always wise to start searching early.

The DofE opportunity finder is a great place to begin: it's jam-packed with opportunities listed by Approved Activity Providers or Licensed Organisations for the DofE.

As their leader, you should remind young people that:

• Whichever activity they choose needs to be approved by their DofE leader first
• Training shouldn't take up more than a quarter of their volunteering time
• They can't volunteer for a private company
• They should avoid taking on volunteering roles which would take the place of a paid one
• They'll need complete to the appropriate training modules if they're volunteering within Scouts: including a minimum of Module A of the Young Leaders' Scheme or the getting started modules of the Adult Training Scheme, depending on how old they are
• They should be given a copy of the Orange Card (Young People First for Young Leaders) and be made aware of the resources available to them if they're volunteering as an Explorer Scout Young