V: Strengthening the knowledge base for the Big Society

Monday, 23 May 2011 12:00 AM

A new network connecting individuals and organisations in the volunteering and social action fields to strengthen the knowledge base of the effects of volunteering was launched today by v, The National Young Volunteers Service.

The new Volunteering Knowledge Network was launched to coincide with the publication of a new review of two major longitudinal studies* on volunteering carried out by NFER (the National Foundation for Educational Research).

In their 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.

David Kerr commented, "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."

Terry Ryall, v Chief Executive, welcomed the NFER report findings and the launch of the Volunteering Knowledge Network, commenting "The work of Kerr and his NFER colleagues is really encouraging for all of us engaged in the volunteering and social action spheres. It backs up other research that indicates volunteering is valued by volunteers and society. But we need even more 'hard' evidence of this type - and that means ensuring that volunteering features in mainstream longitudinal and cross-sectional studies.

By doing this will we can build on the evidence base of the impact of volunteering on things such as self-esteem, personal development, community engagement and employability. It is an evidence base that will be all the stronger if it emerges from the efforts of not one organization, or a few individuals, but through the combined forces that the Volunteering Knowledge Network."

The Volunteering Knowledge Network, which already has the backing of a number of v's key partners in the fields of practice, policy and research, is keen that further research of this type is commissioned and that volunteering has a far stronger profile in existing and new longitudinal studies. The Network aims 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;

. Provide a shared voice with which to engage opinion formers and policymakers - for instance on the need for greater and better longitudinal research in the youth volunteering field;

. Aid the dissemination of new "knowledge" in the youth volunteering field;

. Strengthen the sense of partnership and shared interest between organizations and independent practitioners, policy specialists and researchers in the field.

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. Further information about v and about the Volunteering Knowledge Network are available at www.vinspired.com/knowledgenetwork
The Network is launched at a reception at the Royal Society of Arts starting at 6.00pm on Wednesday 18th May 2011

*The British Household Panel Survey (BHPS now Understanding Society, ESRC) and the Citizenship Education Longitudinal Study (CELS, NFER)

**When factors such as social class and ethnicity are controlled

Ends

For more information on v, please contact Jenny Mitchell at jenny.mitchell@shinecom.com or on 020 7 841 7077

Notes for Editors

. v, The National Young Volunteers Service, aims to inspire a new generation of volunteers (aged 14-25) across England.

. v's aim is to create a culture where volunteering and social action comes naturally and where the benefits of volunteering are understood and celebrated.

. v is an independent charity launched in May 2006

. 2011 is the European Year of Volunteering 2011 in the European Union, putting a spotlight on volunteering across Europe to help create a culture of giving time. v has been appointed as an official partner of the European Year of Volunteering 2011, working with Catch22 to deliver the Children & Young People spotlight theme.

. See www.vinspired.com for more information on what we do and how we do it

. The Volunteering Knowledge Network has been developed by v with the support of Breslin Public Policy Limited who can be contacted on 0330 660 0525

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