Press Release

Older Generations Deterred From Volunteering By ‘Troublesome’ Youth

31 August 2007

One in five older people (20 per cent) (1) who don’t volunteer with youngsters say it is because they think children and young people are trouble, reveal children’s charities NCH and Chance UK, today (Friday, 31st August). But the charities are urging people to look beyond the negative images that surround young people.

The charities have joined forces to recruit mentors for challenging children aged five to 11 across the UK. They are keen to change the perceptions of people who are over 55 in a bid to encourage them to come forward and volunteer as they have so much to offer these youngsters.
 
Hugh Thornbery, Director of Children’s Services, says: “We hear so many negative stories about children and young people, especially in the media, yet young people are in fact 10 times more likely to be volunteering in our communities than regularly being antisocial in them (2). Young People are also more likely to be the victims of crime than the perpetrators (3), but due to an abundance of negative press, they have earned a far more sinister reputation.”

Jo Hobbs, Development Manager at Chance UK, says: “It’s a real shame that people don’t volunteer to help children when this could be just the opportunity to make a positive contribution to their lives. Older people have so much to offer and can very often be the strong and stable figure that some young people desperately need.”

Fabian, a mentor with Chance UK, says: “I’ve been mentoring an eight year old boy for nearly six months now, we meet once a week and go out to the park or the cinema; I’ve really noticed his confidence and behaviour change. It has been one of the most worthwhile things that I have ever done, and I know that it has made a difference to the life of a young person.”

The NCH and Chance UK Volunteer Survey 2007 (4) also found that those surveyed who were 65 and over were more than twice as likely not to volunteer with children and young people because they thought they were trouble than those aged 35 to 44. More than two in five older people don’t volunteer as they don’t have enough time (46 per cent) and more than one in four said they don’t have enough time due to work commitments (26 per cent).

NCH and Chance UK have developed a partnership to offer mentoring programmes for challenging children aged five to 11 across the UK. The charities are appealing to older people to come forward and consider becoming a mentor. By spending just two hours a week over one year volunteers can change the life of a challenging child to find out more contact NCH’s Supporter Helpline (Monday to Friday) on 08457 626579. 

Notes to Editors:

1. An older person is defined as aged 55 and over
2. 'Building a Modern Social Contract' Speech by David Miliband, Minister for Communities and Local Government, to the "Together We Can" Conference, 28th June 2005
3. Respect and Responsibility White Paper, Home Office 2003
4. ICM Research interviewed a random sample of 1019 adults by telephone between 11th and 14th May. Interviews were conducted across the country and the results have been weighted to the profile of all adults.  ICM is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.  Further information at www.icmresearch.co.uk
• NCH and Chance UK are piloting four projects in Inverness, Liverpool, Londonderry and Crawley.
• NCH is one of the UK’s leading children’s charities, working in partnership to run nearly 500 services for more than 160,000 of the UK’s most vulnerable children, young people and their families
• NCH was previously known as National Children's Home. It re-branded in 2002 to become NCH, the children's charity.
• Chance UK provides specific and targeted solution focused mentoring for children aged 5-11 years, based on individual needs. The programmes are delivered by carefully screened and trained volunteers, who are closely supervised and supported by Chance UK staff. They can be contacted on Chance UK on 020 7281 5858. For further information visit www.chanceuk.com or /EN/Forums/Chance+UK