Tips for engaging and working with young people

Home Leading Volunteers Resources and Knowledge Library Tips for engaging and working with young people
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The power of young people in volunteering

Young people can bring much in the way of talent, enthusiasm, energy, new perspectives and creativity. Adding a youthful voice to your organisation, committees, and programs is a powerful move – their voice can help you reach an even larger target or client base.

Volunteering is a great way for young people to take action on a cause while building skills and experiences that will help them on a pathway to finding future employment.

We know that if a child is involved in volunteering before the age of 13, the odds of having poor mental health are reduced by around 28%!

 

Hear from young people

Volunteering WA collaborated with Youth Affairs Council of WA to put together some resources to help you navigate what motivates young people to volunteer and how you can attract more youth to your organisation.

Understanding the needs and motivations of young people

Promote what they will gain (skills, experience, career boost, social connections) rather than just what the organisation needs. Be clear about benefits.

Attracting and recruiting

  • Use digital, mobile-friendly, social-media channels; find out where youth “are” online, and how they like to hear about opportunities.
  • Use inspirational content: stories, testimonials, youth voices. Show the impact.
  • Make roles flexible: consider time of day, virtual options, shorter commitments, trial roles.
  • Make sure adverts are youth-friendly in tone & format: inclusive, engaging, not overly formal or bureaucratic.
  • Advertise your youth-friendly roles on yvolunteer.org.au (learn how to advertise your roles)

Barriers to volunteering

  • Long, bureaucratic application or onboarding processes.
  • Poor organisation, lack of clarity or support.
  • Roles that feel meaningless, or tasks that are “leftovers” rather than core work.
  • Not being respected; feeling “talked at” rather than included, or excluded, or unheard.

Induction, supervision and retention

To keep young volunteers engaged and effective:

  • Provide clear induction & training, including on workplace safety, expectations, roles, rights & responsibilities.
  • Ensure supervision: more at the start, then gradually give more autonomy as trust / skill increases.
  • Regular check-ins & feedback (two-way): listen to young volunteers’ ideas. Let them feel heard and that their contributions matter.
  • Offer meaningful tasks (not just “busy work”). Roles that build skills and have purpose.
  • Recognise & reward their contributions: training opportunities, certificates or references, leadership roles, social acknowledgement.

Becoming youth-friendly (organisational changes)

Some changes organisations might make to better support young volunteers:

  • Flexibility in schedules, remote work, virtual volunteering.
  • Simplifying digital / email communication; using texts or other methods youth prefer.
  • Ensuring induction / training is accessible & not overwhelming.
  • Mentorship or peer support: pairing youth with more experienced volunteers or staff.

Legal and safety obligations

When working with any volunteers – but especially young people and minors (under 18-years-of-age) – organisations need to understand and manage legal obligations.

  • Volunteer vs employee vs contractor: Laws differ; your obligations depend on the nature of the relationship (see external link: NFP Law: https://www.nfplaw.org.au/free-resources/managing-people/managing-volunteers).
  • Child safety / Working with Children checks for under-18s or for roles where there’s child-related work.
  • Young volunteers under 18 require special consideration: legal permissions, suitable supervision, health & safety, alignment with their education/school commitments.

Before engaging a youth volunteer, the organisation needs to consider the ability to provide suitable duties, supervision and meet the duty of care to provide a safe space for the young person.

  • Having clear policies regarding the need to protect children (and other vulnerable groups), undertaking reference checking and interviews and provide adequate induction, training and supervision are also important. Volunteer policies and procedures should expressly consider risks and issues associated with youth volunteers under 18 years old. There are National Principles for Child Safe Organisations, which are considered best practice for fostering child safety and wellbeing culture and practice.