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Chairman of v

Volunteering makes a huge difference: New report shows young people who volunteer greatly improve confidence and opportunities

Foundation Chairman, Sir Rod Aldridge, is also the Chairman of the youth volunteering charity v.

A newly published independent evaluation of the charity’s work shows the positive impact that volunteering can have on young people, making a significant difference to their lives and futures.

The study, carried out by the National Centre for Social Research, Institute for Volunteering Research, University of Southampton, University of Birmingham, and Public Zone shows that 87% of v’s projects improved attitudes towards young people in their communities and 91% of projects provided better links between young people and their communities.

The research shows that young people who volunteered had a much better chance of finding a job, or accessing higher education or training, as well as increasing their self-confidence and belief.

Founded in 2006, v seeks to create a culture where volunteering and social action comes naturally, where the benefits of volunteering are understood and celebrated, by creating a range of volunteering opportunities for young people that improve lives and communities.

Since being launched, v has created and filled 1,094,175 volunteering opportunities, and raised over £50million from the private sector.

Sir Rod Aldridge was appointed as Chair of v in April 2006 following an open recruitment process led by Ian Russell CBE, the author of the Russell Commission Report on Youth Volunteering and by the young people associated with the project.

His role is to work with the Chief Executive, Terry Ryall, and the Board of Trustees to deliver the recommendations of the Russell Commission Report.

The Board of Trustees includes four young people from the v20 Youth Advisory Board together with individuals drawn from the Third Sector, business and sport, namely:

Sir Rod Aldridge OBE	Chairman
Manny Amadi	CEO and founder, Cause & Effect
Irving Anderson	v20
Natalie Campbell	Consultant
Stacey Foster	v20
Dame Tanni Grey Thompson	Former Paralympic Champion Athlete
Larissa Joy	Partner and Chief Operating Officer, Actis
Marie Kemplay	v20
Tricia Killen
Caitlen Moon	v20
Lorraine O'Reilly	Young Peoples Services, Brighton & Hove Council
Tim Smart	CEO, BT Global Services UK
Joan Watson

v has been set up to inspire a new generation of young volunteers across England. Its aim is to revolutionise youth volunteering and involve 1 million new volunteers between the ages of 16 and 25 years.

v is led by the cares, interests, passions and beliefs of young people. The charity is spearheaded by a Youth Advisory Board called v20 who act as advisors and are involved in all aspects of the charity's work.

v works in partnership with the public and private sector and with voluntary and community sector organisations to increase the quantity, quality and diversity of volunteering opportunities available to young people. v commissions full-time, part-time and short term opportunities for young people from different backgrounds. By supporting these opportunities more young people will be involved in, for example, community radio, improving the environment, running sports clubs and international projects.

A Government instigated report - The Russell Commission Report - led to the founding of v. The Government pledged initial funding support of up to £100 million including £50 million in matched funding for private sector funding for volunteering projects.

v was established with seven original founding partners: