Passions, People and Appreciation: Making Volunteering Work for Young People 

Volunteering and young people: schedule for focus groups

Introduction:

Thank you for participating.

Our names and affiliations.

Check participants have received an explanatory statement.

Collect signed consent forms.

Outline project briefly.

Areas to be covered:

1. What participants understand by "volunteering", "voluntary work".
2. Whether participants have ever been required to do any "voluntary work" that is "compulsory", e.g. as part of a school/tertiary program, "Work for the Dole" etc.
3. Whether this has had any influence on later participation in volunteering.
4. What other kinds of volunteering have participants done (or are doing).
5. In what ways is voluntary work (whether compulsory or not compulsory) a good idea?
6. In what ways is it not a good idea?
7. What kind of things influence young people to get involved in voluntary work that is not "compulsory"?
8. What kind of things influence young people NOT to participate in voluntary work when it is not "compulsory"?
9. What is it about some organisations that makes them particularly attractive to young volunteers?
10. How could voluntary work (compulsory or non-compulsory) be improved so that young people would enjoy it more and get more out of it?
11. If participants have any other issues about volunteering that they would like to raise.