The social action energiser: Steve Holliday, chair, the youth full-time social action review
Derren Hayes
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
Derren Hayes talks to Steve Holliday, chair of the youth full-time social action review.
Steve Holliday, up until last summer the chief executive of gas and electricity utility giant National Grid, was last month appointed to head the government's review of full-time youth volunteering. Minister for civil society Rob Wilson said Holliday was a "great fit" for the role because of his professional background and knowledge of the youth sector - he has supported youth education charity City Year UK and is a trustee of youth social action body Step Up To Serve.
Have you set a terms of reference for the review?
Yes, the aim of the review is to look at the purposes, benefits and challenges of full-time social action for young people. When we talk about full time, we are using the definition of volunteering for at least 16 hours a week, for at least six months. We will look at the legal, regulatory and other barriers that young people and providers of social action face. We will also consider the wider context of volunteering full time in young people's transition from school into employment. At the end of the review, we will be making recommendations to the minister on if, and how, full-time social action can be further encouraged and supported.
Who is on the review advisory board and what are their backgrounds?
We are currently appointing the panellists who will help to shape the review. It's important that I get advice from people with a wide variety of experience, because this review does not just affect the voluntary sector. It is about improving skills for young people, working with others including government to break down barriers, and find out exactly what young people want to get from volunteering opportunities.
It will be vital to get the views of representatives of the voluntary sector, but I also want to get advice from senior business people, economists, academics, and most importantly young people themselves.
What key issues are on the review agenda?
There are clearly a number of barriers to taking part in full-time volunteering, for both young people and providers.
For participants, the first issue young people mention is the cost of being a full-time volunteer. Second, there seems to be a major lack of awareness of the opportunities available, and even if young people are aware, it doesn't seem to be an option they are directed to consider. Third, demand for full-time social opportunities actually outweighs the number of placements available, so that will be an interesting area to investigate.
For providers, it is costly to provide well-structured and well-supported full-time social action placements, both in terms of finance and resources. Providers also have to navigate a complex legal and regulatory framework when engaging volunteers, so this is something we will be looking into.
How is the review going to gather evidence?
I will be working with the panel to decide how to gather evidence. I expect to have a written call for evidence, supplemented with a number of workshops and roundtables with representatives from young people, the voluntary sector, providers of full-time social action opportunities, business people and the government.
A large part of our research will be gathering evidence from full-time volunteering schemes overseas: a number of other countries including the United States, Germany and France run schemes that I am sure we can learn from.
Can full-time youth volunteering play a bigger role in young people's social development?
I've seen directly youth social action benefit the development and character of young people, giving them employability skills while making a real difference in their communities. There are a variety of providers of full-time social action opportunities in the UK, ranging from school placements to conservation, to working with the elderly. We are going to consider each of these different types of placement, as well as looking at other opportunities for young people.
What are the review timescales?
We will produce a report along with recommendations for ministers over the summer, and hope to present these by autumn 2017.
What got you interested in youth social action?
At National Grid, we supported a number of programmes in the US and UK. I have seen the confidence gained by young people and the stepping stone to employment it has provided, while being humbled by the huge difference the volunteers have made to people's lives.
Would you like to see better links between the National Citizen Service (NCS) and full-time youth social action opportunities?
I want to see young people become engaged with volunteering from an early age. Youth social action brings real benefits to participants, and makes a real difference in communities.
NCS is a great way to give young people a flavour of what social action is, and I know that young people going through the NCS programme are encouraged to look at wider opportunities in the future. Full-time youth social action can, and perhaps should, be the beginning of a volunteering journey, and I want to see how we can increase the opportunities in this area in the future.
STEVE HOLLIDAY CV
- March 2017 - Appointed chair of the youth full-time social action review
- 2007-2016 - Chief executive, National Grid plc
- 2001-2007 - Board director, National Grid Group
- 1998-2003 - International director, British Borneo
- 1978-1997 - various positions, Exxon
- 1978 - graduated from Nottingham University with a degree in mining engineering
- Volunteering - vice-chair of the Careers and Enterprise Council, vice-chair Business in the Community, vice-president of the Energy Institute, trustee Step Up To Serve