Report reveals extent of student volunteering

The Student Volunteering Landscape report by the National Union of Students reveals that 31 per cent of students devote their spare time to a range of volunteering activities, including tutoring, organising fundraising activities and providing care to vulnerable people.

The report, based on a survey of 2,000 students, reveals that 78 per cent who volunteer do so in an attempt to help others and to improve their local communities, while 66 per cent highlighted developing new skills as a key motivation.

The report also shows that 38 per cent of students who volunteer first participated in volunteering activities when they were pupils at either primary or secondary school.

Minister for civil society Nick Hurd has welcomed the findings of the survey.

He said: “Volunteering is on the rise and these figures paint a very positive picture about the amount of time students are giving up to help others.

“Volunteering can be a hugely beneficial way to gain experience and develop skills and it’s good to see that students across the UK are embracing it as a way to develop themselves alongside their education.”

The report, published today, marks the beginning of Student Volunteering Week 2014.

It follows the launch of a report published by think-tank Demos last Wednesday, which claimed that young people are more socially aware than previous generations.