The government's vision of a big society is overlooking youth volunteering that already takes place in communities, according to the youth forum of the National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS).
In NCVYS's consultation response to the government's big society inquiry, Envoy forum members said there was a feeling that the government came across as "dismissive" of existing voluntary work going on in communities. They added: "The intention of the National Citizen Service to 'instil this culture of active citizenship in our young people' appears to disregard the thousands of young people who are already volunteering."
About half of 130 young people questioned by NCVYS hadn't heard of the big society.
