Is volunteering a lifeline for young people hit by the recession?

Last week, The Prince’s Trust warned that young people will be among the hardest hit by the recession due to rising unemployment. Today, v publishes new research showing that many young people believe volunteering could offer a lifeline.

‘Young People Speak Out – Attitudes to and Perceptions of Full-Time Volunteering’ shows that over 2 million young people– around 3 in 10 – might consider volunteering on a full-time basis, with more than half agreeing that young people will be more likely to volunteer if rates of unemployment continue to go up.

41% of young people said they would be encouraged to consider volunteering full time if they could gain skills and experience related to work or their future career, and 31% would be encouraged to consider volunteering full time if it was related to their job or study.

The research is backed by statistics for v‘s website, vinspired.com, which show an increase in demand for volunteering opportunities. Online applications to get involved in volunteering have increased by 183% and unique visits to vinspired.com are up by 77%.

Today, v is hosting round table discussions with young people, policy makers, politicians and charities to discuss how best to deal with this growing appetite for volunteering. But what do you think? Is full-time volunteering the way into employment for the recession’s “lost generation”?