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The Goodie Hoodie – young people fight back about negative stereotypes of youth
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The negative stereotypes of today’s youth as ‘violent’, ‘disrespectful’ or ‘apathetic’ were challenged head on today by the results of our innovative youth insight project Voicebox. At an early hour this morning, Terry Ryall, v’s Chief Executive, appeared on BBC Radio 4 Today Programme challenging the general public and politicians to re-consider their views of today 16 – 25 year olds.
The results show that while 82% of young people who participated in the research might own a ‘hoodie’ this does not equate to anti-social behaviour. Voicebox shows 85% of young people or their friends don’t carry a knife, 86% have never shoplifted, and 69% did not agree drugs were ok for recreational use.
The messages young people are submitting to the Voicebox robot demonstrate their frustration about the widely held negative perceptions of young people today. The emerging results from Voicebox blow apart the idea that the young generation are disengaged.
Results from the online polls support this showing that 78% of young people do, in fact, respect their elders, 75% are happy with the relationship they have with their family, and 68% are content living at home.
Voicebox will continue to collect, use, and share data about life styles, attitudes, and behaviours of young Britain’s. In a modern day twist on writing a letter to your MP, the Voicebox Robot will be appearing in the Houses of Parliament from 12 – 16 October. The robot will directly articulate the care of a generation directly to politicians. We want as many young people to have their voices heard. All they need to do is visit Voicebox to write what they care about and it will be written out by the robot.
For further information on the Voicebox results, download the press release or visit the Voicebox website.
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Online volunteering, UN style
.org/en/vol/” target=”_blank”>onlinevolunteering.org was launched in 2000 by the United Nations Volunteers programme. The premise is simple. Volunteers contribute their skills to help organizations address development challenges. From website building, translation, research, design work to building relationships with donors, the website connects volunteers with organizations working for sustainable human development (thats development with people and the planet in mind).
In 2007, this innovative approach to volunteering provided 3,800 online volunteering assignments offered by development organisations covering a wide range of projects.
As a volunteer you can search an easy-to-use database by task, topic or region. How about voluneering to be a moderator for an online consultation on youth migration or designing a logo and graphics for a website? Volunteers also help
maintain the UN site.
Lost generation? Recession and the young
We’ve been talking recently in vLabs blog about how unemployment is affecting young people in the UK; looking at
the role of volunteering as a lifeline
Of course, the recession is not just impacting on young people in the UK.
Here, I thought I would share some of the best journalism I’ve come across which highlights how young people are being affected
by the recession in other countries.
The New York Times leads the way with an interesting look at the development of Rural Labour Squads in Japan. In
Europe, TIME’s cover page story, ‘Generation Disappointment’, looks in-depth at the impact of the recession on young people in Spain. Foreign Policy magazine looks wider, at how young Europeans face a declining jobs market, ‘Europe’s New Lost Generation’.
In the US, PBS and the veteran broadcast journalist Judy Woodruff have recorded a great series of interviews in, Generation Next: Tough Choices, looking at how 18-to-25-year-olds or trying to start their lives in one of the most challenging economic times in recent memory. For the figures and trends of youth unemployment in the US, check out Bob Herbert’s Op-Ed.
by Report Digital
In the UK, the Economist’s, ‘No Way to Start in Life’ and the Guardian’s, ‘Young People and Unemployment’ coverage is informative.
In this context, v has been working hard to get volunteering seen as an important part of the response to youth unemployment.
We’re thrilled to be hosting with the RSA a lecture by Professor David Blanchflower, the leading labour economist and recent member of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee from June 2006-May 2009, who will deliver a keynote address on the recession and the young.
We’ve then got an impressive panel lined-up – David Willetts MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Universities and Skills, Terry Ryall, CEO, v, Wes Streeting, President, National Union of Students and Miles Templeman, Director-General, Institute of Directors – to debate what can be done to prevent a generation losing hope and opportunity.
Robot gives young people a voice in Westminster
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Throughout October, as part of Voicebox, v‘s youth insight and empowerment project, a writing robot will be installed in the Houses of Parliament. Its role is to take the views of individual young people from all over England right to the heart of the UK’s political system; voicing young people’s concerns, in their own words, in the corridors of power.
v, the National Young Volunteers’ Service, and Sidekick Studios have created The Voicebot, an industrial web-enabled writing robot arm which writes out the messages sent via the internet. We pose the question, ‘what do you care about?’ and their answer is written out and recorded for all to see. In October, The Voicebot and the messages it has recorded will be displayed in a unique installation within the very walls of Houses of Parliament, literally getting the views held by young people under the noses of MPs.
v aims to tell the government what people really care buy viagra about (in less than 160 characters). Its like updating your Facebook status, but its a direct conversation with the government. Like this example, from the Wired blog (see also their top 5 bizarre Twitter replacements).
“I care about my Mum with Alzheimer’s, I take care of her every day but she doesn’t even know who I am. Can you help us?”
The aim is to demonstrate that
people, and young people in particular, do have views and opinions on politics, they just might not want to communicate via the traditional channels provided to them. Not many people can be bothered to write a letter to their MP, but if it was a bit easier maybe they would…
Another real prompt for action is the fact messing around with a writing robot is just kind of cool. Political agenda aside, visitors to the site want to see if it really works and this is a compelling motivation to send a message.
v are aiming this activity at 16-25 year olds but anyone of any age can send a message via The Voicebot. Messages sent by over 25s have their own digital image created and are logged in a digital gallery on Flickr. People aged 16-25 get emailed a photo of their message in the flesh – check out what they’re talking about on the results page.
We have one month to get as many people as possible to send their message and ensure we have a big impact on the Houses of Parliament. Spread the word – and try it out for yourself here.
The Voicebot from sidekick studios on Vimeo.
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Inspiring ideas for the future
3 billion. Thats the number of young people under twenty-five in the world – as threebillion points out, thats half the worlds population.
How can the energy and ideas of this group
contribute to development? Well, Michael Boampong has some thoughts. We’ve featured Michael’s organisation, Young People We Care, previously on the vlabs blog.
Here, Michael discusses Youth-Led Development: Promoting Sustainable Development and Empowering Youth in an essay for the website Youthink!’s International Youth viagra online canadian pharmacy Day Essay Contest.
Responding to the essay question set by the World Bank, What are your tangible ideas for how youth can create effective, long-lasting change? other ideas include a TV channel by and for youth around the world, a wider look at how our attitudes can help shape our planet’s future and how obstacles like red-tape or limited finances should not young people from making a difference.
What are your ideas?
In preparation for the Y2Y Global Youth Conference 2009, the World Bank is seeking essays on Youth Entrepreneurship in times of crisis.
Get writing.
Time to unite against climate change
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With the United Nations Climate Change Conference looming in December, the pressure is on to get the world working together to cut carbon emissions. Today sees the launch of the 10:10 campaign to cut persuade the UK’s individuals, schools, hospitals, businesses and organisations to pledge to cut their carbon emissions by 10% in 2010. Created by the Age of Stupid team, the campaign has already drawn support from celebrities and environmental campaigners, but also from the likes of British Gas, Tottenham Hotspur FC, and the NHS.
747 to 1010 in 34 seconds from Age of Stupid on Vimeo.
It would be easy to dismiss the role of 16-25 year olds in taking practical action to cut emissions – after all, they’re less likely to hold the power in businesses, schools and even in households. Yet many charities are harnessing the enthusiasm and dedication of young volunteers for climate change projects, and what’s inspiring is the way that diverse organisations are working together.
The UK Youth Climate Change Coalition isn’t just another brand-new organisation, it’s a youth-led coalition of youth organisations, large and small which have joined forces to reach out to millions of young people up and down the country. Their vimeo site creates a platform for the voices of climate change activists from all over the world.
Climate change and Nepalese Youth from Avishek Shrestha on Vimeo.
Also in the UK, the digital team at vinspired and the team at Made by Many have just launched a new website for Climate Squad, a network of young volunteers taking practical action against climate change. Supported by v and Bank of America, and delivered by Global Action Plan, Climate Squad will train 300 young people to lead their own carbon-cutting projects in their own communities. These viagra no prescription young leaders will work with businesses, schools, colleges and householders to show them how to measure their carbon footprints and make small changes in their behaviour to produce measurable reductions.
Recently published research, Climate Squad: young people’s views on climate change, shows that three quarters of young people in England would like to volunteer on a climate change project. So we’ll be down at the Tate Modern this evening to find out more about what 10:10 have planned, and will be keeping an eye on The Guardian’s new 10:10 portal.
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Spotlight: The Good Gym
Be good, get fit. Thats the tag being used by the creators behind a new project bringing together volunteering and exercise. By linking runners and isolated less-mobile people, the Good Gym aims to overcome the loneliness experienced by some older people. Runners will jog to their house, deliver something nice, have have a brief chat and be on their
way again.
Like v’s work to define volunteering for a new generation by providing a range of opportunities to fit young peoples lives (we value whatever time they can give), the Good Gym is an
interesting example of what they term, the ‘fine-grain’ approach to volunteering, where participation is based on frequent low impact activities that are integrated usefully into the participant’s life.
Over the Summer and Autumn of 2009 the Good Gym will test the working and processes of the project in Tower Hamlets. If you live or work in the area then join the good gym pilot project.
As the people at the Good Gym say, it will help you get fit by provding a good reason to go for a run and it will help the person being visited by providing them with some friendly human contact.
Join the pilot. Get running.
Young people: Living online?
Recent stories regarding young people’s use of the internet and social media have raised an interesting question mark on an assumed trend; that young people live online.
First came the research note into young people’s media habits wrote by
a 15 year-old intern at Morgan Stanley. The note, which describes his friends’ declining social media habits ended up on the front page of the Financial Times and caused a stir with City investors and media analysts alike.
And although it received a bashing on the blogs for being the views of one young guy, the launch of Ofcom’s Communications Market Report 2009 seemed to back up part of the note by reporting that in the 15-24 age group, use of
social networking sites declined from 55 per cent in the first quarter of 2008 to 50 per cent in 2009. This contrasts with Ofcom’s findings in 2006 which highlighted social media as the next big thing for 15-24 year-olds.
Gerry Greaney/Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
So what are young people doing online?
There is of course lots of research to quote in answering that question, but most of it is contradictory.
One interesting answer comes from
Bill Wasik, a senior editor at Harper’s and the author of “And Then There’s This: How Stories Live and Die in Viral Culture.” Wasik believes that as ‘old-model’ opportunities disappear in the real world; jobs, internships and grants, young creatives are turning to the Bright Lights, Big Internet to get their big break. Suggesting the growth of much more entrepreneurial and creative uses for the web when the real world is letting them down.
On life online and keeping creativity alive in the recession, check out ‘A little rant about ‘the lost generation’.
This week's Friday favourite: volunteering ewe-phoria
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Just when you think you’ve got a handle on the sheer diversity of volunteering opportunities available out there – someone pulls it out of the bag. Today, it’s the turn of Doncaster Council, who in partnership with Natural England, are calling for volunteer shepherds to join their flock. Yep, that’s right – volunteers are being
invited to shepherd a flock of Hebridean sheep grazing on Hatfield Moors, near Doncaster.
Volunteers are needed to help staff from Natural England take part in regular health checks on the sheep, including checking for lameness and the general health of the sheep and to keep track of the herd. The animals act as natural gardeners, keeping the National Park’s scrub land under control.
It’s all part of the new Muck In4Life campaign, which is aimed at encouraging more people to adopt a healthier lifestyle while helping charities and voluntary organisations to look after the natural environment.
The campaign, launched by Defra, hopes to get more families and individuals out of the house and involved in conservation work – everything from bat spying to tree planting and clearing beach litter to pond de-sludging.
Meanwhile, volunteers from most guinea pig rescue groups in America are running education programmes in a bid to escape the “101 Dalmations” effect. They’re worried that Disney’s new G-Force film, which stars guinea pigs, will
spark an increase in abandoned “film pets”, putting extra strain on animal shelters, which are already stretched due to the recession. The G-Force website advises viewers to be responsible and research any pet “to make sure that it is suitable for your particular situation” and consider adopting from a shelter.
Recognise us and respect us
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New research by the British Youth Council, Recognise and respect us, examines the barriers some young people face in volunteering. The research highlights that young people often don’t know if their volunteering is recognised or appreciated. The research recommends greater recognition and respect for young volunteers.
NCCPE’s Student Volunteering: Background, Policy and Context (June 2009) highlights other reports championing recognition for young volunteers. Both the Morgan Enquiry and the Volunteering Works report (from Volunteering England and the IVR) conclude that young people, like adults want feedback and to know what they have done has been valued. They are often more inclined to want some accreditation for their achievements which will have currency in the workplace.
The National Youth Agency’s 2007 report, Young People’s Volunteering and Skills Development, showed that while a minority – usually those who were already achieving well in formal education – did not see formal recognition as important, most young people involved in the research wanted their skills to be at least recorded through certificates and evidence for CVs. This was seen as particularly important for those who had little or no other evidence of achievement.
Whilst youth unemployment figures continue to rise there’s much discussion that volunteering can viable way for young people to enter their chosen industry whilst building up the necessary skills set needed for the world of work. But we must work to ensure high profile recognition and respect for the contribution young people can make through volunteering. Young volunteers need, and deserve, to feel valued. Employers need to respect their contribution and ensure that
they don’t perceive volunteering
as a source of cheap labour.
This finding strikes a chord with us here at v. Our vinspired awards are recognised by the CBI, and have won support from Dragon’s Den star James Caan, EMI’s Felix Howard, and Birmingham City’s Karren Brady. We’ll be celebrating the achievements of some our our vfifty award holders in the national press in the coming months.
And we’re busy working towards the vinspired National Awards ceremony for young volunteers, which takes place in October. Nominations are now open, so nominate volunteers you know – give them the recognition and respect they deserve!
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