Volunteering and the Recession

Something that crossed my mind the other day was I wonder how volunteering has grown or changed since the recession. Are people out of work using this time to volunteer or are they spending their time doing other things? With the shortage of jobs are young people doing more volunteering to bulk up their CV and make them standout?

I think bodies that support volunteering in this country should be doing more at the moment to try and make sure as many people out of work are volunteering as possible. I remember in the past we have had things like Millennium Volunteers and the Year of Volunteering but I think it is time for a push again.

During a recession there should also be more volunteering opportunities made available to cope with the demand. Instead of volunteering organizations thinking right we can be more selective in who we take on because of the demand their should be agencies working with people to find them a volunteering opportunity that is right for them.

During a recession, profit making enterprises may feel like they capitalize on the situation by getting people to work for free for them in return for some work experience and a reference but I think it is important that we make sure that people aren’t getting ripped off and are getting something out of it.

If you have some spare time on your hands be sure to find out what volunteering opportunities there are in your area. You will be surprised by what is available to you. Just always make sure to check out the organization and the position first to make sure that it is the right place for you as if it is you will be amazed by what you can get out of volunteering.

Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"
”Shaking up the Youth of Today”

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com

The benefits of the Credit Crunch

Now I know I have written a lot of blogs lately on the credit crunch but there were a couple of interesting stories this week which caught my attention. Now most talk about the current economic climate is normally from the angle of doom and gloom but the stories I am going to discuss offer hope.

The first story to catch my eye was a report I read saying that University applications are quite significantly up this year with many people sighting the credit crunch as the reason. Young people seem to be concerned about the lack of jobs and job security at the moment so are deciding to spend some time in University hoping the economic climate is better when they graduate.

Now I am not saying that University is for everyone but it is great to see young people really thinking about their future and what the best route for them is. In a time of economic downturn some said applicants would be put off University as in these times they may have found it hard to come up with or justify the tuition fees so I am glad the University system seems to be surviving these tough times. That’s the thing which is overlooked a lot by the media as it is not only the corporate world which affected by the downturn.

The other story I read was a bit of publicity for a film coming out at the Cinema called “Shopaholic” now I haven’t seen the film so can’t comment on the quality of it but I thought the film was apt for this period. In a time where we need to be watching what we spend and our finances it is great to see a film which deals with a real problem for many people. Regardless of the way they film portrays the issue it is great to see it talked about on the news and by the general public.


Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"
”Shaking up the Youth of Today”

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com

Knowledge of the job market

With the global credit crunch hitting harder and with more closures and redundancies being reported everyday young peoples knowledge of the job market is becoming increasingly important.

For the college student deciding on what course to study at University they now have to start thinking about what industries are making money and which are not cutting back on jobs. Now by the time they have graduated the job market may be a different place so they always have to be aware of what is happening and what they think will happen over the next three years.

For the education leaver who is going in to the work place there is less choice around. With low skill and base level job numbers shrinking it is becoming harder to get a foot on the bottom ladder of a company and work your way up. If you are just looking to get some money or some experience again these jobs are hard to come by as now companies only want to spend money on people they think will contribute to the company and not someone they have to invest a lot of time in.

For the University Graduate there are less graduate positions available so they have to find a way of making themselves stand out from the crowd. They have to have more knowledge than the other graduates looking for those jobs and do more research to get themselves to the top of the pile, it really is survival of the fittest.

For those currently in work it is time to be thinking of ways in which you can make yourself irreplaceable in your company. It is also a time for being prepared in case the credit crunch hits the company you are working for, know what your options are and what you can do if you are made redundant.

My advice to surviving this period is to try and really master a skill whatever that may be. Companies are always going to need skilled staff to keep their company going. So whatever skill that may be you need to start really working on it and make sure you can do that skill better than anybody else.

To give us your thoughts on the credit crunch and job market why not join in our topic of the week which can be found by going to:

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=644

Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"
”Shaking up the Youth of Today”

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com