Today on International Volunteers’ Day, we’re sharing our appreciation for all our partners who help make our YouthCan! global partnership a success.
YouthCan! supports young people, who are at risk of losing or have lost parental care, to successfully transition from school to work and independent life.
But it would not be possible without the support of our volunteers, who generously give their time to support young people.
In a joint effort between SOS Children’s Villages and our private sector partners, employees volunteer to share their time, skills, and expertise, online and face-to-face, with young people around the world.
Mentorship is needed more than ever as young people navigate these challenging times. So the work of these volunteers is life-changing for young people growing up without adequate family support, who need to build skills to ensure they can become independent and thrive.
And year-on-year, YouthCan! has improved – preparing, engaging, and retaining more volunteers willing to support young people.
In 2022, 14,253 young people across 47 countries received holistic support through YouthCan!.
This was made possible through the commitment and engagement of 1,869 volunteers from 204 partners worldwide.
Volunteers have great expertise and the power to pass it on to future generations. And young people reap the benefits from developing relationships with working adults outside of their family care setting, who have supported them on their journey into the working world.
But it’s not just young people who benefit from this programme.
Volunteers have also built skills and relationships through participation in YouthCan!:
- 96% say they gained new skills relevant to their daily work.
- 95% feel they’ve made a positive contribution to the lives of people and comunities in need.
- 93% say they would recommend it to colleagues.
- 91% feel prouder to work for their companies and report improved job satisfaction.
- 86% report YouthCan! improved their interactions and collaboration at work.
There are many ways for companies to support YouthCan! at a local, national or international level. If you’d like to find out more, please contact holly.christie@sosuk.org
