Engaging young people through volunteerism has to be a two-way street: young people should benefit from their volunteering experience as much their host community.  That is why, as you will read, this strategy emphasizes skills development, knowledge, and personal growth in our UN Youth Volunteers modality, while also compelling us to not only increase the quantity of volunteering opportunities available to young people globally, but also improve the quality of their volunteer experience.

Youth Volunteering is a two-way street that enhances learning, skills development and personal growth in youth volunteers, and shows them the power of individuals to change the world. It also creates a sense of empowerment, boosts self-esteem and fosters the development of community spirit, especially among marginalized youth. youth volunteers can have a revitalizing effect on global peace and development processes, as they bring energy, passion and creativity, and are often the first to come up with innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing issues.

UNV and its network of volunteers have created a robust global infrastructure for volunteer efforts, and boosted local capacity to support these initiatives. As a result, several hundreds of thousands or volunteers have engaged meaningfully with communities, whether at home or abroad, and brought about real development progress. In 2015, UN Member States requested that UNV support the establishment of national volunteer schemes.