Volunteering-Philanthropy

Many of the projects we have evaluated involve aspects of volunteering (from young people and adults) and philanthropy (from individuals and businesses):

  • Youth Philanthropy Initiative (Wood Family Trust/Institute for Philanthropy/Credit Suisse) - This longitudinal evaluation of outcomes for young people in school, explores the impact of this initiative which provides £3,000 to a winning team in each participating school, to give to a charity selected by the young people.  The programme supports citizenship, volunteering and charitable giving across the UK.
  • Community Transformation Programme (Youth at Risk) - This programme supports young people not achieving their potential for a range of reasons e.g. NEET, encouraging volunteering and participation in learning/employment. The young people supported in the main had psychological (mental wellbeing) and motivational issues.  The programme challenged young people to deal with issues relating to their past that prevent them from achieving. We monitored outcomes, interviewed young people, including ex-offenders, to seek their views about the support.
  • Giving Nation Evaluation (Citizenship Foundation) - This study examined the impact of this schools based national programme using e-surveys, qualitative research and management information.  The findings, disseminated in a visually stimulating style, were effective; resulting in the Cabinet Office continuing to fund the programme.
  • Connect Yourself (Foyer Federation) - The Connect Yourself programme, being piloted in four areas by a partnership of Foyer Federation, Youth at Risk and Changemakers, aims to improve outcomes for vulnerable young people, including young runaways accessing local Foyers. Part of the programme includes young people participating in voluntary activities as well as volunteer business mentors.  As well as assessing the impact of the programme, the evaluation is focusing on the relative impact of the different interventions provided by each of the partnership organisations.
  • Youth Point Evaluation (Cardigan Centre) – Youth Point is a youth centre addressing complex needs. This evaluation explored an extension of positive activities and outreach work via Youth Sector Development funding (YSDF) and explored effectiveness and impact. Due to the outreach nature of the work, fieldwork involved attending, observing youth sessions, youth night outs, and accompanying outreach workers on ‘street walks’. The evaluation established a young person steering group, which shaped the evaluation focus and methodology.

For further information on the services that York Consulting can offer, contact Philip Wilson at philip.wilson@yorkconsulting.co.uk