Despairing at lack of volunteering opportunities for DS

[StrikesAtticFlat]

Tearing my hair out with DS21. He is about to start his final year at uni. We asked him this summer to seek voluntary work or an internship to help his future career (Birmingham area). He has an internship lined up but has wasted weeks being unable to start due to admin errors (partly his fault, partly theirs). Meanwhile he says he has applied online for over 15 volunteer positions with charities - ranging from Age to Shelter to the RSPCA to Compassion in World Farming. NONE of them have got back to him...not one. He has been around local charity shops and they don't need anyone.
I am veering between disbelieving him and despairing that there is nothing for an enthusiastic, intelligent young person to do in a huge city even when they are not asking for pay!! I am now just praying that the internship actually happens but it will be another couple of weeks even if the admin stuff is indeed sorted...
Does anyone have any ideas of what else he could try re volunteer work?
He has applied to the following: Tabor Living/ Helping Hands Birmingham/ Age UK/ WWF/ RSPCA/ RSPB/ Botanical Gardens (the only one to get back to him! They aren't recruiting any volunteers because of the drought). Greenpeace...etc etc.

Thank you - and yes, they are (or can be) quite rubbish!! 😄

May really is to late to apply.

Firstly most internships need to.be applied for months in advance, so September - Nov for the following summer.

Volunteers need training and most need applications in by March for the summer.

Your son isn't 'getting it'.

Litter picking?

Sorry.. don't know how I missed that.

He has an internship lined up, thanks. That’s not what my post was about.
“Your son isn’t getting it.”
Thanks for this helpful comment!

No worries at all! Thanks.

I’m bowing out now. Genuine thanks for all the helpful suggestions and ideas. That’s all I wanted, not a lecture about the perils of helping a 21 year old or asking probing questions to pick apart things that are irrelevant and private.
Have a good evening, all!

The National Trust used to run volunteering holidays that were focused week long opportunities.

Scouts

I stand by my post. You said

" He has an internship lined up but has wasted weeks being unable to start due to admin errors (partly his fault, partly theirs)."

So it sounds that he very much isn't getting it . . .

The council is always looking for parks/green space volunteers to help with local gardening and maintenance. If you Google names of local parks/green spaces within your area/borough, you should be able to contact them (via council website/FB page/green space page) about volunteering (in my area, this is the case, so I imagine this is sort of universal... I hope.).
Also look into English Heritage and National Trust.
Haven't read the whole thread so forgive me if these suggestions have already been made.

Similar situation here and posters saying ‘why didn’t he sort it out at easter’ are not helping. Almost all the young men I know of (and many young women) are organisationally challenged, I’m sure due in large part to the ease of life at home/in bed/covid times/social media. It’s a good idea of yours to send him opportunities. Soup kitchen? Food bank? Charity shops often have waiting lists of volunteers! In addition, nearly all the local council opps i see are ‘once a week 2-4’, not useful for a student going back in a month.

No problem. I have 2 sons slightly older than yours. Both well educated and independent and doing great. I helped them as much as they'd let me along the way. They appreciated it. It didn't hinder them or stop them helping themselves in anyway.

No you're not getting it Princess. Your snidey remarks aren't appreciated or helping the op out. So take them elsewhere.

Having recruited and coordinated volunteers @StrikesAtticFlat most organisations do not want someone on uni hols going in to their last year who isn’t going to last long or be committed, it’s just not worth the onboarding, training etc.

National trust, park run, scouts, local football / swim clubs, food banks, care homes, rising for the disabled, local wildlife trusts…… I could go on. I spect he’s not going to these places in person.

It's a public forum and my points are valid. This isn't a forum whereby you get to censor people because they're disagreeing with you. Ops sons issues are entirely down to his lack of planning and I'm really sorry if you find that offensive. Perhaps it's something to do with professionalism and learning hard lessons.

I agree with so many others.
Most charities have to do a certain amount of background checks, and then induction / onboarding.
It makes no sense to take on a new person for such a short amount of time if they don't have a particular skillset or experience already.

Also, many, many organisations don't operate during August, or the school holidays. I volunteer with 3 different organisations and they all stop for the school holidays. Outside of that, I am aware of SO many organisations that are crying out for volunteers. I have been asked to help at, or sign up to another 6 different organisations over the last year, without wanting any at all. I am old, but my dc who is at University has had 2 groups of people asking if she will be home as they could do with her help, so people who are known to organisation have no trouble finding opportunities.

Other short term opportunities are things like Volunteering at the European Athletics currently at The Alexander stadium, or becoming a Cricketeer at Edgbaston. Then organisations like PHAB camps which of course he would have needed to have got organised much earlier.

But I didn’t ask for your ‘points’. I didn’t ask ‘What do you think about my DS and should I help him even though he is an adult?’
I just asked for recommendations of possible volunteering opportunities, which 99.9% of people who’ve posted on this thread have kindly given. In contrast, you judged and sniped in a way that would clearly only have one purpose - to make me feel more stressed. Why do that?! What was your intention?
That’s the risk of posting on an anonymous forum, of course. Some people will ignore the actual query and jump in to make themselves feel superior and smug (I’m guessing).
Again, thank you to everyone who posted with helpful suggestions!

Workaway. Positions throughout the world including UK if he doesn't want to go overseas.

To those mentioning Scouts, (and the kids absolutely look up to younger leaders rather than middle aged dads like me) bear in mind it is a term time activity.

In that respect it is actually quite suited to a student doing this in their town or city of study.

Yes, but May to September is still pretty short, depending on what's involved. For many charities, that simply wouldn't be worth the investment of their time.

I got my first experience on paid working / volunteer holidays.

(I mean I paid)

The largest body of volunteers in the uk are school governors. They are desparate to have the younger voice represented too. He would need to be committed through, not just have a very motivated mother!