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.

Our local food bank always needs volunteers to pack bags and arrange shelves of goods. The local 14 year olds do it for DoE

English Heritage?

You sound very stilted and unaware of the realities of life for young adults these days. Perhaps try educating yourself before your need to make the op feel worse overcomes you again.
Its not that hard.

What is his previous job experience?
The cinnamon trust often look for volunteers to care for pets when the owner is in hospital or recovering, to help walk dogs etc https://cinnamon.org.uk/how-can-you-support-the-trust/

DH and I tried signing up to a voluntary charity that ran soup kitchens, food banks, drop in clinics etc. We both have the qualifications/skills on their shortage lists, both have advanced DBS and the food hygiene certificates. The sign up would include an interview and a minimum of 6mths commitment. I realise they don't want to train people who only stay for Christmas, but here were other requirements in just doing the application that put me off.

There is a really good website called Volunteer Brum which has loads of opportunities on it. Lots of the museums also take on volunteers.

Could he just spot something that needs doing & get it done? EG litter picking, tidying unloved local areas, clearing weeds from pavement edges, cleaning bus shelters, etc. Get him to take before and after shots, if he wants something for cv.

What if he doesn’t do it or does the bare minimum? He learns his lesson doesn’t he.

If he’s going into the wild world of work he needs to be able to sort this stuff out.

It looks like a lot of these opportunities are supportive and caring roles, do you think he’s the best person for the posts? There’ll be people with experience in those areas who want to volunteer too, to actively help and support those who need it. You need to remember that the volunteering’s main focus is not to help the volunteer’s career but to actually make a difference to others.

Things like park run are great but if he just wants to do it to look good on his CV he needs to swerve the ones that support individuals unless it’s something he is passionate about

Thing with volunteering is you usually have to go through the same process as a paid job role ie interview, standard DBS check, ID verify, references so it's not a quick process and some places want at least a six month commitment.

Many of them need people who volunteer a little each week through. I'm not sure what many scout groups would do with a volunteer for a whole week in the school holidays when they don't meet anyway. Even if going on camp they need vblunteers who are know and been through the vetting processes etc.

My DD is in the same boat! Nothing at all! She tells me that most retail & volunteering / charities want little & often and are not keen on just summer positions. Likely true but I’m sad for her. She’s going to try in her uni town next year so she can continue through next summer.

Yes, so presumably he could Volunteer during Term time, wherever he is at University ?

We are near a University and I can think of 3 or 4 groups that benefit from having young, enthusiastic volunteers during term time.

I think the issue here, is that OP's ds is lacking enthusiasm and initiative.

He has been around local charity shops and they don't need anyone.

I thought of this thread at lunchtime today, when I was wandering down my local High Street, also in Birmingham. 2 of the charity shops had sandwich boards outside, saying they needed Volunteers.
A third one I went in, the young lady who served me had been chatting to her colleague / fellow volunteer as I was browsing, and it turned out she was a student who was heading off to University in a few weeks who was clearly volunteering over the Summer.

It strikes me that there is some entitlement from the OP, or her ds, that he should just be able to walk into a position, half way through August. By her lack of answers when posters have asked, it suggests that he has got to 21 without gaining previous experience. I would be wary of anyone reaching that age who hasn't previously gained experience of work, either paid or voluntarily, too.

In Ireland and teens now are told if you can’t get a job go volunteer so now they’re saying there’s very few volunteering jobs.

Charities are desperate for volunteers. Try St John Ambulance etc.

Oh my goodness. The sweeping, dramatic assumptions! You are right - I am absolutely not sharing other things DS has done - although I did say in an earlier post that he has plenty in his arsenal already.

No offence but are you sure his asked loads of volunteering jobs in charity shops in erdington.

I'm very aware of the position of young people, which is how I know how internships are allocated, and how early one needs to apply.

I worked in the voluntary sector for charities for many years which is how I know someone applying at the beginning of August for a summer volunteering job would have the realities explained to them - that they need to apply at least by Easter as it takes weeks for DRB checks and training to take place.

Op should try to bring her son into the very competitive real world whereby a lot of young people do apply in good time, do get their admin in order and do secure opportunities.

That is good advice for anyone who may be reading this thread. Obviously it's not what op wants to hear, but is the competitive real world.

Scouts (and Girlguiding) don't just need volunteers to run sessions with the kids. We have volunteers that only help with our accounts / answering emails / arranging visits for new starters. They never set foot in a meeting - it's all done through email. He can just specify that he's interested in supporting admin as a volunteer rather than leading a session.

Are you in or near Sutton Coldfield?

Not all volunteering needs much by way of formal applications or any training. I do some for the Canals and Rivers Trust - there’s usually something happening 2 or 3 days a week in our area. In the past I’ve done some with the Wildlife Trust. They’re not defined ‘volunteer positions’ as such, they’re just getting out there and doing useful mostly manual labour with a bunch of other people.
These may sound like rural activities but in my case they’re more likely than not to be in a city.

Has he tried your local library? Lots of libraries run a summer reading challenge for children and need volunteers to sign the children up. My daughter has done a few couple of hour shifts over the summer and they need lots of volunteers.