• About this study
• Our findings

Evaluation of V

Formative evaluation of the investment made by the Russell Commission Implementation Body - V

About this study

We were commissioned in 2008 to evaluate the independent charity called v, which the Government launched to engage more young people in volunteering.

The final report was published in August 2011 and is now available.You can read the interim report here or a summary of the interim report here.

Want to find out more about other research into youth volunteering?

A scoping study of how the long-term impact of volunteering on youngsters might be measured can be read here. NatCen are also now conducting the evaluation of National Citizenship Service (NCS) and more can be read about that here.

v explained

v is a national charity, launched in 2006, with the aim of inspiring a new generation of young volunteers aged 16-25. The v programme funded and supported voluntary organisations as they created inspiring opportunities for people aged 16 to 25.

v continues to support: marketing and communications around youth volunteering; developing and fostering innovation modes of youth-led action; utilising web and social media to engage and inspire young people; creating partnerships with the public and private sectors; and, research and public affairs activities to support youth volunteering.

The Government hopes that involving this age group in volunteering will teach them skills that will help them in the job marketplace - as well as raise their self esteem and sense of community.

v was set up following a Russell Commission report that highlighted the need for more and better youth volunteering opportunities in England, and tasked with implementing 12 of their 16 recommendations,

Our evaluation helped the Government assess how well v fulfilled its policy commitment to the growth of youth volunteering in England. The results of the evaluation can also inform recommendations for youth volunteering organisations on how to foster good practice and widen understanding about the impact of youth volunteering on young people, the community and organisations.

Finally, the evaluation also provides lessons on how best to monitor and evaluate youth volunteering - it was one of the largest formative evaluations of its kind that we know off in the UK.

Our work

Our researchers have been evaluating v's activities and achievements to see if the charity is delivering on the Russell Commission recommendations, explore the impact of the v programme, and also to provide practice recommendations for monitoring volunteering programmes.

To complete the evaluation NatCen led a research team including colleagues from the Institute for Volunteering Research, University of Southampton, University of Birmingham and Public Zone.

Potential policy impact

Our evaluation will help the Government assess how well v fulfilled its policy commitment to the growth of youth volunteering in England.

The results of the evaluation can also inform recommendations for youth volunteering organisations on how to foster good practice and widen understanding about the impact of youth volunteering on young people, the community and organisations.

Finally, the evaluation also provides lessons on how best to monitor and evaluate youth volunteering - it was one of the largest formative evaluations of its kind that we know off in the UK.

Timeline

Method

Our evaluation used a mix of research methods:

• 42 qualitative case studies of v funded projects - this included speaking to over 100 young volunteers.
• We wanted to find out what young volunteers really think about v. To help us to do this we trained a team of researchers aged between 16 and 25.
• At the same time, ran deliberative workshops to give key stakeholders the opportunity to explore issues in depth and feedback on early findings from the evaluation.
• A two-stage quantitative survey told us how organisations and individuals have experienced the grant application process, being part of the programme and the impact v has had on their work and capacity.
• A survey of young people was conducted as part of our omnibus.
• Our researchers also analysed data from the Citizenship Survey to find out if V has raised awareness of youth volunteering in England.
• The team also analysed the monitoring data that v collected as part of the programme
• A cost/benefit analysis was completed, which included setting up individual monitoring collected online directly from young people.
• An assessment of v's marketing and communication activities was also completed.

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