Why Volunteering Builds Confidence and Skills in Young People
- Shreya Sinha Das
- Dec 2, 2025
- 6 min read
Volunteering does more than help communities — it transforms the volunteers themselves. For many young people in the UK, giving time to a cause can be a powerful route to greater confidence, stronger skills, and better opportunities. In this blog, we explore why volunteering builds confidence youth, how it helps personal and professional development, and practical steps for young people who want to get started.
What Do We Mean When We Say “Volunteering Builds Confidence Youth”?
When we say “volunteering builds confidence youth,” we refer to how unpaid community service helps young people develop self-belief, social skills, and a sense of purpose. It’s not just about charity — it’s about growth. Volunteering offers experiences outside of school or work that challenge you, connect you with others, and give you a chance to learn new abilities. Over time, these experiences strengthen your confidence, expand your skills, and shape your outlook.
For many UK youth — navigating tight job markets, social pressures, or lack of experience — volunteering can be a stepping stone towards personal growth, better mental health, and improved employability.
Latest Landscape: Volunteering in the UK & Youth Engagement
Current data from the 2023/24 Community Life Survey (England) shows that about 16% of adults volunteered formally at least once a month over the past year — roughly 7.5 million people. Overall, combining formal and informal acts of volunteering or civic engagement, around 33% of adults participated at least once a month in 2023/24.
While these numbers show a decline compared with pre-pandemic years, they highlight that volunteering remains a significant part of many people’s lives. For young people in particular — often defined as 16–30ish in UK volunteering initiatives — regular volunteering can be harder to measure specifically, but broader research confirms that volunteering during teenage years or early adulthood often leads to better career outcomes later.
Thus, though overall rates may fluctuate, the potential for volunteering to shape youth lives remains strong — especially when programmes are well-designed.
Read more: Why Self-Esteem Is the Key to Career Growth
How Volunteering Builds Confidence Youth: Psychological and Social Benefits
When you volunteer, you step outside your comfort zone. That process alone can spark growth. Research and experience suggest several ways volunteering benefits inner confidence and social well-being:
Sense of purpose & belonging: Volunteering gives you a role where you contribute and are valued — fighting social isolation and reinforcing self-worth. Over three-quarters of volunteers in a UK survey reported that volunteering improved their mental health and well-being.
Social connection and community: Many volunteers report making new friends and meeting people they would not otherwise encounter. For younger volunteers, this helps build social capital, networks, and a feeling of solidarity.
Boost to self-esteem and identity: Doing good, being needed, seeing the positive impact of your actions — all fuel self-esteem. Volunteering offers validation: people appreciate your time, and that validation reinforces confidence.
Resilience, responsibility, and emotional growth: Volunteering early, especially for at-risk or disadvantaged youth, can be a stabilizing force — offering structure, support, meaning and purpose.
In short: volunteering doesn’t just fill time — it helps shape identity, values, and self-belief.
Volunteering as a Route to Skill Development and Employability
Part of why volunteering builds confidence youth is that it develops real, transferable skills. These include:
Communication skills — interacting with diverse people, conveying ideas, listening, empathy.
Teamwork & collaboration — working with others on a project or cause, sharing tasks, cooperating.
Organisational and leadership skills — some volunteering roles involve planning, coordinating, taking initiative.
Problem solving and adaptability — many voluntary settings are dynamic, requiring flexibility and quick thinking.
Time-management and responsibility — balancing volunteering with study, work or personal life.
Research supports this: a recent analysis found that volunteering in teenage years correlates with better career prospects, higher earnings, and increased job satisfaction later in life.
For many young people in the UK — where many employers value soft-skills alongside formal qualifications — volunteering can help bridge the “experience gap.” It becomes a real asset on your CV or in job interviews.
Mental Health + Well-Being: Why It Matters for Young Volunteers
Beyond skills and social connection, volunteering brings mental health benefits that matter — especially in today’s high-pressure world.
In one national UK survey, 77% of volunteers said their volunteering had improved their mental health and well-being. Volunteering helps reduce feelings of isolation: among the age groups 18–24 and 25–34, many said it helped them feel more connected.
Moreover, according to mental-health organisations, volunteering can increase feelings of self-esteem, social connection, and life satisfaction.
For UK youth struggling with stress, uncertainty, employment pressures or social exclusion — volunteering can be more than a line on a CV. It can be a source of purpose, resilience, and belonging.
Spotlights: UK Youth Volunteering Programmes That Work
One of the success stories is ProjectScotland — a volunteering scheme for 16- to 30-year-olds which pairs young volunteers with local charities/non-profits across Scotland. ProjectScotland offers more than volunteering: they provide mentorship, employability workshops, and travel support; and their placements have helped thousands of young people build confidence, skills, and clarity about future direction.
Such structured, supportive volunteering programmes highlight the dual benefit: communities get dedicated help, and young people get meaningful experience, mentoring, and confidence-building.
These examples show how volunteering can be far more powerful when supported by thoughtful design — which makes the experience enriching, safe, and growth-oriented.
Common Barriers & How Young People Can Overcome Them
Of course, there are hurdles. Recent data shows participation in formal volunteering in England has dropped: as of 2023/24, formal monthly volunteering sits at 16% — the lowest recorded since the push-to-web Community Life Survey began. For youth, common barriers include: busy study or work schedules, lack of transport, limited awareness, hesitation, or uncertainty about where to start.
But these barriers can be overcome:
Flexible opportunities: Short-term, weekend, or occasional volunteering helps — you don’t need a full-time commitment.
Local community groups: Many neighbourhoods, councils, or charities welcome help from volunteers — easier to access without long travel.
Online / remote volunteering: Some roles (mentoring, admin, online support) allow remote contribution — good for those with time or mobility constraints.
Support from organisations: Programmes with mentoring, guidance and training make volunteering more accessible and confidence-building.
If you’re a young person who’s interested but not sure where to begin — start small. Even helping once or twice a month can make a difference, both for you and your community.
How to Choose the Right Volunteer Opportunity: A Guide for Youth
To get the full benefit — socially, emotionally, professionally — the right fit matters. Here’s how to choose:
Match your interests or passions. Volunteer for a cause you care about — homelessness, youth mentoring, environment, animal welfare, community arts — when you care, commitment comes easier.
Look for structured programmes. Schemes with mentorship, training, clear roles help build skills and confidence more effectively.
Consider time commitment and flexibility. Balancing study, work and volunteering is key — choose what fits your schedule.
Aim for variety. Try roles that build different skills: communication, teamwork, organisation, leadership.
Reflect and engage. Use volunteering not just as a task — but as a learning experience. Keep a journal: note what you learned, how you felt, what skills grew.
A thoughtful decision helps ensure volunteering doesn’t feel like a chore — but as a meaningful, empowering path.
Real Stories: How Volunteering Transformed Lives (Youth Examples)
While data and theory are powerful, real stories give volunteering its human meaning. Across the UK, many young people testify that volunteering gave them more than just CV-value:
Gaining confidence to speak in public, lead community events, or apply for jobs they once thought were “above” them.
Building real friendships and networks through shared community work.
Discovering strengths, new interests and sometimes their future career paths.
Turning anxiety or isolation into purpose, connection and self-worth.
Because volunteering exists across all communities — cities and towns, rural villages, urban neighbourhoods — it remains accessible to many. For you, it might be the difference between an ordinary youth and a future-ready, confident individual.
Summary
Volunteering is much more than helping others — it's a powerful tool for growth. For young people in the UK, when done thoughtfully, volunteering builds confidence, nurtures skills, fosters belonging, and strengthens mental well-being. It prepares you not just for jobs, but for life.
If you are young, uncertain, eager to grow — volunteering offers a path forward. Whether it’s a few hours a week or a structured placement, every bit helps.
Read more: The Importance of Networking in Finding Your First Job: Proven Networking Tips for Students
If you believe in empowering youth, investing in their future, and building stronger communities — consider supporting organisations that provide volunteering and training opportunities.
Visit jobskillstraining.org.uk to learn about our mission, and consider donating to help more young people build confidence, gain skills, and open doors to brighter futures.
Start today — your time, energy and goodwill could shape not only your life, but the lives of many others.
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