This wonderful programme quietly works away every year but it can make a real difference to the 11–18 year olds that it focuses on.

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Essentially, it gives an opportunity for young people who do "unpaid

volunteering stuff for the community" to get recognised.

There are two awards; the SilverSeal’ recognises someone when they have served for 50 hours over a year while the Gold Seal’ award gives recognition to 100 hours of service and again over a year.

 

The young people who’ve been involved with this have been incredibly creative in what they do–from visiting the elderly in care homes or caring for a disabled family member, to volunteering at e.g. Guides or Scouts, through to tree planting or rubbish collecting so their community can enjoy a better environment.

 

Some spread their volunteering service over a range of activities while others like to focus on just one area.

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It’s wonderful to be able to give them recognition in this way–this helps their job prospects because it makes them stand out from the crowd for an employer.

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