Gen Z are natur changemakers, showing a huge inclination towards activism and social justice. Born between 1997 and 2013, Gen Z has been uniquely empowered by the internet in their activism and charitable work. 34% of 8-to-17 year olds (or Zoomers, as they are sometimes known) say that the internet has inspired them to take action about a cause, with TikTok, Instagram and fundraising websites helping to spread awareness and garner support for a variety of issues all around the world.

Make volunteering an AND not an OR

While this digital activism is hugely impactful, it can also be hard to see the real impact you’re making when you’re only engaging with global causes on a digital platform. This is where volunteering locally comes into the picture, allowing you to make a tangible difference close to home.

If you’re a young person on a mission, here’s why an organised volunteer opportunity with a not-for-profit or social enterprise might make a lot of sense for you.

Volunteering can be flexible

A young person’s schedule tends to change quite a bit. Volunteering can be incredibly flexible - choose to pick up more hours during your school holidays, fit in some time after school hours, or even scale it back when you’re buckling down for exams.

Volunteering equips you with real-world experience and references

A top priority for many Zoomers is building up work experience or just general life experience before they fully go out into the world. With volunteering, you’ll be able to meet people from different walks of life, gain perspective on a variety of issues, and even develop specific skills and experience that could be useful for future employment such as communication, data entry or event organisation. You’ll also have leaders or coordinators who can vouch for these skills and experience, and the impact you have had.

Be informed and make an impact

While it’s important to support causes at a global level, volunteering is a great way to understand how some of the big issues are impacting your local community. Here are some ways to volunteer for global causes locally:

• If you are passionate about climate change, consider these Environment and Conservation opportunities.
• Are you alarmed at human rights injustices? Try one of these Human Rights opportunities.
• To develop and empower the youth of today, check out these Mentoring and Youth Support opportunities.
• Be trained and ready to help in the next natural disaster or emergency by becoming an Emergency Response volunteer.
• And finally, here are some more opportunities specifically identified to be suitable for young people to undertake