Tesco helps recruit a million young community volunteers

Tesco helps recruit a million young community volunteers

Britain’s favourite supermarket is teaming up with new youth volunteering charity, v and Community Service Volunteers (CSV) to help inspire a million young volunteers make a real difference to their communities and prove what a positive force young people can be in society.

Tesco has pledged £500,000 over two years to set up Tesco Young Volunteers (TYV), a new youth project whose aim is to empower people between the ages of 16 and 25 to get involved in community projects ranging from setting up a youth club, decorating a school or helping out in an old peoples’ home. Through v’s Match Fund programme, Government funds can be accessed to match that sum giving TYV a £1 million budget to deliver the project.

Speaking at the Talking Communities conference in London, organised by Tesco, the British Red Cross and the Work Foundation, Tesco Chief Executive Sir Terry Leahy said TYV could help young people shake off an underserved reputation for selfishness:

“Forget the ‘me’ generation, this could be the ‘we’ generation. Almost 79,000 people between 16 and 25 work for Tesco and we know what a dynamic, energising effect they can have on a business. Through TYV, we believe we can help even more young people use their skills, intelligence and vitality to the benefit of everyone in their communities,” he said.

Working in partnership with CSV and supported by their local Tesco store, TYV will recruit 40 full-time “Catalysts” across England, tasked with engaging 12,000 young volunteers over a two-year period. With support from their experienced local CSV teams, these volunteers will deliver over 400 different projects across the country, helping v in its aim to recruit a million young volunteers. These projects will include one-off ‘tasters’ such as organising parties for socially deprived children, outings for the elderly, environmental makeovers or decorating community centres, as well as longer term volunteering opportunities.

At the Talking Communities conference, which brings together a range of stakeholders from business, government and voluntary organisations to consider the role of business as good neighbours and community champions, Sir Terry also announced two exciting new pilot schemes under which Tesco staff will be given paid time off to volunteer for charities and organisations in the local communities around our stores.

In partnership with the British Red Cross (BRC), staff at 20 stores will be invited to apply for a share in a “time pool” to volunteer for one of a number of schemes in the BRC portfolio. The options will be wide-ranging and will include first aid training and lifesaving skills and volunteer work in BRC shops.

Under a separate initiative, staff will be able to apply for time to work for a range of charities. Under both schemes, staff will be encouraged to contribute extra hours in their own time if appropriate.