The “Approach” is the route into an individual volunteering placement either in school or with an organisation in the local community.  Young people are supported to make a regular commitment to volunteering taking into account their personal needs and circumstances.  The Gateway will provide guidance and advice to assist young people to find opportunities that will enhance their life skills by building confidence and self esteem and improving their social skills.

At this stage young people will be expected to understand what volunteering is, think about their motivation for getting involved and the beneficiaries.

Certificates are awarded on completion of 10 and 25 hours of volunteering.  After completing 10 hours, the first certificate can be claimed or the young person can opt to continue to the 25 hour certificate.  This flexibility makes the Approach accessible and achievable to all young people.

Participants can create an online account or record for their volunteering.  The “Saltire Journal” will not only chart their progress by recording the number of hours achieved but will also prompt the Gateway to issue certificates at key milestones.

All young people participating in the Approach will be encouraged to progress on to the Ascent and all hours achieved will be carried forward to this next stage.

As a rule of thumb, the Approach is primarily aimed at the 12-15 age range (S1-S3) but older young people not ready to make the level of commitment required by the Ascent may prefer to start by working towards the Approach.  The flexibility of the awards allows workers and participants to select the Award which best suits each individual.

To register as a volunteer, create an online account or download the Volunteer Registration Form and Timesheet Form.  Guidance on these forms can be found at approach-notes

All young people reaching 10 & 25 hours will receive Young Scot Reward points which which can be redeemed against rewards available on the Young Scot website www.youngscot.org

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