- Vote in the European Parliament Elections on 4 June
- Council to fly flag for armed forces
- Rape alarms available from police and Council
- Organic garden opens its gates
- Poetry, comedy and literature at libraries festival this summer
- Music and nature at the Stables Gallery
- Views wanted on policies to guide future growth of borough
- Council team takes up the bike challenge
- Walk the Thames
- New Mayor reopens Teddington Library
- Free parking in Richmond upon Thames on Monday
- Personal alarms available from police and Council
- Learning the Kunskapsskolan way
- New affordable homes to be built
- Council seeks new co-sponsor for Shene
- Your vote could help Orleans House Gallery win the £100,000 Art Fund prize
- By the light of the moon
- Making parks even better
- Get Fit in Castlenau Recreation Ground
- Football Club scores with Council
- Employee Awards for Power Candidates
- CPZ review
- Eat al fresco in Church Street
- Olympic gold medallist trains Richmond rowers
- Join in the fun at Heathfield Street Party on 16 May
- Meeting of young minds to become annual event
- Council supports IDAHO
- It’s stitching, but not as we know it
- How can we cut carbon footprint?
- Supper with Shakespeare
- Free adult learning taster sessions in borough’s libraries 9-15 May
- Kick off the summer with the Power Employment flower show
- Outdoor swimming pool opens for summer
- Standards Committee member wanted by Council
- Find out about Council services at Richmond Fair
- Comment on Shopfront Design Guide
- Your say wanted on how extensions are decided
- Pupils get ready to grow their own
- Volunteers are supporting community
- Borough smashes tree planting target
- Exclusively Richmond
Release Date: 05/05/2009
Volunteers are supporting community
Fifteen young people from Richmond Upon Thames are putting their time to good use by volunteering as part of the national V Talent Year programme.
Richmond Council’s Way to Work team has signed up to the scheme which offers a 44 week placement in posts across the Children’s Services and Culture directorate.
The volunteers will be working in youth, sports and children’s centres, in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards team and in the Council’s children’s library service.
They are all taking part in national recognised NVQ training in either business administration, customer service or the VRQ Youth Work qualification and they will also have chance to undertake in house training at the Council and to complete the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award scheme.
Rob Henderson, Richmond Council’s Head of Integrated Youth Services, said: “By giving these teenagers constructive work which can benefit other residents, we are helping them to be useful members of the community.
“The project will show them how volunteering can be rewarding, and could make them more employable in the future and at this time of recession, we need to do as much as we can to help our young people find work.”
The Council’s Way to Work Team will support the volunteers throughout their time, and make sure they can get the most out of the opportunities from the project.
Charlie Aric, 18, who is working at Hampton Youth Project, said: “I was unemployed for eight months before this, and when I saw the advert for VTalent, I thought youth work would be something I could do.
“Since I started, I’ve got a lot more confident, and I’m working on the Duke of Edinburgh’s gold award, which is the same as an A level so hopefully it will give me more chance of a job in the future.”
“If people want to come and talk to someone their own age I’m here and they can, but if they want someone with life experience, there are older people around as well.”
View the full press release