The Bigger Issue

The ability social enterprise has to appeal to young people was a key theme of Nigel Kershaw’s presentation as he spoke to an audience which included many of the business students at Warwick. According to Kershaw, no longer is the focus on charity, but creating change through social entrepreneurship. He explained that the Big Issue is neither a business nor a charity, it was ‘set up to close down’, and despite circulation being up and making more profit each year, they will only consider it a successful venture when the Big Issue is no longer needed.

As Chief Executive of The Big Issue Invest, a social investment bank, Kershaw has started projects to do everything from keeping social entrepreneurs away from the loan sharks, to keeping dentists under NHS, all with the goal of transformational change. The Big Invest tries to set an example combining charity, philanthropy and business in one, something he credits the late Anita Roddick with helping to do.

“In 15 years time I don’t want to have the same discussion. It is now up to young people like [you] to create change, not the old fashioned idea of rich peoples’ charity”, Nigel Kershaw.

Change through empowerment

Following Kershaw’s passionate presentation, Paul Hardie
took the floor to speak about his work with the CAFÉ Project
and the things he feels are most important to getting young
people involved in charity. In order to get a well rounded view
of this key question, Paul asked the subjects themselves, the
kids he works with at CAFÉ. When asked what motivates them
to become involved, work experience, fun and making new
friends were the most popular reasons, and also the reasons
Paul believes he became involved.

Empowering kids to make them feel as though they are able to
make a difference is central to encouraging their activity. As a
teenager first starting with the Project, Paul believes the main
obstacle for him was lack of confidence, which he eventually
overcame because of the support and responsibilities he was
given through CAFÉ.

Through his various projects including ‘street football’, Paul
has helped to involve 12,500 kids in CAFÉ, encouraging active
young people to become ambassadors for their peers.

“I feel my contribution is making a difference”, Paul Hardie.

Tapping into resources

As head of Warwick Volunteers, Jamie Darwen said he has been extremely impressed by the passion, energy and commitment of students to volunteer work. He believes the key reason students and young people become involved are:

• Altruism and the desire to help change the world

• Developing skills and experience that can also help
  enhance a CV

• Personal reasons: Meeting new people, doing something
  different for example, it has become a way for students to
   ‘get out of the Warwick bubble’

In addition to these motivators, Darwen believes that many
students come up against several barriers that need to be
addressed such as :

• Lack of time (study, paid work, social events, family
  commitments)

• Costs (travel)

• Information (lack of resources or confusing)

• Negative peer pressure (Volunteering is seen as
  ‘too serious’)

One big problem volunteer organisations for young people face
are the lack of young men getting involved. Jamie told the
audience that over two thirds of those involved in the Warwick
Volunteers scheme are women. In addition, for most young people the term philanthropy is seen as an old fashioned word, and it is not about largesse for them, but making change doing rather than giving and with people rather than to people.

Darwen believes that several things can increase the participation of young people in volunteering:

• Word of mouth through peers and networks

• Good information making clear what their role would be

• “Taster sessions” or group/team activities

• Recognition, awards, celebration

• Peer –led activities

• Starting small or locally

Jamie remarked that through volunteering he has met some amazing people

“The volume of interest is out there, it is very much a question of setting up support”, Jamie Darwen.

Engaging young people

As the most recent graduates of University on the panel, Joe Kirby and Corinne Mackintosh provided interesting insight into volunteering and getting involved from students’ perspective. Kirby has managed events such as “One World Week” where he was able to get Nobel Prize winner Desmond Tutu to speak, and has set up an arts and drama project in South Africa. His leadership skills paid off when he was elected president of the student union at Warwick.

Kirby recently went back to South Africa after raising £6,000 for his project through a bungee jump. He said that when he saw the transformation, he was motivated and enthused to do more.
Kirby says that for students to be successful givers and volunteers, they need to start small; realise they can make a difference and grow to become a social entrepreneur. In addition young people need to tap into what they feel they are passionate about and use that energy to make change. It is important to give young people a creative space and framework to develop these projects and ideas so they have a support system.

Corrinne Mackintosh spoke about her work in South African schools as a teacher after graduating from the University. The Warwick Africa Project was a product of a teaching scheme where twelve recent University graduates taught in local South African schools in Johannesburg. This year they have successfully managed to get Barclays Capital to sponsor another group of twelve students.

In response to the question of what motivates young people to give, Corrinne said her motivations were:

• The belief you can make a difference in the world

• The appeal of travelling and seeing other cultures

• Desire to give back after being given a lot

• CV building

• Expanding horizons and getting experience

Although she has always been committed to her work with the Warwick in Africa project, Corrinne believes there are several barriers to young people like her having the ability to give. Time, money, pressures of an undergraduate degree, family commitments and general apathy are common for so many undergraduate students of this generation.

“My experience [in secondary school] was that all volunteering projects were offered by outside organisations and I was invited to be a participant, not start something new. Young people want to be in charge and responsible”, Corrinne Mackintosh.

The next step

The question and answer session brought out many key questions to the young people in philanthropy debate. Issues raised included:

• The use of social networking websites such as Facebook to get more young people involved

• The availability of resources at secondary schools and whether or not adults or children should have more of a hand in the organisation of projects

• How Universities can do more to cultivate the next generation of philanthropists, for example, integrating it into the curriculum

• How we can create a space for young people to take on their own initiatives

• And how to achieve a domino affect with organisations like Warwick in Africa

To close the discussion Ken Sloane noted that we need to involve the media and start with the people in the room and University students going in to various professions such as journalism, to take with them what they heard in the discussions that night and actively try to affect change and change perceptions of what and how young people are able to give.