The number of young people not in education, employment or training is predicted to increase by 30% by the end of 2020. They will be competing on an uneven playing field for a smaller number of jobs. Networks and the associated life skills, knowledge and confidence they bring have never been more important. 

Our model is based on changing the mindsets of vulnerable youth by networking them with adults outside their usual sphere of influence. LVN draws on the experience and knowledge of volunteers across the community to volunteer just one hour to support young people expand their horizons, shift their mindset and plan for their futures. On its own an hour does not seem much but several hours can have a transformative impact. Every hour counts.   

Volunteers support young people in groups and 1-2-1s in many ways.  Everyone has a story to tell or a skill to share. Therefore, our ask is for adults to volunteer the Power of their Hour. Countering network poverty, providing access to positive networks, is an important step in diverting vulnerable young away from potentially risky behaviours. Supported by youth practitioners, young people identify their interests and are then matched with our volunteers.  

To volunteer you must meet our safeguarding requirements. You will need to submit details for 2 references when you sign up. Once we hear back from them, you’ll receive an approval email. 

Please check your spam folder for emails from knowmore@lvn.org.uk and ask your references to do the same. 

Sign-up on the app. 

Some are very vulnerable and disadvantaged, others less so. Some have had limited engagement with formal education, in contrast, others are already on their path to securing employment. The more vulnerable may have been excluded or be at risk of exclusion; be homeless; caught-up in the criminal justice system or at risk of offending. Some are looked after and care leavers. Many are living in poverty with limited access to help at home, suffering digital poverty and lack a variety of positive role models. All need help. 

LVN youth are diverse: we support youth of all faiths, ethnicities and backgrounds. 

We only ask for one, but if you enjoy it, you can donate more hours. You can volunteer 3 hours over 3 months per centre. If you want to give more than this, the LVN practitioner will request your DBS certificate.  

• LVN trained Youth Practitioner is responsible for supervising Power of an Hour sessions at all times in both face-to-face and online sessions. You will never be left alone with a young person.
• All contact between yourself and a young person must be via a Youth Practitioner, so you must not give your personal contact details to any young person and they must not give you theirs (this includes email, phone and social media). You should inform a Youth Practitioner if a young person does so.
• Read our Safeguarding Policy to find out more.

The safety of Young People and peace of mind of Volunteers is very important to us. If you are ever concerned about anything before, during or after giving your Power of an Hour, please don’t hesitate to speak to the LVN Youth Practitioner from the session or contact LVN directly at knowmore@lvn.org.uk.

Should you ever wish to volunteer more than 3 hours with the same young person or group of young people, the youth practitioner will request your DBS certificate.

If you haven’t received a volunteer approval email, this means we are still chasing one or both of your references. To speed things up, please remind your referees.   

Typically, the 60-minute session will comprise of a 10-minute introduction and conclusion run by the youth practitioner, and 40 minutes for your presentation and Q&A’s. 

See where we operate here. 

Due the current COVID19 restrictions, Power of an Hour sessions are currently only taking place online. This situation may change if government guidelines change. Many of our young people suffer from digital poverty and therefore may attend youth provisions in carefully controlled bubbles. All LVN host centres operating in this way are fully compliant with COVID19 requirements.   

You’re giving young people the chance to meet professionals in a non-intimidating environment enabling them to build confidence and a sense of familiarity before they attend interviews or enter the workplace.  

You are under no obligation to give your hour and can always decline an invitation. If you are not feeling up to it just say “no”. Your details will remain on the matchmaking system or you can unsubscribe at any time. 

Sometimes sessions can get a little rowdy, but the youth practitioner is on hand to help navigate this. Our young people do not want sessions to look, feel and sound like school as they have only ever experienced negative relationships with statutory and academic service providers.   

You will receive volunteer tips and hints which include what to expect; ideas for tasks; suggested questions and advice on session planning, along with establishing boundaries and relationship building. However, this is your session and there is no prescribed format. 

Keep a look out for these in our monthly newsletters or get in touch at knowmore@lvn.org.uk to find out more.  

Some of our activities are currently suspended until further notice due to COVID19 restrictions. 

• Follow us on social media. Create your own posts to share your experience using the LVN brand & tag LVN’s channels 
  
• Promote LVN to your networks on LinkedIn 
• Share LVN content including YouTube videos and our website 
• Rate and comment on the LVN app in the app/play store to help build our reputation and motivate young people to sign-up.