YouthNet blog
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Wednesday Jun 30, 2010
Developing Do-it: can you help us with our 'ordering' issue?
Do-it is a really easy website to explain. Type your postcode in and get back lots of opportunities local and relevant to you. You can refine the search by choosing particular causes or types of activity, or looking for specific keywords etc. And we know it works – every minute someone applies for a volunteering opportunity they found on Do-it.The beauty of Do-it is that we list things by proximity – so that opportunities closest to you are the ones that are listed first.
Except that not all opportunities are that simple. Some opportunities take place at a specific place (helping at an office or day centre, running a youth club in a community hall etc). We call those 'pinpoint' opportunities.
However many other opportunities don't have a specific location. They may be opportunities where you:
- are required to travel around a local area (eg doing home help, school talks),
- where you might be picked up from home and taken to a designated location (eg helping an environmental group preserve hedgerows)
- where the location is spread out over a wide area (eg marshalling a bike race)
- where there isn't a dedicated point (eg being the county representative for a charity which doesn't have any premises in the area)
- where you can take place at multiple locations (eg an initiative available in all the libraries in your county, or a fun run being organised in multiple parks)
- where the opportunity takes place at a specific location, but that it attracts volunteers from a far wider area (eg being a charity representative at Glastonbury festival)
- and virtual volunteering, where you are primarily based in your own home (or wherever you choose).
These opportunities become quite difficult to promote on our current search system, and whilst we've attempted to tackle them with a county-wide opportunities listing – we've never really cracked it. But over the last year, as we've been developing the new database that will allow us to offer a lot more functionality, we are determined to fix this properly.
So in the new system we have 'pinpoint' opportunities that happen in a specific location and 'boundary' opportunities that can happen within a specific area respectively. (Don't worry about the naming; this won't be how we present it to the end user). The boundary can be as small as a local authority area, but as wide as the whole UK. We'll be encouraging information providers to use the largest area for their opportunity to maximise the efficiency of the database (plus their time to maintain those opportunities).
We're now struggling with how to promote these opportunities fairly to potential volunteers. We don't have the ease of ordering by proximity – an opportunity that is UK-wide in every library could be a lot closer than an opportunity that is only within your local authority. We have to consider the following points:
- We know most people don't look beyond the first ten opportunities, so we need those to be the most relevant to the volunteer.
- We have to be fair to information providers: ensuring that all opportunities have an equal chance of being found. Therefore we couldn't list A-Z.
- We could list by the most recently updated/added opportunity – but we need to ensure that information providers don't misuse the system and bump their opportunities to the top of the list by frequently updating the opportunity.
- We also have to make sure that local opportunities are not swamped out by national organisations – fifteen large organisations with UK-wide opportunities that have been posted recently will knock an opportunity from a local organisation out of the crucial top ten list.
- We can't guarantee there will be opportunities at every level (local authority, county, regional, national and UK-wide).
- We want the list to be dynamic – one of the complaints of the proximity search is that a 'uninspiring' result that is close to you repeatedly appears at the top of the list and therefore makes people less likely to search further.
- We could randomise the search, but we also need to make sure that people can find an opportunity they saw previously. Random search results are difficult to explain.
- We could dream up a complicated formula that uses a mixture of the above
We're a bit stuck on this point, and would love to get some advice from people with relevant UX experience, particularly if you deal with location services or ordering search results. We're struggling to think of a similar search service that has the same sort of factors attached to it.
If you've got some thoughts or comments, then drop them in the response box below, or if you'd like to contact me direct and perhaps come in and chat, then email me olly~benson@youthnet~org (replace the tildes(~) with dots – this prevents me getting lots of spam!).
Thanks in anticipation,
Olly Posted by Olly Benson ( 10:06 AM ) Link to this post Comments[0]
Thursday May 13, 2010
Signing off: an interview with Hannah Jolliffe
This week sees the sad departure of our long-standing editorial manager, Hannah. During her seven 
years with YouthNet, Hannah has written, edited and managed a massive amount of content and development across TheSite.org and Do-it; helped launch our new work & study website, Lifetracks and chaired countless editorial meetings. Through all this she's helped to deliver some of the best advice and guidance available on the web.
We asked her to reminisce about her reign ...
What's your first memory of YouthNet?
It was in the Islington office. Jim had just joined a few weeks before, so I was glad someone was nearly as new as me. Claire was working on the plans for askTheSite (which shows how long ago it was) and it was during the summer of 'bad Brits abroad', so the first article I wrote was about behaving yourself on holiday!
YouthNet must have changed a great deal since you first started. How do you feel it has transformed during your time here?
It's way bigger; it's roughly doubled in size in terms of staff. Loads of exciting changes and developments have taken place during my time here, far too many to list. Some of the biggies are launching askTheSite, redesigning TheSite.org, adding audio and video content to TheSite.org and launching Lifetracks.
For me, though, it's great that YouthNet's now a respected and recognised charity. We're often mentioned in the press, involved in important events, asked to contribute to reports and policies, which is down to a great team here and much better, more professional, content and services.
What's been the best thing that's happened at YouthNet since you've been here?
Probably launching askTheSite. It's such an excellent service for young people to get a free, expert answer to their question and it complements the content and discussion boards really well. Internally, it's been great for developing lasting partnerships with other advice-giving organisations and with young volunteers.
And the worst/most frustrating?
Having so many good ideas but not having the time, people or resources to do them all.
Of everything you've worked on across our websites, what are you most proud of?
A good personal achievement was introducing audio and video content to TheSite as I had no prior experience of multimedia production. The quality of the content wasn't the best back then, but with the people and resources we had, it was a real achievement. It also enabled us to fundraise to get multimedia staff and it's great that now we've got two full-time members of staff devoted to it.
What do you think will be the biggest challenge facing YouthNet in the next few years?
Fundraising will be difficult as the recession is just hitting the third sector, plus we've got so much bigger so we need more funds to keep going. There are constantly new and exciting online services emerging, so ensuring our offering is unique and useful is always a challenge. Young people find and consume information in so many different ways now, and this is only going to get more varied, so ensuring we're reaching the people who need us most will be an ever-changing challenge.
If you could interview anyone for a final article, who would it be and why?
David Cameron officially became Prime Minister recently, so I'd love to interview Nick Clegg and David Cameron and ask them what they'll be doing to improve the lives of young people Generally, though, the most interesting people I've interviewed during my time here have been young people. Their stories and experiences are what make our sites interesting. So, a young person who regrets how they voted might be good this week!
What was your most embarrassing moment during your time here?
Do I have to tell this story again? Oh, ok then... Having never worked online before I came here, the uploading process was all new to me when I first started. Back in those days we didn't even have a proper content management system, so it was all a bit random. Anyhow, we decided that our sexual health content would benefit from graphic images of STIs. I was uploading a small, extremely graphic, image to an article about chlamydia. Unfortunately, a very large version of it got published to a department homepage of TheSite.org! So there I was, a few weeks in to a new job, staring at a full-screen picture of a rather nasty-looking vagina! I was completely embarrassed at my mistake, not to mention highly traumatised by the experience. Luckily, Jim came to the rescue and got it removed as quickly as possible. We never did publish the images to the STI articles after that!
What's been the most important thing you've learnt from your time at YouthNet?
To give things a go and learn from what could have gone better. If you sit around waiting for the right time you'll miss the boat.
Our editorial meetings allow us to discuss the issues facing young people, but what has been your favourite issue/discussion?
There have been so many; I'm really going to miss our editorial meetings as we really have free reign to talk about anything. We recently had a really good discussion about whether we should be creating content especially for niche audiences, such as ex-offenders, on Lifetracks. But banning the word 'wicksters' (sorry Katy) has to be my favourite moment of recent times.
What are you doing next?
I'm going to Which? as Digital Debate Editor on a new project to get more people engaged in online conversations and debates about consumer-related issues. It's very exciting, but as it's a new service, it's also quite a mystery to me at the moment. I'll keep you posted!
If you could sum up your time at YouthNet in three words, what would they be?
Challenging. Varied. Enjoyable.
Best of luck in your new role, Hannah!
Posted by Chris Chapman ( 9:06 AM ) Link to this post Comments[0]
Wednesday Apr 14, 2010
Why doesn't the media celebrate young people's achievements?
Last night I watched the first documentary in a series of three called Olympic Dreams on BBC One. The programme followed the stories of young 'Olympic hopefuls' and was one of the most inspiring programmes I've watched all year - but raised some important questions about how we recognise achievements of young people in the UK.
It started off brilliantly as I heard how 24-year-old Jessica Ennis went from being the best pentathlete in the UK to having the "worst year of her life" because of a fractured right foot. But despite her injury, she recovered, re-trained to long jump from her opposite leg- and went on to win gold at the IAAF World Indoor Championships, held in Doha last month.
The show also described how, at 14, Tom Daley had to overcome bullying in school, and how judo champion Ashley McKenzie battled to compete in an aggressive sport, whilst controlling his ADHD-related temper without medication.
Perhaps the story which was most moving (and made me cry - I can't help it, I'm a blubber) was Shaunna Thompson. At 17, Shaunna is one of the fastest young women in the UK over 100 metres, but we watched as she modestly talked about her asthma, a pelvic injury that caused her to double over in pain after running, and of her full-time study to become a nurse - none of which stops her from focussing on her athletics.
So you might think that since I work for a youth charity, I'm blogging about this to remind people of the fantastic talent that young people in this country have. Well, kind of. Mainly I'm blogging because I'm angry. After I'd stopped snotting tears over my boyfriend, who was looking a bit watery-eyed himself, I realised that we were watching this programme at midnight on a Tuesday night.
Midnight.On a Tuesday. Why is it that the stories of some of the UK's most inspirational young people are being squashed into such late-night slots? I couldn't help but compare it to the talent contests that dominate the channels at weekends and evenings, pushing out the message that as long as you've got a shiny smile, hair extensions and a bit of a voice then you can 'make it'. Surely a programme which could inspire other young people to have meaningful aspirations and encourage them to take a chance should be on at a time when they are likely to be watching it?
And what about all the stories about broken society, yobs and hoodies that make the front pages of newspapers and primetime tv too often, encouraging adults to believe that the majority of young people in the UK are too busy terrorising neighbourhoods to commit themselves to anything productive?
YouthNet supports a group of young people who run the 'Respect? Campaign' which aims to change the way young people are portrayed in media and politics.
Last week we met with ten newly-recruited members and I was bowled over by the talent and enthusiasm there was in the room, and also shocked at the prejudices many of them had faced in their own communities. One 16-year-old member explained how, after leaving a restaurant with five of her friends, she was told that in order for them to stay within the shopping complex they would need to split into two groups - as apparently the sight of six young women together is intimidating for other shoppers.
I'm excited to see how our campaign will progress, and whether the new members will choose to target television programme-makers and schedulers as people to influence. And, whilst I am angrily tapping away at my keyboard about this, I am also hopeful that the Olympic Games, and the enormous talent it will bring to the forefront of people's attention, will go someway to helping combat the unfair portrayal of young people in media, and redress the balance.
If the 'intimidated' British public were given more opportunity to hear about the real experiences, views and achievements of teenagers in the UK, I'm certain there would be much less prejudice and far more pride in the people we have living here.
By Sarah Wilson
Posted by Gabriella Jozwiak ( 11:00 AM ) Link to this post Comments[0]
Friday Mar 19, 2010
Diary of a YouthNet volunteer
It's amazing what volunteering can do for you. About this time last year, I was seriously worrying about my career. I'd graduated from uni and I was still working in the same job I had held during my studies back at home in Devon. And now? Well now I'm about to start a new job in communications, and I've managed to move to London. It's all because of my involvement with YouthNet, which started in April 2009...
I was searching Do-it, YouthNet's national volunteering website, as I really wanted to try something different. I came across an advert for an online volunteering position for Lifetracks. Lifetracks.com is the latest website to be developed by YouthNet - it focuses on learning, training and work for young people. As a volunteer, I joined the online community and posted my opinions and ideas to help the web development team decide what information would be useful and what young people like to find on websites. YouthNet is keen to consult young people on all the work they do.
From this experience, I ended up leaving the countryside for a day at YouthNet HQ (their office in East London, but it sounds more James Bond this way) to meet the humans behind the virtual community. During my first visit, I piped up to say I wanted to work in PR and thanks to Laura, Volunteer Manager at YouthNet, I went on to spend a week of work experience with the PR and Media team in September. In turn, this led to submitting an application to the Vodafone World of Difference programme to gain funding support for two months to work as a communications assistant with the team.
So, this is where you currently find me. I started the position in January and am (sadly) due to finish this week. It's been a brilliant experience and I have learnt a huge amount about working in PR and for a charity. I have been keeping a blog on the Vodafone World of Difference website, but this is a shortened version to try and summarise everything I have learnt during my two months.
Working in the Marketing and Communications team has involved many tasks. The team is responsible for promoting YouthNet in the media and creating as much positive coverage as possible, so that people are encouraged to use their services. Achieving this often requires writing press releases about new developments, such as offering a spokesperson (I had to offer agony uncle and askTheSite relationship advisor Matt Whyman for Valentine's Day) or events held by the charity, for example, a breakfast seminar to highlight a new piece of research, or an awards ceremony following a competition.
Unfortunately, producing a press release doesn't mean the media automatically runs the story - PR doesn't have a deal with magic - so this means time has to be spent 'selling-in' the stories the good ol' fashioned way, over the dog and bone (some London slang I've obviously not used during my time in the big smoke). Sometimes selling-in is hard - people don't want to talk to you because they're not interested/don't have time/are rude/or a combination of all three. Other times, it's a breeze and the ears of the person you are talking to prick up, and they say the lovely words: "Yes, we could use that - could you tell me some more about it?"
An example of a pitch that went successfully was with a local radio station in Humberside. They interviewed one of YouthNet's young campaigners, Liam Pearce of the Respect? campaign. But I also had many not-so-good results. It can be a little hard at times and you just need to carry on. Luckily I'm not normally fazed by rejection - I just need a few biscuits and a good cup of tea.
There are other ways to grab the media's attention. Quite often charities need some celebrity endorsement to gain column inches. I was successful in securing Amir Khan to sign a Respect? campaign letter to editors, which was printed in local newspapers across the country. Another of my jobs has been to contact British soaps (Eastenders to Hollyoaks via River City and Holby) to ask if they would display TheSite.org's self-harm posters on set in support of Self-Injury Awareness Day on March 1.
Aside from daily jobs, there are also ongoing projects for upcoming events. I started at a time when the next big one was the Student Journalists Seminar - an idea dreamed up and brought to fruition by Media and PR Officer, Gabriella. In my former life as a student, I was a contributor to my university's newspaper, so I was pleased to be able to work on something about which I have some background experience.
It was a brilliant event. The speakers Gaby had lined up were journalists from The Times, The Independent, Head of Interactive at the BBC, former Political Editor of The Mirror and the editor of the National Student, PLUS YouthNet's very own chairman and ex-broadcaster Martyn Lewis hosted (talk about a full programme!). They were certainly worth the effort of every student who attended, trekking the length or breadth of Great Britain, as they received the opportunity to ask questions and gain advice from the esteemed panel. The seminar also provided the opportunity to learn about YouthNet's TheSite.org through a presentation and brainstorming session, to encourage the student journalists to use the resource to write accurate and fresh articles.
Although the event went without a major hitch, it hadn't always been plain sailing. We had a strict budget and when the going got tough, it meant cutting the food in order to offer students travel bursaries. No one at YouthNet is afraid of a bit of a challenge though, so it just meant changing our plan of attack: I started 'scrounging' sourcing free food from generous companies. These included Pret A Manger, Dominos Pizza, Yazoo milkshakes, Panda Licorice, Nairns Oatcakes, Eat Natural cereal bars and flapjacks from The Fabulous Bakin' Boys. Quite a spread! It's amazing what you can get when you really need it.
So, my time is nearly up. I will spending the last few days with the team doing things that I've saved up - the annual coverage review (boo!) and adding essential numbers to the press phone (talk about glamorous). I will leave you with this...
For your viewing pleasure, here is a video that I was asked to do by Volunteering England a couple of weeks ago - it aims to show the importance of volunteering for job-seekers. It's obviously not an Oscar-worthy performance, I'm no Sandra Bullock, but it is a glowing recommendation of how significant working with YouthNet has been to me.
By Kate Walker
Posted by Gabriella Jozwiak ( 3:59 PM ) Link to this post Comments[0]
Wednesday Mar 10, 2010
Student journalism: what is going to happen next?
So what is it that student journalists want to know? How to freelance? How to carve a niche? These and other areas of journalism were covered at last week's Student Journalists Seminar, held by YouthNet at BBC Broadcasting House. But the day's discussions could be summed up with one question, which isn't particular to just student journalists. What's going to happen next?
The day was attended by about 50 university students from England, Scotland and Wales who were keen to hear how to convert the skills they were already using into a career in the mainstream media. YouthNet lined up a panel of national journalists to address some of the topic's most pressing areas, and the event was hosted by our Chairman and Founder Martyn Lewis CBE.
Tom Whipple from the Times features desk opened the day, describing how by consistently pitching engaging freelance ideas he eventually built a catalogue of commissions. He was followed by Amol Rajan, Assistant Comment Editor at the Independent, who explained how he made a name for himself by taking chances and never turning down an offer – be it to act as mic man on the Wright Stuff or to interview Tony Blair. And James Thornhill, editor of the National Student, addressed the audience with his experiences of setting up his own independent publication – certainly a way to forge a career if no one is opening any doors for you.
But again and again, the discussions turned to the internet and what would come next? The situation was clearly illustrated by Ben Gallop, Head of Interactive and Formula 1 at the BBC, in his talk about how the internet has revolutionised reporting. Currently, he said, the media is staffed by 'digital migrants' who have to change the way they think and work. They are anxious about a generation of 'digital natives' entering the market who are fearless of digital progress. Ben pointed out that while Twitter is currently the latest and biggest platform to have hit journalism – it's a format no one anticipated a couple of years ago. But for a man who is planning how the BBC is going to report the 2012 London Olympics, he'd also like to know what is next. What media will journalists be using in two year's time?
David Seymour, former Political Editor of the Daily Mirror, told the students he had been forecasting the death of newspapers for years – that is, the death of news on paper. Why, he asked, have we not all started downloading the news onto Kindles and other reading devices? What about monetisation – will that take off, as Rupert Murdoch would have, or will the internet remain a free space? How will that affect the future employment opportunities for up-and-coming writers, and what skills will they need to be successful?
Part of the seminar involved a workshop with members of TheSite.org's editorial team, Hannah Jolliffe and Chris Denhom, who showed the young journalists how to use YouthNet's guide to life website to write accurate and relevant stories for their student readers. In the short term, student journalists still need to collect as many bylines as possible, so tips on how to source stories and think of fresh angles were gratefully received.
The students certainly left the event with much to think about – both for their own careers and their publications. But what happens next is something they'll have to keep looking out for.
I really enjoyed the day, and as its organiser, was satisfied to see so many young people who want to write and haven't been put off by the industry's recent doom and gloom. There's so much to look forward to in the future – it is an exciting time for journalists. I also enjoyed the day because it was great to achieve so much with so little. We owe a big thanks to the BBC for giving us the venue, and also to all the generous donations of food which kept the students fed and watered throughout the afternoon. Thanks to Dominos Pizza, Pret A Manger, Yazoo Milkshakes, Eat Natural, Panda Licorice, Fabulous Bakin Boys, Nairns Oatcakes and Divine Chocolate for their support.
So...now to plan next year's event!
Posted by Gabriella Jozwiak ( 11:56 AM ) Link to this post Comments[0]
Friday Mar 05, 2010
YouthNet.org: Where to from here?
Over the last couple of weeks, I've been visiting YouthNet.org quite frequestly. If I'm honest, 'quite frequently' is quite a bit more frequently than my usual pattern of visiting this particular site. It's probably inevitable with all that's going on with our service websites, TheSite.org, Do-it and Lifetracks.com, the campaigns and competitions, for focus to be drawn away from this corporate site.
However, just as any charity needs to fundraise for 'core' as well as new projects, we need to also pay attention to the site which functions as our shop window as well as, to extend the shopping metaphor, the products inside. After all, YouthNet.org is where a lot of people find out about YouthNet: journalists, funders, people applying for jobs, people wanting to partner with us and so on. Perhaps, for some people, reading this blog is their first introduction to our organisation (if that's the case, then welcome!).
I went along to NFPTweetup last night with all this in mind. As always, there were lots of great presentations and conversations. But, given the thinking my colleagues and I have been doing recently, the one that hit home was from the team at UNICEF about the press and social media work they did around Charlie Simpson's fundraising efforts for Haiti. For those unfamiliar with the story, Charlie's a seven year old who decided to ride around his local park to raise money for children in Haiti – and ended up bringing in over £200,000. What I took away from that presentation: you may never know which campaign is going to go viral or what story will truly capture the public imagination, but as an organisation, you can be ready when one does. UNICEF had their own twitter streams, onsite donations, the ability to set up homepages and people ready support this activity.
Due to the nature of our work, I guess YouthNet's approach to fundraising is always going to be different from a Haiti-scale emergency appeal. However, we are getting bigger; better known. We've recently launched the LifeSupport Appeal to raise the money needed to rebuild TheSite.org. We also need to be ready. This week, my colleagues from across YouthNet have been sending me suggestions for improvements for YouthNet.org. Now, I'm asking you – our website visitors – if you could do the same.
What would you improve about this website? What information is missing? How would you like to interact with us as a charity? Feel free to leave a comment below, or send an email through to marketing-AT-youthnet.org. Of course, budgets and priorities mean that we won't be able to implement every suggestion. Of course, changes take time. That said, we welcome your honest ideas and feedback, and we look forward to welcoming you back to YouthNet.org more often in times to come.
Posted by Natasha Judd ( 2:47 PM ) Link to this post Comments[0]
Thursday Feb 04, 2010
Respect? wants to get bigger and even better!
On the day that the Government publishes its response to the Youth Citizenship Commission, it's fitting that YouthNet and the British Youth Council are jointly launching a recruitment drive for their award-winning Respect? campaign.
The Respect? campaign was launched in 2006 with the support of Dawn Butler MP, the recently appointed Minister for Young Citizens and Youth Engagement, who is now at the helm of this initiative to get more young people engaged in campaigning, volunteering and influencing decisions that affect them. Today, she called for young people to "use their voice to tell us what they want", which is exactly what Respect? is all about.
Led by a group of 16 to 25-year-olds, the Respect? campaign encourages young people to speak up when they feel they are unfairly represented in the media, because if we all shout together and loud enough, we can challenge negative stereotyping of young people. Respect? research tells us that 98% of young people feel the media always, often or sometimes represents them as anti-social - which definitely isn't a true reflection of the UK's young population!
Directgov has launched new 'Join in' youth citizenship portal today, which is a great way to help young people access the information they need to get started and get involved. Respect? has done the same on TheSite.org/respect, where there are articles about how to contact the media and how to give a successful interview. Respect? believes that young people have an unprecedented advantage with the internet, and that by using new media tools we can really make a difference.
Having got this far with Respect?, we're now looking for new members to join the Respect? Young People's Advisory Group and push the campaign further. We want to make sure young people from across the UK are represented, so if you've got big ideas, and you're interested in getting involved in a campaign that's really making a difference, visit the Respect? campaign pages and download an application form. Join us!
I wasn't at YouthNet four years ago when Dawn first met the group, but I find it incredibly exciting that the campaign has gone from strength to strength since that day, and that that we're still working together to achieve our aims - it's truly inspiring.
Gabriella Jozwiak
Posted by Catherine Skakle ( 4:45 PM ) Link to this post Comments[0]
Wednesday Feb 03, 2010
YouthNet launches new creative competition
Statistics released last week say that the UK's out of the recession – because in the fourth quarter of 2009, the economy grew by 0.1%. I'm no financial expert, but that doesn't sound a huge amount to me, barely more than a margin of error. In one of the daily polls on TheSite.org, 45% of the respondents to the question 'Do you think we're out of the recession?' picked the answer 'No, things are still really hard'. Another 22% said 'No, I'm broke and jobless'. It seems that the recession – and its impact – is still a reality for the UK's young people.
Student debt, youth unemployment, and an uncertain financial future mean that young people are among the hardest hit by the 'credit crunch'. It seems fitting then, that TheSite.org, with support from Citi Foundation, has launched a creative competition to allow UK's 16 to 25 year-olds to tell their own stories.
We're asking young people to submit photos, films and comic strips which illustrate how the recession has affected them or the lessons which they feel should be learned. Entrants have the chance to be have their work critiqued by a great panel of judges, have their work exhibited at the awards ceremony and win up to £1000 to invest in their artistic futures.
So if you're a creative young person – or know people who are – please check out the competition website or follow the updates on Twitter. If you'd like some postcards or printable posters to display at your college, university or organisation to help spread the word, please email us on marketing-AT-youthnet-DOT-org.
Can't wait to see the entries start coming in!
Wednesday Oct 14, 2009
Partnerships Team Volunteering
Culpeper farm – I thought we'd be feeding some pigs or goats or petting a nice donkey, but there was no way Dave, our chief organiser, was going to let us off that easily. We were in for a bit of a work out!
Just behind the massive Sainsbury's in Islington is a lovely little haven, away from the busy roads of London. Stuffed to the brim with rows of allotments, archways covered in greenery and even a little pond, Culpeper farm is a thriving community garden.
As Culpeper Farm is completely run by volunteers, it was the perfect place for the Partnerships Team to volunteer and do some team building too! We had no idea what to expect. Kate, the Volunteer Coordinator at the gardens instructed us to 'wear something that you wouldn't mind getting dirty' and for some reason I had images of us knee deep in mud! We were given the task of tidying the entrance to the garden which had been neglected for some time. Brambles and ivy had over taken the area, but fear not, we were here to help (after being given various sharp tool and saws!).
Under the guidance of our resident gardening expert Fiona, we filled about 6 bags of dead and over grown bushes - all sent to be recycled of course. Dave even got to show off his strength by ripping out a whole bush and re-locating it. Working as a team we managed to transform the whole front entrance. But the best bit was planting the bulbs in the freshly cleared ground. Hopefully by next spring when the flowers blossom we'll be able to see the results of what we did in just one afternoon.
Everyone loved the chance to be out of doors and it was great to feel like you had accomplished something together in just one afternoon. We want to say a huge thank you to Kate and Culpeper farm for a wonderful afternoon, and the much needed tea and cakes when we finished! If you don't do team volunteering at your work already – you're missing out! Click here to find out more about employee volunteering. Check out the amazing pictures on Flickr.
Saturday Apr 18, 2009
Young people as trustees
I posted this on my personal blog, but as it's partly about YouthNet I should probably mention it here:
"On Wednesday we had a meeting at work to discuss recruiting new trustees for YouthNet, and in particular the desire to get "youth trustees" onto our board. We've been having similar discussions at the charity I'm a trustee of, the Citizenship Foundation, where I think I am if not the youngest, I'm certainly not that much older than the youngest."
Friday Mar 13, 2009
If xLy iff yLx is true, then x cannot stop loving y unless y also stops loving x ... Thoughts on Relationships Advising and Philosophy
Earlier on this week I rediscovered a website called askphilosophers.org. It's a question and answer service where people post questions which are answered publically by philosophers. All the sections are pretty interesting (check out the environmental philosophy section) but particularly relevant to us on askTheSite was the section on love and emotions.
There was a really interesting mix of some of the sorts of questions we would get in the Relationships section of askTheSite ('Can a guy REALLY love you if he comments on other girls saying that they're cute?'), to questions that took a step back and saw the issue in terms of a more general dilemma ('If, within a marriage, one partner denies the other sex, can they morally still demand that the other refrain?').
In my previous job I was once asked a question about the meaning of life. It wasn't phrased quite like that, but in essence that was what the question was. It went something along the lines of 'I'm not suicidal, but I keep thinking that, when I die, my family and friends will be sad for a while, but then they will get on with their lives, and they will die and it will be as if I had never existed at all. I just don't see the point'. The user was concerned about this question to the extent that she felt the need to write into a helpline to help her find meaning in her life. But where else could she talk about these issues? Possibly askphilosophers.org? Patrick and I were thinking about whether we should have a section in askTheSite for more general religious and philosophical questions – young people come up against these all the time but don't really have a young person orientated forum in which to ask them.
Philosophical thinking, whether we are aware of it or not, certainly informs the way that we think about relationships and what we are trying to do when relationships advising is helping people to take a step back and providing a richer and clearer framework within which to think about the issues they are struggling with.
What askphilosophers.org does is merely make more explicit the sorts of fundamental dilemmas and differences in opinion that underlie relationship problems. People will often get in touch questioning whether or not they have a right to feel angry or upset over a certain situation, or asking what they should do in a certain situation. Questions about trust, contracts, promises, the nature of love and the motivations of human behaviour are all commonly seen in the askTheSite relationships inbox.
For example, if you are thinking of breaking up with your partner because you have fallen in love with someone else, there are a number of different ethical systems within which you could frame your actions.
You could think about what course of action would cause the greatest happiness to the greatest number of people. Is the happiness of you and your new love going to outweigh the misery of your previous partner. A utilitarian ethical system would say that, if so, then breaking up with your old partner is the right thing to do. However this also means that if your old partner's unhappiness was greater than the sum of happiness created by your new relationship, it would be morally wrong to end things with your old partner. Many people would find this a dubious argument. However, if you took into account your longer term unhappiness from being in a relationship you no longer enjoyed vs her misery if you broke up, there might be again an argument for the first course of action. Where do you stop?
What if you were married to your first partner? A basic formulation of Kant's universal law would suggest that it is morally wrong to break a promise or a contract (such as marriage) regardless of the unhappiness that holding to it would cause you. If you thought about it in this sense, rather than on the happiness of those involved, then it would be wrong to leave your first partner. Interestingly this seems to support an older fashioned take on marriage than the one today's society seems to accept.
Another way of looking at the situation would be through the concept of virtue ethics. Virtue ethics looks at the character of the individual performing the action rather than the consequences of the action. What makes one a moral person is the virtues you embody. However, given that different people, societies and cultures have different ideas about what constitutes a virtuous life, it is pretty much impossible to create an idea of the virtuous human. Looking at the sort of person you are and that your actions make you, rather than focussing on the idea of duty or consequences is, however, an interesting and relevant way of making decisions in relationships.
Finally, you could bring in the idea of rights. The concept of a human right has long been considered a potentially flawed idea (Bentham called the idea of inalienable natural human rights 'nonsense on stilts'), but what if you felt that the right to self esteem (for example) was a basic human right? If by breaking up with your partner, you destroy her self esteem, is there a sense in which you are denying her of a basic human right and thus performing a morally wrong action?
When making these kinds of decisions, I imagine that most people draw on ideas of morality pulled from a number of different systems of what is the right thing to do. What struck me about a similar question to this that was asked on askphilosophersorg was the deeply rational way in which it was couched ("a couple of months ago, I had an experience which spawned an ethical dilemma which I find fascinating"). In rationally analysing his relationship, the user came across as quite cold and heartless. We don't naturally associate rational analysis with matters of the heart. Some questions just seem as though they should not be asked within this logical framework – take this one for example - "there are billons of people on this earth, and yet so many people proclaim that they have found their one-and-only soul mate. Is it reasonable of them to say that if they haven't met everyone on the earth? Is there really such a thing as a "soul mate"? If not, then is it safe to assume that people simply settle for what is within their reach and then redefine what love means to them?".
It feels as though the questioner here has somehow misunderstood what we are trying to say when we speak of the idea of soul mates. It isn't something as tangible and obvious as he makes it out to be. We start to make some kind of distinction between our emotions and our rationality. A formula for answering a relationships question such as the one in the title of this article seems incomplete.
These thoughts are interesting in relation to the work on the head and the heart that we do in training peer advisors. We make a distinction between appealing to the user at the level of the head and at the level of the heart and highlight that a good answer will appeal to both. Moving away from philosophy and into psychology, we talk about how rationally answering with technical information and solutions ignores the feeling brain that often needs to be engaged if we want the user to pay attention to the answer we write. Rationally exploring the morality of actions in relationships and the meaning of trust, contracts and rights is a useful way of helping ourselves and users to understand what we are talking about – but we shouldn't lose sight of the messy and irrational emotional element of every human relationship.
Before I finish, I'll link you to a blog called The Splintered Mind where the writer suggests that love is not a feeling but a way of structuring ones values, goals and reactions. He makes a distinction between passion (a word he notes derives from the same root as passive) which he calls a feeling one does not control and love which he sees as a way of managing and structuring a life with someone else. It provides an interesting new take on the definition of love. One of the questions I always suggest my friends think about when they come to me with questions on relationships is to think about what they mean when they say they are in love with someone. It's too easy to use the word love without thinking about it.
Harry G Frankfurt (in his lectures 'Taking Ourselves Seriously and Getting It Right') says that 'both reason and love are chronically problematic and the relationship between them is obscure' and another user on askphilosophers.org asks, "I've heard it said that philosophers as a demographic are overwhelmingly single (in the unmarried sense). I don't know if this is true, but if it is, could it be because love and reason conflict?".Maybe it's about time I stopped philosophising about this altogether and get on with something useful...!!
Posted by Clare Foster ( 2:32 PM ) Link to this post Comments[0]
Friday Feb 06, 2009
Blogging about blogging
When YouthNet took a leap of faith all those years ago and headed out on the bloggers' journey, we had no idea where it would take us. We knew where we didn't want to go and our Public Relations Manager certainly knew where they didn't want it to go. We knew we didn't want it to be top down or just about marketing a brand.
Over the years different members of staff have taken the opportunity to shout about their own personal bugbears and argue a point of view. Others have used it to debate the topical and we really appreciate the contribution of all those who've commented and joined in the discussion.
Now it's time for a rethink. Today together with YouthNetters with talk and the blog, so in a way it's only appropriate to blog about the talk. Watch out this space for new bloggers and more discussion! As they say on Twitter - thanks for the follow.
Wednesday Dec 24, 2008
Christmas, lists and sexy geeks
It's impossible to escape one thing at this time of year.
No, I don't mean Santa, Jesus and increasingly desperate high street retailers trying to sell you the "magic of Christmas".
I'm talking about "Top 10s". Call me a geek, but ever since I was a kid I've enjoyed perusing the year end lists on pretty much anything and everything. So, in the spirit of "Top 10s", I've complied some of my favorite lists/reviews/interesting posts of 2008 from across the blogosphere - in no particular order. Add your own if you like!
First up we have the Guardian's Top 100 sites for the year ahead (only slightly disappointed that TheSite.org wasn't in there, but hey-ho..)
Along a slightly similar line we have Read/Write's Top 100 products of 2008.
Moving into the realms of charities, justgiving posted a very comprehensive review of 2008 - so comprehensive it needed a part I and part II.
From across the pond, the Non-Profit Tech Blog published a Philanthropy and Non-Proft Top 25 list - very interesting to see some "traditional" charities dropping out of that list this year and some less obvious ones appearing for the first time.
Moving closer to home, as Helen noted, TheSite.org had a creative end to 2008. Whilst we're on TheSite.org, in case you do over-indulge too much this Christmas it's worth finding out how much your dead body is worth.
There's also been plenty happening on the do-it.org.uk blogs - I've particularly enjoyed having some student stereotypes being busted on the Student's Blog.
As this post is all about lists and Top 10s, I couldn't not mention Robin Goad's Hitwise Intelligence blog - always packed full of interesting stats about online search.
No list round up of mine would be complete without a music section, so here's the (ever so slightly pretentious) Pitchfork 50 Best Albums of 2008 list. For all you sports fans out there, here is the Guardian sports blog Classic YouTube 2008 round up - worth checking out for the Shteeve McClaren interview alone.
Finally, just to prove what everyone knew in 2008 - here's Wired Magazine's Sexiest Geeks of 2008 list.
Enjoy!
Posted by Sam Thomas ( 9:27 AM ) Link to this post Comments[2]
Monday Dec 01, 2008
View from across the Atlantic...
I've recently got back from a trip to the US. It was supposed to be a holiday, but a couple of things made it a bit more working, and a bit less holiday. Firstly, I've probably bored my colleagues senseless with my excitement at doing a spot of freelancing for the BBC on the night of the US election... being in a restaurant/studio overlooking Times Square when Obama got elected is something that'll never forget.
But along with the holiday bit, the other part of my trip to the States that counts as working was going to the YPulse Mashup in Boston. I've been a follower of Anatasia's youth media and marketing blog for a good couple of years now, even contributed a few times. So on the ridiculous notion that "you're in America. I'm in America" I dropped her an email to see if she was anywhere near me and we could catch up over a coffee. Better than that, she'd got a whole conference that slotted perfectly into my schedule.
So 36 hours after I'd witnessed one of the greatest election victories of recent years, I was in a sports hall at Boston University meeting a variety of people involved in youth media/marketing in the US. The whole conference has been successfully blogged and written up here, but here are a few things that I think YouthNet can learn from the conference:
Millennials/GenY (defined as those roughly of people born from 1980 until about 2000) have a totally different relationship with their parents to those born earlier (GenX). As a generalisation, GenY's are as likely to go clubbing and seek advice from their parents; whereas GenX's avoid their parents at all costs. The downside of this is helicopter parents.
GenY also have a totally different outlook on work: they know they being exploited so seek rewards in recognition of this fact. They totally blur the boundaries between work and home... they'll update their Facebook in the office but not think twice about checking their work email over the weekend. They also want regular praise (but then who wouldn't?)
We have a mobile version of TheSite.org – and we're planning for more of our interaction to be via wireless internet (but in the long term, it's unlikely to remain a separate entity to our web version). The US mobile phone model is different to Europe – and the popularity of SMS is about seven years behind us – but this doesn't sound that unfamiliar: girls text more, guys use mobile internet more.
In discussion about video, the panel said that "viewers value authenticity more than production quality", short videos work better than TV shows on the web (although the US doesn't have an equivilant BBC iPlayer) and that a lot of teens don't want to create video. Our multimedia editor, Chris Chapman, has been doing a lot of work on improving our video offering and the points the panel raised tie in nicely with what he (and the rest of us) have been up to.
Finally: two ideas to interest our fundraisers. Firstly, MyYearbook is apparently the fastest growing social network in the US. I don't know whether it will go mainstream this side of the pond, but it has quite an interesting funding model. In return for putting up with ads, users earn "lunchbox money" that they can turn into real cash to support actual causes.
Secondly, Virgin Mobile in the US has been running a pro-social awareness raising campaign on the issue of youth homelessness. In return for a text message, a hoodie was donated to a young homeless person. It's difficult to equate the equivalent easy win for YouthNet, but using mobiles to raise funds still seems like something worth tapping into.
The great thing about being an online charity is that we have a worldwide presence, even if our target beneficiaries are in the UK. Anastasia has already been bigging up YouthNet in Business Week, and more importantly referring young people who get in contact with her to TheSite.org. And we've been talking about joining a proposal to develop an application in partnership with another US organisation we like: YouthNoise.Overall I think the thing I left the conference with was actually how (not surprisingly) the issues that our US-cousins are facing are pretty much the same as we are. If you change a few of the brand names, ignore the accent and don't mind that they say "mobil" where we say "mobile" there is very little difference between us.
Olly is Editorial Manager of YouthNet.
Posted by Olly Benson ( 10:37 PM ) Link to this post Comments[1]
Thursday Nov 27, 2008
Our ambitious plans for do-it.org.uk
We are very proud of our achievements at do-it.org.uk. Over the past eight years, with the support of our voluntary sector partners, we've built the UK's largest volunteering database, containing more than one million opportunities to volunteer.
But that's not all. We now have over 300,000 registered volunteers who apply for more than 30,000 volunteering opportunities with over 21,000 charities each month.
That's a lot of people, doing a lot of volunteering. But we're not ready to stop there. We believe volunteering can transform society, and we want to connect more people with the causes that need their help.
To help us do just that, we have launched a fundraising campaign that will help us revolutionise do-it.org.uk.
Some of our registered volunteers will have received an email about this campaign today. If you are one of them, I hope the email you received conveyed just how passionate we are about volunteering, and the difference it can make to the world.
We'll keep you updated on our plans for do-it.org.uk on this blog, but if you have any thoughts, ideas or suggestions, why not add them as a comment to this post?
Posted by Sam Thomas ( 1:02 PM ) Link to this post Comments[2]
Tuesday Nov 18, 2008
Congratulations Jamie!
We had some news that put a spring in our step this today - one of our legendary Royal Parks Half Marathon runners, Jamie Markham, has been selected as Justgiving's "Fundraiser of the Month"!
Jamie went above and beyond the call of duty for YouthNet, raising well over £3,000 and recruiting another three runners for us in the process.
What makes this extra special for us is that the Royal Parks Half Marathon was our first "mass participation" fundraising event, and Jamie's contribution in terms of fundraising and recruiting other runners sent a long way to making the event a success for us.
In fact, you could say he really went the extra mile for YouthNet! (sorry - I'll get my coat).
Congratulations to Jamie and thanks to Justgiving for highlighting his fantastic support!
Posted by Sam Thomas ( 12:35 PM ) Link to this post Comments[0]
Friday Oct 31, 2008
What YouthNet staff get to after work (part 2)...
Regular readers of the YouthNet blog (if such people exist) will have seen my post last week about me and 25 other colleagues spending an evening after work packing condoms to send out to TheSite.org users.
But that's not all we do outside office hours. As an organisation that champions volunteering, it was heartening to see from a recent staff survey just how many of us volunteer, and what diversity there is.
Here's an incomplete list :
- Al Arabiyyah Al Islamiyyah
- Alzheimers Society
- Amnesty International
- British Humanist Association
- Cancer Research UK
- CTT
- Citizenship Foundation
- Epilepsy Action
- Fairtrade Foundation
- The Food Chain
- Friends of the Earth
- Greater London Volunteering
- GUCH
- Guatemala Solidarity Network
- Leukemia Research
- Manor Gardens Befriending Scheme
- Masjid-e-Umer Trust
- Oxfam
- Terrence Higgins Trust
- RSPB
- RSPCA
- UNICEF
- Waltham Forest Faith Communities Forum
- Ummah Welfare Trust
- World Vision
- WaterAid
- WWF
- York Lesbian Arts Festival (YLAF)
- Young Achievers Trust.
I can claim two of those. Posted by Olly Benson ( 2:07 PM ) Link to this post Comments[0]
Friday Oct 24, 2008
What YouthNet staff get up to after work...
Yesterday it involved condoms and beer (from TheSite.org blog).
Posted by Olly Benson ( 8:26 AM ) Link to this post Comments[0]
Tuesday Sep 23, 2008
New TheSite.org postcards now available
It's always exciting when the boxes arrive. Even when you've been working on a campaign for months, even when you know the graphic design of a piece of collateral intimately, even if you can recite the copy word-for-word, there's nothing like opening up that first box of postcards and holding that finished product in your hands.
Last week, we had our first delivery of the new TheSite.org postcards, designed by the lovely people at Point Blank Collective. Here's the front of four of them:
Chat-up lines may not be the best way to get a relationship started (refer to TheSite.org for more advice on that one), but they make us laugh and we think they're great for any sort of social setting.
If you're from a college, youth group or similar and would like some of these postcards to display in areas where 16 to 24-year-olds hang out, you can now order them through our online form.
The postcards have also started appearing in postcard racks in student unions and cafes around the country, as well as other venues here in London. They'll also be accompanying us to the Regional Skills events in Newcastle (30 September – 1 October) and Sheffield (8 – 9 October). If you spot one, pick it up and use it to enter our fantastic competition. There's a Sumo bean bag up for grabs for the winning entry.
We'll also soon be launching matching banner ads. They're just getting their final design tweaked, before being delivered - amongst similar levels of excitement - into our inboxes. I'll let you know when they arrive.
Wednesday Aug 20, 2008
Changing TheSite.org
Alongside our regular day-to-day stuff is another stream of work looking at how we change TheSite.org. There are various levels of work going on; including a fairly quick but quite major sprucing up of the look of the site, which you should see the results of in the next month or so. Beyond that there is a much deeper, bigger and more wide-ranging discussion about how we change TheSite.org.So we've been running a blog for the last month at changethesite.org which hopefully will promote discussion both internally and externally about what we want to do with TheSite.org.
I'm glad to say that DK from MediaSnackers is the first of a number of external contributors we've asked to be involved. You can read his answers, plus some other thoughts and stuff at changethesite.org. And you'll find more information, plus ways to contribute, at the end of the blog!
Happy reading....
Olly Posted by Olly Benson ( 8:48 AM ) Link to this post Comments[0]
Friday Aug 01, 2008
We know where's it's at...
According to the Financial Times, Old Street has become the new centre of the new generation of web start-ups. From last.fm to the offices of new favourite (and burglar's paradise) dopplr; everyone who is anyone is based around what is being dubbed as the Silicon Roundabout.
And where are we based? Feathertstone Street, about a minute from Old Street tube station.
Wednesday Jul 30, 2008
Changing the site...
We're doing a lot of work on TheSite.org at the moment... thinking about the future. You can follow what we're doing at www.changethesite.org. And if you want to contribute, let me know!
Cheers,
Olly
Posted by Olly Benson ( 12:32 PM ) Link to this post Comments[0]
Wednesday Jul 16, 2008
A penny for your thoughts? Young people, debt & finance
We ran a very topical presentation here at YouthNet alongside Citizens Advice, the Financial Services Authority and HM Treasury a few weeks ago. The theme was young people, debt and finance, and the presentation covered some key points about how debt impacts on their lives, where they find information on financial advice and what their understanding of financial terminology is.Most of what we covered was taken from a survey of 651 young people from TheSite.org. We got some great press coverage of the results of the survey, both here and in the USA, although interestingly (and perhaps not surprisingly), most articles chose to focus on one finding in particular – that 66% of young people surveyed agreed that it was too easy to get credit.
If you'd like a copy of the survey or want to hear more about the presentation, just drop us a line.
Tuesday Jul 08, 2008
Changes to YouthNet.org
If you're reading this blog entry on the YouthNet.org website (rather than on email or your RSS reader) you might notice that things look a bit different. The blog's centred for one thing. So's the whole website. On the front page, there are new 'latest news' links which scroll from one story to the next. And if you look towards the bottom of the page, there's a quote from one of our users or partners will change if you refresh the page.
There are also a couple of changes which you might not notice much, but which will help us better understand how people are using this website (such as the addition of the new Google Analytics code) and help us better process any queries we receive (through an improved contact us form). We've also changed the URL of the YouthNet blog feed, so that we can better monitor how many subscribers we have. If you've subscribed in the past, it'd be great if you could change over to using this new feed so we can include you in our stats. Using the new functionality, we'll also soon be creating RSS feeds for our job vacancies and press releases. I'll be back to let you know when these go live.
We've also introduced a sitemap, as another way of navigating round the site. Over the next few months, we'll also be taking a look at the content of YouthNet.org – making sure that it's easy to find what you need whether you've come to the site looking for information about running the Royal Park's Half Marathon or wanting to find out our current volunteering opportunities.
If you've got any feedback about the new features or have suggestions for the content/navigation review that will follow soon, please leave us a comment below.
Posted by Natasha Judd ( 10:46 AM ) Link to this post Comments[0]
Wednesday Jun 11, 2008
And now for a bit of shameless plugging
YouthNet's do-it.org.uk is in the running for the Innovation category of the 2008 New Media Awards, run by New Statesman magazine. It's great to see such an impressive line-up in the nominations – once again, evidence of the real drive to use new media technologies to create positive social change.
Of course, we think do-it.org.uk's pretty special, and judging from the comments we've received so far, it has had an impact on a lot of others as well, making it easy for people throughout the UK to find their perfect volunteering opportunity.
Here's just one of them:
do it.org.uk is a great way of finding volunteering in your own area and helping to find opportunities to help others - its easy, simple, useful and fun to use, there is no better website out there for volunteering xxx
- Christele
If you'd like to leave your own comment of support, you can visit do-it.org.uk's entry on the New Statesman website.
And while I'm on the subject of awards, congratulations must go to the YouthNet Development Team who won Gold in the Fundraising Charity of the Year category of the Professional Fundraising Awards last month. Well done Development!
Posted by Natasha Judd ( 7:49 PM ) Link to this post Comments[0]
Tuesday May 20, 2008
Farewell to Lesley
The last few months have seen a few changes at YouthNet. First of all we had the departure of Dom, our Digital Interactive Services Director – you can read about his memories of seeing Mickey Mouse naked here. Next week sees another YouthNet ol' timer move on to pastures new. This time it's Lesley Bourne, our Partnerships Director.
Read on to find out what Routemaster buses have got to do with volunteering, and remember if you've got any questions for Lesley before she goes, please add them as comments at the end.
In your time at YouthNet you must have seen do-it.org.uk grow enormously. Can you give us a picture of what do-it.org.uk and YouthNet was like when you first arrived?
I was the second member of staff to be added to the do-it team. I discovered that even though we had about 300 partners located all over the place from Northumberland to Cornwall, very few of them had really bought into the project, lots of them were terrified of using the PC equipment we'd issued them with and none of them really knew how to operate the database we'd developed. They were all also very sceptical about this new fangled internet thing as a method of recruitment. So we embarked upon a programme of "loving them into submission" by travelling the length and breadth of the country to start to talk do-it up and do some training.
And our office was situated right over the air vent of the Pizza Hut below – we'd all get hungry at about 11 when they started cooking. You couldn't open the window in the summer either as the air coming in was warmer than the air inside – and more garlic scented...
And how about the volunteering sector as a whole?
Well it's more convinced of the power of the web now! People are still a bit uncertain about how much help to give volunteers who apply via the web and I think we've got more work to do in helping volunteers and partners get a positive and efficient experience via online brokerage. However, stats speak for themselves – web audience for volunteering is very diverse.
I think that the sector as a whole has become more "professional" in that there is now a growing recognition that volunteer managers need better support and training. There is a fine line though in creating a great environment for volunteers to flourish and developing a culture of bureaucracy - I think the sector is terribly risk averse these days which is a shame.
Young people's volunteering is also currently the focus of government attention which has been a mixed bag for YouthNet – it would be good to see funders and particularly the government taking a more holistic view of the sector and thinking about how to encourage all parts of the infrastructure to work collaboratively together and in a sustainable way.
Keeping more than 400 partner organisations happy must be a bit of a challenge – especially when they all have differing requirements. Have you got any tips on how to how to manage that?
Benign dictatorship! It is hard sometimes but can also be very enlightening – there are a surprising amount of similarities and needs across the various parts of the sector. Technically, it has been a very difficult project to keep all parties happy as people are in such different pleases with IT capability, kit etc. I'd say that a key part of our success has been in consulting widely and being as transparent as possible about what you do next and why. We have had to be tough sometimes, but reminding people of the end goal (i.e. volunteers needs) rather than their own organisations has also helped.
What's your best memory of working for YouthNet?
It's always heartening to see great feedback from partners and users when you get it right. I saw a quote from one of our Volunteer Centre partners recently that said that we had revolutionised the way they work and that we were indispensable.
And your worst/most frustrating?
I have the reputation of being the office Eyore, so I'm surprised you've allowed me room for this one – now where to begin.....
A perennial frustration is finding out that organisations are still saying "If only we had one place on the Internet where we could list/find out about volunteering". A nice big fat Marketing budget could help solve that one.
My favourite worst memory is probably also my funniest – YouthNet had a brief dalliance with an "e-bus" with the idea that we'd have this sleek, mobile PC offering. In reality, it was a temperamental old Routemaster bus that broke down with alarming regularity. We took it to an event in Manchester– it died at Warrington services before it had even got there, and we spent the rest of the day performing death defying feats in the blazing sun to keep the satellite dish running and fending off the local little darlings who spent their whole time surfing porn. The day ended with an AA man jump starting the bus and then us having to guide it offsite in the dark as the headlights had gone –happy days.
Where do you see volunteering heading in the next five to ten years?
I think volunteering still needs to get comfortable with the way that society has changed – no one has a job for life so it's unrealistic to expect a volunteer for life. We need to focus more on giving people a great experience so that they keep coming back rather than worrying that they might leave. Volunteering still needs to find a way to measure outputs and outcomes better so that we can steer funders away from the "bums on seats" funding formula. I also think that the education sector could still be a great place to engage young people in volunteering – even at a primary school age – I'd love to see some developments around this as part of the new interest in young volunteers.
If you had a blank slate (and unlimited funding!), what would you do with do-it.org.uk?
Banks of techies beavering away on V-Base so we could meet all our partners needs, huge investment into the do-it website with a radically different application system, personalisation, enhanced searching, overseas opportunities etc etc. Obviously we'd need a whole new wing for the massive partnerships team so they can offer enhanced account management, develop e-training, offer consultation etc. And the massive marketing budget to get us under the noses of the nation.
What will you be up to after you leave?
Moving the family to the hills of Wales where I will be indulging my self sufficiency passions with gardening, chickens, permaculture and bees. And finally getting a dog with a bit of luck – our cats are going to love it........
If you could sum up your time at YouthNet in three words, what would they be?
Change, change, change
Posted by Sam Thomas ( 7:48 AM ) Link to this post Comments[0]
Friday Mar 28, 2008
"Seeing Mickey naked is never nice" - an interview with Dom Waghorn
April 2008 sees the departure of our longest serving member of staff – Digital Interactive Services Director, Dom Waghorn.
Before he goes we thought we'd sit down with him and hear all about what things were like in the "good old days", and where technology and the web might be heading. Read on for the results...
If you've got any questions for Dom, feel free to post them – just don't comment on his personal appearance.
Can you tell us what brought you to YouthNet?
It was in October 1998 and I'd just finished a stint working at the Guardian editing the Glastonbury website. I was looking round for contract web work and YouthNet were after someone to come in and develop a website for the Duke of Edinburgh's Award. In my head, I'd come in, build the site, get it live and move on. I've now been here over nine years.What was it like in the early days? There are some highly disturbing stories involving Mickey Mouse...
Seeing Mickey naked is never nice. YouthNet's early office was a back room in the Disney HQ in Kensington. It was also used by Disney's entertainers as a changing room. We then moved to Haymarket, Panton Street (off Leicester Square), Angel, and now Old Street. Each office has been bigger, nicer and brighter, which is obviously a positive progression but there's something alluring about dingy, divey work spaces. Someone once said that the Panton St office looked a bit like a student house, which I thought was a compliment – we were in touch with our audience... there was also a lot of Age of Empire play and Napster use, so the comparison definitely fits.
YouthNet must have changed a great deal since you've been here. What's been the biggest change and how do you think we've dealt with it?
When YouthNet was much smaller, we would try stuff out on a whim. Frankly, the risk was much lower (in terms of investment and audience numbers) so if it didn't go well, then it was hardly a disaster. Now we have (reasonably) rigorous project management processes and documentation. The technical infrastructure was also totally different. An air-conditioned comms room? As if. The servers sat, surrounded by fans in a corner of the office.
This change was inevitable: TheSite.org was getting 10k users a month, now it has 550k; there are 50+ people rather than a handful; the turnover is 10 times higher. You can't run an organisation this size without a bit of process. The risk though is the dynamic, try-shit-out attitude gets stifled and drowns in paperwork.
Some things haven't changed at all. YouthNet's people still really believe in the 'cause' bit, love the potential of online and like to have a drink and a laugh. And there has always been pretty good coffee at YouthNet, always.
What about the web? Sometimes it feels like things are changing at an exponential rate, do you think that'll continue?If you believe in Moore's Law, then yeah - more, rapid change in inevitable. The challenge, of course, is knowing which direction it will go. There are some reasonably safe bets. Mobile or portable access, for example is going to be massive but within this broad assumption, there are many questions about the type of technology, usability, appropriate services and cultural adoption across different regions. I also think we've just seen the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what is sometimes grandly called 'the democratisation of media'. Social media is in its infancy and it's going to be fascinating to see the impact this has in the next 5-10 years on mainstream media, marketing, advertising and the ways people connect with each other and companies. I'm not a blind evangelist for all of this – there are inevitably downsides and problems – but the change is unavoidable.
What do you think will be the biggest challenge facing YouthNet in the next few years?
Dealing with the rapid change mentioned above. It's also a real opportunity. YouthNet's target audience is the highest adopter of new technology of all age groups. As the internet expands on to multiple platforms, and becomes ever more embedded into every day life, how does YouthNet prioritise and develop in the most efficient and targeted ways? Keeping up is the challenge.
YouthNet's other key test is around positioning. For the past ten years, being an online charity was unusual and put YouthNet in a distinctive space. In ten years time, YouthNet's model with be the norm – so what instead will separate YouthNet out from the rest? (For me, the answer may be in what has always been YouthNet's key asset - its trusted content).
What's been the best thing that's happened at YouthNet since you've been here?
Getting picked on by the Daily Mail is always an indication you are on the right track and that has happened a few times. But the real 'wow' thing about YouthNet's work is the impact it has on its user base. Every week, our editorial team circulate a few comments from users who have used our services and this is really the point. This is one from a user of askTheSite:
"The adviser really picked up on my feelings and the situation. I did give a very detailed question however every part of my feelings was addressed and I felt as though the person was in front of me talking. I cried because I felt as though someone for once understood me on such a difficult situation that I am going through. They weren't being judgemental which I felt was really positive because sometimes that is the huge worry when you have a problem and feel as though you are causing pain to others and that you are to blame. Thank you very much and I will continuously reflect on the answer throughout my situation."And the worst?
What annoys me and others at YouthNet is the frustration of not being able to do all the things we want to do. Our sites have so much potential and we've really only touched the surface when it comes to audience size and engagement. For example, both do-it and TheSite.org would benefit massively from higher levels of personalisation – but we don't always have the developer time available.
What are you off to do then?
Later in the year I'm going to go and drink good quality coffee and Sauvignon Blanc in the New Zealand sunshine. Until then, I'm consulting on content development and social media at digital agency Syzygy.Posted by Sam Thomas ( 12:08 PM ) Link to this post Comments[3]
Friday Dec 14, 2007
Fancy a job?
Here’s a blatant plug – we’re looking for an events assistant to join our fundraising team here at YouthNet. It’s a six month role, helping us out with our million for a million ball, which takes place in May.
You can read more about the Ball here, and more about the role here.
So who are we looking for? An energetic, excellent communicator with strong organisational and administration skills - ideally you’d also have an interest in fundraising and events, as well as our cause.
Posted by Sam Thomas ( 3:33 PM ) Link to this post Comments[0]
Tuesday Nov 27, 2007
Video section goes live on TheSite.org - visit a GUM clinic from your seat
Hooray! Our fantastic new video section has gone live on TheSite.org.
The videos are partly created by us and partly syndicated from VideoJug.com. We will over time be building up our own collection and also want to work with other organisations making interesting video content (contact us if you do).
We're going to use video (at least initially) to tell the same sort of stories we do in text and audio content, but in a format which lends itself to certain issues and content.
One thing video has over other formats is it leaves little to the imagination.Where as audio or written advice content can leave room for interpretation, video shows it how it really is. Because of this, we're using video to demistify potentially scary life situations. Below is a video on what it's like to visit a GUM (sexual health) clinic.
Our videos will shortly be available on YouTube and other video sharing sites and we're encouraging people to embed them on their social network pages or blogs. Spread the word.
Posted by Dom Waghorn ( 2:41 PM ) Link to this post Comments[2]
Thursday Nov 15, 2007
Our first breakfast seminar!
We held our first ever breakfast seminar here at YouthNet this morning.
The theme was "The Language of Digital Natives – Communicating Effectively with Young People" and the seminar featured talks from James (one of our Corporate Development Managers), Hannah (our Editorial Manager) and Dom (Digital Interactive Services Director), as well as a Q&A session hosted by Martyn Lewis, YouthNet's Chair and Founder.
Thanks to all those that made it along – we hope you enjoyed it! (and apologies to Hannah for the use of the exclamation mark...) Here are the presentations:
If you have any comments feel free to add them here or get in touch.
Posted by Sam Thomas ( 2:01 PM ) Link to this post Comments[2]
