Virtual Volunteering – your time, your terms

Fancy yourself as a cyber activist? As a Virtual Volunteer, you could change the world or change a life without the hassle of leaving your home.

A groundbreaking new project is recruiting 900 young people as Virtual Volunteers. The project is the first of its kind, and aims to attract people between the ages of 16-25 to volunteering by making it flexible and easy to access.

Virtual Volunteering allows you to spend your own time helping an organisation, campaign or individual using the internet or phone. Projects vary from the production of music or videos, creating campaigns or designing websites, and commitment must be at least eight hours. You can even put forward your own ideas about how you could help.

Adrian, 17, is already getting stuck in to a film project: “I feel that Virtual Volunteering is a great opportunity for young people to gain experience and knowledge from volunteering but with the freedom and independence that most other volunteering schemes do not offer. I'm really enjoying the film project at the moment because its given me the chance to try new things that I haven't done before, such as set designing, and the staff and other volunteers are friendly.”

The Virtual Volunteering project, from the Choose Action Alliance, allows you to search for virtual volunteering opportunities that fit with your interests and fit around your life. The group will provide a central resource of opportunities for Virtual Volunteering. Check out what’s on offer at www.thesite.org/chooseaction.