Helping young people feel heard and valued
Rachael, who leads environmental, social and governance work at accountancy firm Dains (a Rise partner), has been volunteering with Rise, an ICAEW social mobility initiative, for four years. Part of her role includes social impact and community engagement: she drives her company’s commitment to providing the next generation with the skills they need to succeed, both in her day-to-day role and in a voluntary capacity.
Dains is always striving to adapt its business model to welcome young people from all backgrounds, to fulfil the needs of an ever-changing industry with a more diverse pool of future talent. Investing in early careers and engaging in meaningful encounters with young people removes barriers to access, ensuring that the breadth of pathways available into accountancy are highlighted.
Not only does volunteering enable employees to shine a light on the opportunities out there, but it also enables them to challenge preconceived ideas and stereotypes. Too often, young people don’t see these kinds of routes as being for them. To meet employee volunteers with similar backgrounds means that they feel represented in the workplace – and like they belong.
Attending Rise workshops has allowed Rachael to witness students growing in confidence, even in a short space of time. Throughout the range of practical tasks delivered during the Rise workshops, different strengths and skills begin to emerge, including teamwork and communication. Our Rise programme is about allowing young people to fulfil their potential and showcase their strengths – guided by employee support and mentorship.
We didn’t talk at them - we gave them space to be themselves.
Most importantly, Rachael sees that engagement improves when students feel heard and valued by the volunteers in attendance. Taking the time to engage one-on-one and in group environments with students has the potential to shift mindsets, showing them what they can achieve both within and beyond the classroom. It’s about sowing seeds of ambition and showing young people what’s possible.
For Rachael, volunteering aligns with both her professional role and her personal motivations:
When I go and volunteer, it gives me such a boost – there’s a re-energising that happens.
Spending time with young people brings her real job satisfaction and drives her energy levels. The opportunity to have a tangible impact means a lot to her, as well as the chance to learn – from young people and from other volunteers. Volunteering is an insight opportunity, helping her understand future talent – and how best to communicate with young people.
This is how we open doors for people who might not otherwise see these opportunities.
For Dains, volunteering aligns closely with organisational social mobility goals, supports a more inclusive future workforce and helps develop a diverse talent pipeline. Not only that, but it helps build employees’ cross-generational communication skills, while building a strong sense of company purpose and culture.
Volunteering helps young people to access opportunities and build the skills, confidence and networks to be able to make informed decisions about their futures. With over one million young people not in education, employment or training (NEETs), the need for volunteer support has never been greater. If you’d like to volunteer on one of our programmes, please get in touch.
Read our Volunteering for Impact report to find out more.