
‘Are you Team Coffee or Team Maté?’ youngCaritas asks on its Instagram channel. Anyone looking to interest the next generation in their voluntary work projects needs to hang out on the right channels. ‘It’s vital to us to have a good social media presence,’ explains Nora Engler, project manager at youngCaritas. In NGOs, old-school ideas on communication come up against a generation that communicates in 15-second TikTok videos. Whether you see that as superficial or super-efficient, if you want to communicate with young people, you need to engage with their channels. It can feel challenging when existing structures and recipes for success are called into question. But it can open up new opportunities. Scouting is a movement with a long tradition. Last year alone, 30,000 scouts attended the Swiss National Jamboree. This was made possible by the work of 500 voluntary organisers and 5,000 Rovers. The Scouting Movement was established in 1907, and its slogan was ‘Do a good turn daily’. The fact that the organisation still appeals to the next generation over 100 years later is largely due to one key advantage: scouts are involved at an early age and given the opportunity to take on responsibilities. There is a smooth transition from attending the Jamboree to becoming a leader. But there is still potential to be mined where the younger generation is concerned. According to the Swiss Volunteering Survey 2020, 33 per cent of 15–29-year-olds volunteer with an organisation, ten per cent of them in an official capacity. Both of these figures are lower than for any other age group. The highest figure when it comes to official voluntary roles is among 45–59-year-olds, where it is 20 per cent. In terms of general volunteering, the peak figure of 45 per cent can be found in the 60–74-year-old age group.
Digital volunteering platform
It is worth noting, however, that the younger generation also has a tendency to look for opportunities to get involved outside existing structures. And they are prepared to invest a lot of time. Cyrill Hermann chose to repeat a year of school so that he could get involved in climate protests. ‘There’s a huge amount of work and we’re doing it voluntarily and for free,’ he explains. The opportunities to get involved with an established NGO did not appeal to him – unlike the Climate Strike movement, which he got to know by taking part in demonstrations. The movement’s accessibility and social media communication won him over: all he had to do was turn up at the next meeting and get involved. Sabrina Trachsler and Christian Schefer from the organisation Helferherz are looking to create the same accessibility with the platform Karma Lama. The online platform aims to develop and enhance opportunities for volunteering and make those opportunities more visible. They have been running a pilot in the Zurich region since the beginning of September. It is not their aim to present a finished product: they are keen on a more participatory approach. ‘We’ve been bouncing the idea around with volunteers, experts and NPOs for the past three years and we’ve evolved our concept in workshops,’ explains Christian Schefer. Sabrina Trachsler adds, ‘Gathering feedback is vital. It allows us to adapt the platform to actual needs.’ They used crowdfunding to finance the initial version for a pilot in Zurich. But further funds will be needed to realise the platform on a wider scale.
Flexible taster opportunities
If the match is to work, however, organisations also need to make sure that the volunteering opportunities they are offering tie in with the needs and expectations of the younger generation. ‘Young people don’t necessarily want to sign up straight away to helping out every Wednesday afternoon for the next three months,’ comments Sabrina Trachsler. ‘They want to try things out first and get a taste for the work. They want to be more spontaneous in their commitment.’ As a result, the two colleagues are working with NPOs to develop opportunities for the platform that are more suited to the target group. The charity Caritas specifically created youngCaritas to ensure success in this area. Its broad range of projects offers different levels of participation. Young people can choose how involved they want to be. ‘Volunteering with youngCaritas fits in with younger people’s schedules, and everyone can choose their own level of involvement’, explains Nora Engler, project manager at youngCaritas. At the same time, the charity offers development opportunities, workshops and a series of informative events. Young people can learn new skills and gain important experience. youngCaritas values the importance of community building and networking.
Experience
Of course, voluntary work is not without its rewards. Take Thibault Béguin, Scout leader in the Durandal section, Val-de-Ruz. His scout shirt testifies to the memories scouting has given him. A range of different badges recall Jamborees and events, and signatures hold memories of the people he has met, telling the stories of lasting experiences.


Nora Engler, youngCaritas:
close to the heart
‘We offer a wide range of opportunities to get involved – there’s something for virtually everyone. We try to keep any barriers that might prevent people from joining us as low as possible. Young people get involved with youngCaritas for a range of different reasons: they want to expand their horizons or work for a fairer society. Getting to know new people from different backgrounds, building something together and learning from one another are often given as motivating factors too. Sometimes young people are looking to develop their skills. And, of course, they often want to stand up for a cause that is close to their heart.’

Christian Schefer, Helferherz: helping shape change

Sabrina Trachsler, Helferherz: different expectations
‘We need something that’s right for the younger generation and works well digitally. We need an attractive, digital platform to make volunteering easy. But that’s not all. Organisations need to change too. Younger people want volunteering to be simpler and more flexible. They want the opportunity to get a taste for things and get to know the ropes without having to make a long-term commitment up front. We are trying to get this across to our partner organisations. We are helping them to tailor their volunteering information for the platform so that it has more bite than it does at the moment.’

Thibault Béguin, scout: the next generation
‘When I joined the scouts at the age of twelve, I was able to go to Jamborees and make new friends. When we got older, we took on responsibility and got involved with organising the Jamborees. Scouting is about freedom, friendship and also social volunteering. It involves a huge amount of voluntary work, and this requires time and energy. We are doing it for the next generation. We want to pass on what we were given: the experiences we had thanks to the generation before us.’

Cyrill Hermann, Klimastreik: because no one else is doing anything
‘What sets the generations apart is that our generation is very aware of the crisis. Business as usual is no longer an option. We’re not pursuing big ideas. Our demand is actually pretty minimalist: we want a world that we and our children can live in and justice for people who are already suffering under the climate crisis. We’re doing this because no one else is doing anything, not because it’s cool or because we’re short of ideas of what to do with our time. Scientific evidence that the climate is in crisis has been around for over 45 years. I’ve been alive for 18 years. But because no one’s done anything, our generation is having to take the lead. I’d have liked to have seen this commitment from the generation before us. But it’s still not too late, and we’re calling on every generation to do what they can. And I hope that the next one doesn’t have to deal with an existential crisis. The next climate strike will be on 15 September and will happen in every city around the world. And we’re calling a national climate demonstration in Bern on 30 September.’

Nora Engler, youngCaritas: socially relevant
‘youngCaritas brings together people from a range of different backgrounds. We learn a lot from one another by tackling key social issues. It’s rewarding and motivating working with so many young people who are passionate about what we are doing. I volunteered as a student and always enjoyed working with other people for an important cause.’

Cyrill Hermann, Klimastreik: making a difference
‘The Climate Strike movement is very accessible. And I can make a difference. Traditional NGOs have hierarchies and their set-up means they’re very slow-moving. We see that when we work with them. And they’re willing to compromise. We’re critical of that because when it comes to our future, there’s no room for compromise – the physics shaping that future simply doesn’t allow it. If we want a worthwhile future for everyone, we need climate justice and net zero by 2030.’
