Volunteering for Change
Launched in September 2025, Volunteering for Change provides young people with opportunities to develop themselves while making a positive contribution to their community.
The programme brings together volunteering, mentoring, personal development and practical experience, helping young people recognise what they are capable of and develop skills that can support their next steps in life, education, training or employment.
Are you aged 16 or above and want to make a difference?
Volunteering for Change is a structured personal development and volunteering programme for young people aged 16 or above, delivered by FNB Mentoring and Coaching CIC, Forwards Not Backwards. It supports young people to build confidence, practical skills and a clearer sense of direction through a 10 to 15 week journey that blends supported community volunteering with one to one and group mentoring, work readiness workshops and reflective sessions.
Participants strengthen their communication, teamwork, leadership, timekeeping, problem solving and professional behaviour, while gaining accreditation or certificates that add weight to CVs, job applications and interviews. The programme is inclusive and trauma aware, and works particularly well for young people who may lack confidence, feel disengaged from education or employment, or simply need steady encouragement and hands on experience to move forward.
Through the programme, young people have opportunities to develop
- Confidence and self-belief
- Communication and interpersonal skills
- Teamwork
- Leadership
- Problem-solving
- Responsibility and accountability
- Workplace behaviours
- Community awareness
- Experience that can strengthen future CVs and applications
But Volunteering for Change is about more than employability.
It is about giving young people an opportunity to become contributors to their communities, recognise their own value and see themselves differently.
Creating Change Through Opportunity
By combining trusted mentoring relationships with meaningful opportunities to participate, contribute and learn, we want young people to leave the programme feeling more confident about who they are and what they can achieve.