The Liiveri youth division meets regularly to decide on project applications concerning young people, among other things.
Most associations struggle with the same problem: how to get young people involved. The new generation brings energy, ideas and fresh perspectives to the association, but finding them is not possible with the old ways. We have put together some tips on how to get young people excited.
- Make it easy to join. The lower you can get the threshold, the better. Make sure that your association can be found online and the information is up-to-date. Highlight a variety of ways to participate in the activities. Talk about your association openly and with your own face. It should be as easy as possible to get to know the activities without having to contact them.
- Don't demand too much. Association activities should not feel like a burden, and nowadays people don't necessarily want to commit to volunteering for a long time. Offer young people free ways to try out and participate in the association's activities in a pop-up style.
- More action. How many people want to sacrifice their valuable free time by sitting in meetings? The best way to get young people involved is to organize activities that are the idea of the young people themselves.
- Be agile. If you get ideas from young people, act quickly. Impatience is not due to age, as next fall an enthusiastic young person may already be studying elsewhere.
- Give me power. Motivation increases when young people can really influence the affairs of the association. Giving up power may be scary, but it's worth it. By giving power, you show that you value young people and their opinions.
- Establish a youth division. Or better yet: establish a committee for new ideas. This way, young people can have an impact and feel involved in developing the association's activities. Youth have a built-in ability to question what is valuable in terms of renewing activities.
- Reward recruitment. Find a way to reward young people if they inspire new people to join. The incentive doesn't have to be big, but its existence sends a clear message. Make recruitment as easy as possible by summarizing the benefits of membership in a few French lines.
- Familiarize yourself properly. Association activities also have to compete for people's free time. Once a young person has shown interest, it is worth taking proper care of the follow-up. Think about how you will introduce new members. Introduce people to each other and, if necessary, appoint a support person for each.
- Forget the jargon. Nothing repels young people more effectively than boring communication. No one is interested in your association’s meetings, strategies and reports. Instead, tell inspiring stories about why your association exists and what you are doing. A message that goes from young people to young people works especially well. And remember, let young people convey the message in their own style.
- Social media visibility in order. An active presence on social media increases the likelihood that potential young people will hear about you. It also significantly improves the transparency of your activities. Make sure that the association's events can be found on social media. For example, information about interesting events spreads quickly through Facebook. However, it is worth noting that Facebook does not reach very young people. Instagram, Snapchat and Youtube may work better among those under 18.
Some may still argue that young people and volunteering are an impossible equation. However, this is not true. In reality, young Finns give the reason for their non-participation as being that they have not thought about the whole thing. Only one in a hundred is not interested in volunteering at all! This is a very good thing from a recruitment perspective. The core question is how to make young people notice the many forms of volunteering? It is worth considering this at the next association meeting.
Sources: Finnish Home Regions Association & civil society.fi