Don't wait until they're teenagers: the value of volunteering and social action in the early years

Written by Maddy Mills, Founder and CEO of Family Volunteering Club

“That’s where the cake is baked. Everything else after is just ganache.” I heard someone recently say this phrase, whilst talking about the importance of the early years. And while I don’t think it’s quite that simple (and youth work remains incredibly important) it puts a wonderful emphasis on something we don’t give enough attention to.

If we want children to grow up caring about their communities and feeling able to make a difference, why are we very often waiting until they’re teenagers to get started?

We know that the early and primary school years are formative. They are when children begin to develop the values, attitudes and behaviours that help shape how they see the world and their place within it. Of course, these can evolve throughout life, but if we want children to grow up feeling connected to their communities and confident of the positive difference their voice and actions can make, surely we need to start building those foundations early.

We know that volunteering and social action can have huge benefits at all ages : building confidence, creating a sense of purpose, supporting wellbeing, developing skills and strengthening connections with our communities. And yet, are we doing enough to help children experience those benefits from an early age? Research tells us that if a child volunteers before the age of 10 they are more than twice as likely to volunteer in later life, and if a child is involved in volunteering before the age of 13, the odds of having poor mental health are reduced by around 28%. The research is there - I could go on.

So why isn’t this the norm?

There are a few examples of people working in this space - SuperKind, Scouts (Squirrels and Beavers), Girlguiding (Brownies and Rainbows)... and of course Family Volunteering Club - but it's certainly not mainstream.

Is it because short political cycles favour interventions with more immediate results? Is it because we lack the long-term evidence to demonstrate the impact of starting early? Or is it simply that we haven’t yet made social action and volunteering a natural part of childhood?

I’m not sure exactly why it is to be honest. But I’d love to see that conversation change.

We have an amazing opportunity to make sure social action is part of the recipe from the very beginning: for children to understand right from their very beginnings that their actions - that kindness and helping in the community - are important and (crucially) fun.

It is fantastic to see the emphasis the current Government is placing on enrichment and citizenship in primary schools. The education system certainly has an important role to play. However this can’t all land on schools. If we want social action to become a lifelong habit, we need to make it a normal part of growing up, supported by families, communities, charities and the organisations that work with children. So social action and volunteering becomes as normal and enjoyable for kids as them wanting to climb a tree, go high on the swings or put ketchup on their chips (or gravy if you’re from the north like me).

So what is there to be done?

At FVC, we’re working to bring this conversation together at a national level and get it higher on the political agenda. We properly kicked this work off in November 2025 with our Roundtable in The House of Lords on Childhood and Social Action hosted by Baroness Sater, and have been doing lots of behind the scenes work since, including publishing a report by Dr Ali Body about the impact of our work in Wales, back in July. And there's even more to come on this very soon...

We want to see meaningful social action and volunteering experiences accessible to children right across the UK, from their earliest years onwards. We’re already seeing the difference these opportunities make through our existing programmes at Family Volunteering Club and we want to build on that learning to make them available to many more children.

If we want a generation that feels connected to its communities and confident about making a difference, we need to start investing much earlier and keep investing as they grow.

What do you think? I'd love to hear your views on this and how we can get more children and families across the UK volunteering and helping in their community, as a natural and mainstream part of childhood. Do get in touch! maddy@familyvolunteeringclub.co.uk