History
v was launched in May 2006 as a result of recommendations by The Russell Commission.
Established in May 2004 by the then Home Secretary, David Blunkett, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, The Russell Commission set out to develop a new national framework for youth action and engagement.
Headed by Ian Russell, the CEO of Scottish Power, the Commission aimed to deliver a step change in the diversity, quality and quantity of volunteering opportunities available to young people aged 16 to 25 in the UK. With help from its youth advisory board, the YABsters, the Commission engaged a wide range of stakeholders including young people, the voluntary sector, business and the media, receiving over 700 responses from voluntary and community sector organisations, and a further 6,000 responses from young people.
The Commission’s headline recommendation was the creation of a dedicated implementation body, to take the lead in delivering the new framework in England – which was launched as v in May 2006.
v (a company limited by guarantee with charitable status) brings together young people, business, the voluntary and community sector and government in a shared purpose, to make volunteering a valued part of young people’s lives. Within the first five years of the national framework, there should be a significant expansion in the number of short-term, part-time and full-time volunteering opportunities.
The Commission also recommended that young people continue to be central to the development of the new youth volunteering framework, helping with the design and implementation of volunteering opportunities.
