What We Do
VSU is a registered charity and youth action agency that has been operating in Kent for over 45 years. VSU's mission is to contribute to the education of young people (aged 14-25 years) by involving them in positive, practical and self-determined action in response to real community needs. VSU does this by recruiting young volunteers from schools, colleges and other community-based centres and supporting them in a wide range of volunteer activity, which benefits their local community.
Each year, VSU engages with over 2,500 young people across Kent and Medway. Young people volunteer with VSU in one or more of the following ways:
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Group projects - VSU staff facilitate over 30 after-school and lunchtime group projects including peer mentoring and befriending clubs and clubs for social services referred children, young carers, the elderly and disabled adults
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Individual placements - set up in hospitals, nurseries, primary schools and leisure centres, etc,..
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Volunteering in opportunities brokered by VSU's vinvolved team from partner organisations in the public, private and not-for profit sectors
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Youth Action Teams - focussing on issues identified by the young people themselves, eg: Fairtrade, human rights or environmental issues
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Holiday schemes - including environmental clean-ups, children's outings, redecorating community centres, training residentials, etc,..
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In addition to the above, VSU has several specialist projects focussing on engaging hard to reach young people. These include 2 projects run by Young Refugee and Asylum Seeker Workers and 2 further projects run by Disability Project Workers.
VSU has a team of 21 full and part-time staff, managed from its central office in Sevenoaks and they work from the charity's 4 youth action centres, which are located in Canterbury, Dartford, Maidstone and Tonbridge
Target Audiences
(i) Volunteers
VSU's core activity is recruiting young volunteers and supporting them in a wide range of volunteer activity of benefit to their local community.
VSU is working hard to attract more male volunteers and more volunteers from minority groups, as well as other young people who have not previously been attracted to volunteering.
(ii) Partners/Funding organisations
VSU’s annual budget is funded via a number of agencies including, central and local government, Trusts and Foundations including wearev, Kent County Council Youth Service, The Rank Foundation, KCC Social Services, Children in Need, The Paul Hamlyn Foundation, The Youth Opportunities Fund and Connexions Kent & Medway. We also benefit from support by local Lions and Rotary Clubs and our volunteers fundraise themselves for their own projects and celebration events.
The website is an important channel for communicating general VSU news and information to its audience. It is also an important source of information for the national, regional and local press.
