Total Exposure: Can Volunteering on ‘Real World’ Issues Influence Political Engagement among Young People?

Political engagement amongst young people has been lower than other voting groups for several decades. In the United Kingdom, since 2010, the 18 - 24 age group has received considerable scrutiny in the wake a major political decisions and election outcomes. Historically the public good of higher education was considered to not only supply a well-educated workforce for the country but to create well-rounded and civically-engaged individuals that would benefit society. Since the United Kingdom Government’s introduction of full tuition fees in 2012, questions have been raised about the purpose of universities, with an increased focus on economic and employability outcomes for graduates. The issue of refugee and migrants could be considered an emotive issue and the great modern political crisis. Immigration was a trigger for many of those who voted to leave the EU. President Trump’s wall-building rhetoric to keep migrants out played, and continues to play, a role in his presidency. In light of low political engagement among young people, the government’s Electoral Commission has encouraged universities to seek new ways to encourage more young people to vote. Volunteering, which is offered in some form by most UK universities, is recognised through various studies as a way of building social capital and creating civic engagement. This research presents a case study of whether a programme of focussed volunteering for university students can better enhance participants’ political awareness by exposing them to people directly affected by political policies, in this case refugees and migrant communities. This research seeks to identify whether participation with refugee and migrant communities can lead to increased political engagement, likelihood to vote or future activism. This research will also be contrasted against young people who have volunteered on projects that could be considered ‘less-emotive’ like park clean-ups or helping out at events. The research would seek to inform whether volunteering influences political engagement and what impact the type of volunteering undertaken may have.