RVA Youth
Bridging the gap between young people and volunteers in Reading
The Challenge
RVA (Reading Voluntary Action) helps organisations thrive by matching volunteers to opportunities to benefit the community.
RVA wanted to launch a new initiative titled RVA Youth which seeks to become the brand for young volunteering in Reading. The aim is making volunteering accessible to more young people and breaking down the barriers some face when getting involved. The young people who often struggle grow their soft employability skills, whilst also bringing enthusiasm to work on projects they are passionate about.
The Process
We undertook a detailed look into all key stakeholders, including the young volunteers, RVA staff and organisations looking for volunteers. A brand was created that would suit the needs of all who would interface with the charity, and user testing was carried out throughout the project, including naming, concept, branding and website design.
Branding
Green
Grey
Storm
Cubano
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Casper
Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz
Wireframes
The Solution
Skills Improvement
At the start of the volunteering project, volunteers take part in a skills placement. Skills are rated on a scale of one to ten, and any skills they have set as four or below will be flagged as areas to improve so their mentor will be able to help them with their personal growth. Participants then retake the skills placement once the project has ended to see how they have improved and where.
The Dashboard
The new website contained a dashboard for the young volunteers to match with opportunities matching their passions and soft skills they want to gain including presentation, group working and self confidence. The volunteers are paired with an RVA Youth supervisor throughout who ensures the young person feels supported, and they can communicate with each other through the dashboard. A project log is also present showing how much progress the young person has made, journal entries and badges earned.
