IT'S OFFICIAL: STUDENTS STRUGGLE TO SPARE 13 MINUTES
| Published: 29th February 2008 14:26 |
40% of under-30s spend more time following Amy Winehouse's story than contributing to their community
Almost half of students admit to spending more time on menial tasks such as deleting emails and waiting in queues than doing voluntary work, according to new figures released today by the School Governors' One-Stop Shop (SGOSS).
80% do not volunteer at all; more than half cited ‘no time,' 17% said they would only consider volunteering if encouraged by friends or colleagues and 10% said they did not know which charity to choose.
The research1, commissioned by SGOSS for Student Volunteering Week (February 25 - March 2), compares the average 13 minutes per day required for school governance against other daily chores that take up the same time.
Students' top ten 13-minute ‘time-wasters' are:
- 1. Deleting emails
- 2. Chatting to friends on Facebook
- 3. Waiting for the bus
- 4. Applying make-up
- 5. Queuing
- 6. Waiting for the kettle to boil
- 7. Being on hold on the phone
- 8. Getting updated on Amy, Britney and Kate
- 9. Playing TV games
- 10. Downloading songs to iPods
When asked what they would gain from giving back to the community; the majority of students said an improved network of friends and new and developed skills. A third said improved employability.
Steve Acklam, Chief Executive for SGOSS, comments: "These results show that people really do have the time to make a positive contribution to communities, in particular to children's education. Thirteen minutes a day can make all the difference."
Asked which celebrity personifies a school governor, almost all chose middle-aged males, with Gordon Ramsay, Trevor McDonald and Richard Branson at the top three. Least likely are the women, including mums Victoria Beckham, Myleene Klass and JK Rowling. Steve added: "It is interesting that most people believe being school governor is a role for men. In reality, we have close to a 50/50 gender split."
Of 350,000 governor positions in England, 40,000 (12%) of those are vacant at any one time. Governance is open to anyone over 18 and takes an average 7 hours per month. Current student governors have found the role highly rewarding for both personal and professional development.
Log onto www.sgoss.org.uk/freshfaces for further information or to make an application or call 0207 354 9805.
1NOTE: All survey results from research undertaken by the School Governors' One-Stop Shop (13-minute time-wasters). Total sample size was 104 students. Fieldwork undertaken in February 2008. Participants ranged from 18 to 30 years.
School Govenors One-Stop Shop
