VIY Review Launch: Our First Ten Years

8 December 2021 | All News

We’re delighted to be marking 10 years of Volunteer It Yourself with the release of a review celebrating our first decade as an organisation – VIY: Our First Ten Years. This coincides with another milestone, awarding our 5,000th City & Guilds Entry Level 3 construction skills accreditation to the young people who volunteer with us.

Since 2011 (and our first project at John Corfield Community Centre, Streatham, pictured above), we have worked with over 12,000 young people, principally those disengaged or excluded from mainstream education and training, at risk of disengagement, and/or unemployed, with the aim of upskilling and supporting them to progress back into the workforce, education or training.

At the same time, we have delivered over 600 regeneration projects to transform, and in many cases save and secure, valued community buildings and facilities. In the process, we have also mobilised over 1,000 local professional tradespeople as inspirational trade skills mentors for young people, whilst also underpinning the delivery of the works on each project.

With exciting plans in the pipeline, including the news of our funding through the UK Government’s Community Renewal Fund across three local councils, we’re ready and raring to do even more in 2022 and beyond.

Read our 10 Year Review here