A colleague was recounting this morning how a group of nine-year-olds became verbally and physically aggressive after he politely suggested they stop behaving so badly in the park where he had taken his three-year-old to play.

Reading the papers each day, it would be easy to believe that the days when people were encouraged, in the words of the cub scout promise and law, 'to help other people' and to 'do a good turn every day' are history. However, a report out today from the Evangelical Alliance shows that this is not the case.

The truth is, nearly half of young people aged 14-18 (45 per cent) regularly spend an average of more than three-and-a-half hours a month volunteering in their communities. This amounts to the equivalent of 33,000 full-time workers and, based on the minimum wage, has an estimated economic value of £210 million per year. In addition, 80 per cent of young people donate money to charity, with a total value of approximately £110 million every year.

Interestingly - and contrary to the claims of, for instance, the British Humanist Society, who insist 'that we can live good lives without religious or superstitious beliefs' [it's probably not worth asking what standard they use to determine what measures up as a 'good life'...] and that faith offers nothing to society - the more active young people are as Christians, the more likely they are to volunteer. So, about seven out of ten (69 per cent) of those who attend Christian meetings almost every week are involved in volunteering, compared to just three out of ten atheists (30 per cent) and those who attend Christian meetings less than once a month (29 per cent). Also, almost 40 per cent of all voluntary work carried out by young people takes place through churches or other religious organisations, including 10 per cent of volunteering by non-religious young people.

So, don't be conned by what you read - or see - into thinking all young people are hooligans or hoodies. Community service lives on. Perhaps those who are missing out just need a little more encouragement and a little less demonisation. What are you and others in your church doing to be a positive role-model and to create more opportunities for young people to volunteer with their friends?

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