Evidence from our young people's programmes shows that youth volunteering leads to increased skills, confidence and employment. Volunteers and 'buddies' already provide invaluable support to the Challenge in many authorities, enriching the offer to children and creating capacity for additional events and activities. Involving young volunteers has a positive impact on younger children's attitudes to reading. In 2009, 55 library services engaged volunteers to support the Challenge, over 500 of which were aged 16 to 25. Local authority requirements to provide volunteer experiences give you the opportunity to demonstrate your contribution to National Indicator 6. Volunteering is also a key element of the national Library Offer for young people.

MLA will be running generic volunteer seminars about community volunteering for the 2012 Olympics over the summer, which will complement the training and development of Challenge volunteering. Training for the Challenge project will take place in February/March.