Time constraints are the main reason why a third of young people aged between 13 and 30 do not form part of a voluntary organisation, a study has shown.

Some 86 per cent of students not involved in a voluntary organisation said they did not have time.

“This time issue is worrying. Many young people showed they were willing to give more time to voluntary work but do not have the time, especially those who are studying and doing some form of job, which is the reality today,” said Andrew Azzopardi, the author of the study The Participation of Maltese Young People in the Voluntary Sector.

The study was commissioned by the Parliamentary Secretary for Youth, Clyde Puli, and the Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations, Kenneth Wain, to unearth the level of participation of young people in the voluntary sector.

Dr Azzopardi, a lecturer at the University of Malta’s Department of Youth and Community Studies, said that, overall, the participation of young people in the voluntary sector was positive.

However, he cautioned, it was important to keep encouraging young people to take part in the sector through education and information.

The study showed that the 65 per cent of students who participated in voluntary organisations did so because they enjoyed the activity, had friends in the organisation or wanted to make new friends.

The study also highlighted “a worrying statistic 80 per cent of young people did not participate in EU programmes. Most blamed it on lack of free time and complicated application processes.

Interviews with policymakers showed that many young people were highly engaged in their relationships, studies and part-time jobs. They observed: “Young people today have been poorly socialised into giving time. People with an overwhelmingly high work ethic usually prioritise economically rewarding activities over voluntary work.”

The interviews also highlighted the need to expose people to voluntary work from a young age and the role of professional youth workers in encouraging youngsters to participate in the rewarding activity.

A youth worker highlighted the need for voluntary organisations to adapt to young people’s needs.

“They (voluntary organisations) demand a level of physical presence from their members and a formal level of involvement and affiliation.

“This is not always possible for young people because most of their time is already taken up with other activities such as school and activities organised for them by adults,” the unnamed youth worker quoted in the study said.