Jake’s remarkable journey as a prolific teen volunteer

17-year-old Jake is surely one of the country’s busiest teenage volunteers. 

With an array of volunteering experiences already on his CV, Jake, from Gateshead, has now turned his attention to a campaign that he has co-founded called the All Boys Campaign.

Jake’s volunteering journey began in 2016 with St. John Ambulance, where he regularly provides first-aid at events and is Chair of their North Regional Youth Forum. He’s also a young ambassador for Gateshead Council, where he represents the voice of young people, and also selflessly volunteers for the NHS in palliative care.

In the summer of 2021, Jake added NCS (National Citizen Service) to his list of achievements, where he was able to give back to his local community. The experience then led him to being invited to volunteer at the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant celebrations. His role at the event involved ensuring VIP guests were catered for. 

Speaking about his time volunteering at the Pageant, Jake said: “I don’t think we’ll experience a platinum jubilee again so experiencing it first hand, having the chance to be a part of the day and meeting people who I wouldn’t usually speak to, were by far the most exciting elements.  It was a chance to be part of history”

Outside of his volunteering commitments, Jake attends Newcastle College where he is studying law, criminology and policing and also has time to fit in a part-time job.

Commenting on his volunteering exploits, Jake said: “Since I began my volunteering career in 2016 with St. John Ambulance, new opportunities have continued to come my way. Volunteering has given me an insight into a whole new world, it’s opened my eyes to different cultures and religions and a whole new perspective whilst also gaining valuable and much needed real world experience.”

After lending his time to so many different causes, Jake has recently co-founded an initiative, called the All Boys Campaign. After meeting another Platinum Jubilee volunteer, Jacob, the duo launched the scheme that focuses on peer-to-peer sexual abuse in schools, colleges and youth organisations. Their aim is to encourage young males to become part of the solution in combating the issue and empower them to help make a change.

“We are very much hopeful that the campaign will take off across the country,” he said.  Jake and Jacob even had the opportunity to meet with Penny Mordaunt MP and discuss their plans for the project.

Jake added: “If you have the option to do NCS, take it. NCS provides you with the opportunity to meet new people, take part in fun activities and can lead to even more great experiences.”