Helping more young people realise their potential and strengthening voluntary groups and neighbourhoods is the goal of a review launched this week by the Home Secretary, David Blunkett, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown.

The Home Secretary, David Blunkett said: "When young people get actively involved in their neighbourhoods, that brings huge benefits - to the young person, to the local groups they support, and to the wider community."

The Russell Commission has been set up by the Government to look at innovative ways to increase the number of young people volunteering - to enable more young people to benefit from getting involved, and to support voluntary groups and local communities. It is part of the Government's wider programme to promote volunteering right across society, and to encourage active and engaged citizens.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, said: "We need, in this generation, to do more to encourage young volunteers, new volunteers, new kinds of volunteers and in doing so to create new volunteering opportunities, and together encourage networks that match those who can give help to those who need help.

"Despite the wonderful efforts of many great organisations, many still don't know how to volunteer, where to go, who to ask for help. Many don't understand that you can give some of your time without giving all of your time. And many - particularly young people - find formal volunteering complicated and confusing. We need to widen access and remove barriers to volunteering and find innovative ways to involve excluded young people in exciting volunteering opportunities."

Headed by Ian Russell, Chief Executive of ScottishPower, the Commission will work in partnership with voluntary groups and businesses to identify and build on what works in UK volunteering, as well as learning from other countries. The Commission will bring forward a set of proposals to inform the Government's National Youth Volunteering Strategy.

Fiona Mactaggart, Minister for Community Policy, said: "Through volunteering many young people develop a sense of what they can do. And many of them achieve important changes for themselves, for other individuals and the wider community.

"The Russell Commission will provide an opportunity for young people to have their voice heard and their opinions respected and acted upon."

Community participation in England, according to the Home Office, rose by over 1.3 million in 2001 (from 48 per cent of the population - around 18,600,000 people - to 51 per cent of the population in 2003 - just over 20 million people).

The Government's wider programme to boost the voluntary and community sector includes:
- £80 million for the voluntary and community sector Capacity Building Framework to develop infrastructure. The £6.25 million Early Sopend programme was announced in December 2003.
- £5.4 million was announced by Minister for Community Policy Fiona Mactaggart in April 2004 to help voluntary groups get more volunteers on board. This funding is targeted at promoting the involvement of older volunteers, mentoring and befriending and innovative volunteer recruitment such as group volunteering.

Home Office's Active Communities programme Web page