Volunteering in the 21st century can represent a challenge for host organisations in many ways. Increased interest will inevitably lead to the necessity of rethinking of existing volunteer hosting opportunities, restructuring them,and developing additional programmes. The hosting of young people from secondary school and university requires particularly careful monitoring and attention, but in a well-established structure and with appropriate organisation, this activity can be useful and constructive in terms of building the volunteer spirit of the prospective volunteer. It is a great opportunity that the Youth Communities Network project – nicknamed as "If You" by young people – has brought to life and made available an effective toolkit for reaching out to young people, engaging, motivating, sensitising, accompanying, and retaining volunteers. Becoming a volunteer strengthens roles in the community and increases self-esteem and self-worth. By becoming a Maltese volunteer, young people who work with us also become part of a community that is strong enough to provide a range of other opportunities as they grow up.

Keywords: community building, youth volunteering, equal opportunities, prevention