Part of Questions to the Deputy Minister and Chief Whip – in the Senedd at 2:40 pm on 8 October 2019.
Thank you for that. And I just want to give you a quick apology, because actually when I say Carmarthenshire, in fact, this applies throughout the whole of Wales, my question.
We need volunteers for the future. We know our volunteers are dedicated, but they're ageing and there is a real gap coming along stream. So, I just wondered how innovative we could be as a nation, and I wondered what discussions you might have with, for example, the Minister for Education, first of all to encourage volunteering as part of the school programme. Because I think that with the new curriculum we have a real opportunity to perhaps try and slide that in, so that we train young people from a very early age with the whole principle of helping others, going out and finding things that they find of interest to volunteer in. And, secondly, what consideration, if any, has been given to the fact that if you undertake a proper volunteering scheme, that might act as some kind of credit towards your qualifications, your exams, your baccalaureate, like a points-based system, so that you're rewarded and encouraged to go out and volunteer, so it helps you and it helps the organisation or the people you're volunteering for?