Everyone can volunteer in Oxfam shops

You don’t have to be retired and over-50 to volunteer in your local Oxfam shop, says Catherine Lough.

Hannah McLean and Eilidh Stewart, shoppers in Byres Road Oxfam shop, Edinburgh. Oxfam Music Shop, Glasgow.

Charity shops do come under criticism for being the haunt of the over-50s yet, since volunteering at my local Oxfam shop, I don't feel this is always true. The volunteers range from those who have just reached their 14th birthday to women in their nineties, yet such a variety of enthusiasm and experience makes for interesting work. I certainly don't feel that there is a lack of young volunteers - programs like the Duke of Edinburgh or school community service mean that the Oxfam shop is always popular with young would-be volunteers, and there are many teenagers who are so committed to what Oxfam is trying to do that they will freely give up their spare time to help without any extra incentives.

Volunteering is a great chance to learn – we often have heated talks about Fairtrade or combating poverty as we sort through donated clothes. Anyone can use their own particular skills, too – creative types are needed for eye-catching window displays, and those with an interest in fashion can give added insight into what will sell well. It’s also a chance to meet people who you might not normally socialize with - people of different ages, both older and younger than yourself. This can be seen as a criticism but I don't think it is – why discriminate between an interesting person at 15 and an interesting person at 76?

One criticism I have heard levelled at charity shops - that it is more difficult to disagree with - is that volunteering is a privilege. This accusation isn't entirely without merit, as any young person who really needed money would spend their Saturday, not at Oxfam, but at a paid job. Some of my fellow volunteers are so dedicated that their time spent volunteering is during their lunch breaks, but as I am one of the 'privileged few' not yet in paid work, I'm not sure I can judge. However, I think that just a spare half hour of work can be helpful. So, even if your time is precious, if you want to help, do.