Community Service Volunteers (CSV) was founded in 1962 by Mora and Alec Dickson who also founded Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO).

The aim of our founders was to involve young people aged 16-35 in voluntary service in the UK, to enrich the lives of volunteers and those they help and to generate social change.

40 years on we are the UK’s largest volunteering and training charity.

Last year we involved nearly quarter of a million people in volunteering in the UK, we trained 12,000 disadvantaged young people and helped 29,000 people to find learning opportunities through our links with BBC local radio.

True to our founders’ vision, full-time volunteering remains a core focus of our work. Last year, 971 young people volunteered away from home for 4 months to a year, transforming their lives and the lives of others.

Above all, the philosophy upon which CSV was founded still guides us today. We believe that everyone should be able to take part in the life of their community.

CSV is a charity no: 291222 and a registered company no: 1435877.