The best gigs in life are free

Everyone likes to get something for nothing so it is unsurprising that the Rockcorps cause is hugely popular.

By volunteering just four hours of their time, participants are rewarded with a ticket to one of the most exciting gigs of the year.

Since 2005 massive concerts have been staged in Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta and London, with artists performing including Kanye West, Kelis, Eve, Akon, Korn, Panic! At the Disco, Ludacris and Xzibit.

Volunteers are involved in a variety of projects such as gardening, painting and cleaning which, collectively, greatly improve the local community.

In many cases community centres and schools directly benefit as they are chosen for makeovers or other improvements.

It has been argued that four hours of volunteering is not enough to create a marked impact on society, but I don't believe that this is correct.

Four hours is a sizeable amount of time to dedicate to a good cause, without it seeming too daunting or off-putting, especially considering that volunteers can be as young as 16 years old.

In fact, Rockcorps volunteers are statistically more likely to volunteer again in the future.

80% of volunteers said that they planned to do so in the future and 38% of Rockcorps volunteers actually volunteered just 6-12 months after their Rockcorps experience.

I really like the idea of the audience putting in a few hours' work rather than paying some money

Fyfe Dangerfield, Guillemots

Although the Rockcorps charity is not widely known in Britain (as the first event in England was held in September this year), in America it is extremely well known.

Thousands of young people in America have pledged their time as a result of Rockcorps, with a total of 10,000 volunteers in 2006 and 15,000 volunteers in 2007.

Whilst continued volunteering may be dependent on the quality of the acts performing, it cannot be denied that it is a good experience for teenagers to be a part of, regardless of whether they go on to volunteer further.

Those involved are surely more likely to respect public areas as they will be more aware of the effort that is needed to keep them clean and attractive.

The incentive of being able to attend such an exclusive event should not be underplayed, and neither should the effect of the positive role models who are performing.

Volunteering is being made 'cool' again, which can only be a good thing, and with several more events in their early stages there has never been a better time to get involved.