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International
Year
of Volunteers
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The current International
Year of Volunteers has one overarching aim: to bring about widespread recognition
of the millions of people around the globe who, through voluntary acts, play a significant
role in fostering social cohesion within communities. They are bringing light into
a troubled world. The problem is that this light has been hidden under a bushel for
far too long. Governments are encouraged to endorse pro-volunteer policies and see
volunteerism for what it is worth—an important chunk of what we now refer to as “social
capital.”
There are strong arguments for taking a closer look at the impact of volunteer work.
In recent decades, we have witnessed how war and civil strife in scores of countries
have driven families from their homes. Displaced people and refugees have lost their
bearings and must start anew with neighbours who may or may not share their cultural
tradition and values. Voluntary efforts by the victims of conflict, often supported
by volunteers outside the affected communities, are a critical factor in helping
to reinvent social cohesion in new settlements. Conflict is not the only cause for
a breakdown in social cohesion. Migrant groups flooding urban areas in many developing
countries have a similar effect. In every case, we need to tap into the volunteer
potential and extend our effectiveness in fostering social cohesion.
Over the years, we have shifted from seeing volunteerism uniquely as a one-way, North-South
street. We are learning to combine the strengths of domestic and international volunteers
of all nationalities, sharing skills for the betterment of communities. Volunteers
work in service functions within organizations, but also informally and spontaneously.
For far too long, we have neglected the contributions of mutual aid groups looking
out for the interests of neighbours. Their efforts are recorded in invisible ink.
Through survey research at the national level, we can gain a better appreciation
of their achievements and suggest how governments, the UN system and other external
actors can promote a positive environment for volunteerism to flourish at the local
level.
Another broadening avenue is corporate volunteering. Employees are given time off
to volunteer in their communities, or to take off a few weeks to assist people in
another part of the world and, at the same time, broaden their own experience. Although
it is starting to pick up speed, the private sector can take corporate volunteering
much further. It is more than good PR—it builds a stronger, more enlightened and
cohesive work force. We are also encouraged to see the new waves of volunteers—working
from home or office computers—who donate time to organizations worldwide through
the UNV-powered online volunteer service (http://app.netaid.org/OV). These gifted homemakers,
students, professors and employees make the most of their time, for the benefit of
others.
A word of caution: as volunteers of good will, we must counter negative impulses
in our societies and shed light on the activities of racists and extremists, who,
in the name of cohesion, wage violent hate campaigns.
Now is our time to build networks globally to facilitate and promote volunteer action.
This is what IYV 2001 is all about, and close to 15,000 individual volunteers and
organizations have already registered their support for this occasion. We are talking
about an expanding constituency of volunteers. They want to be heard, to be understood
for what they accomplish, and taken seriously for the tremendous contributions they
make to society. |
