September 30, 2009
December 2008 - January 2009
NEWS FROM IAVE
• IYV+10…The Countdown Continues…
• Destination Singapore: The 21st IAVE World Volunteer Conference
• From the World President
• The IAVE Board Meets in Korea
• GCVC Members Meet in Seoul
NEWS FROM IAVE MEMBERS
• “Volunteering and Social Activism” Now in Portuguese
• Vale Celebrates V Day in South Africa
• Earth Volunteers in Ghana Mark Their National Volunteer Day
• News from AVS in Hong Kong
NEWS FROM THE GLOBAL VOLUNTEER COMMUNITY
• The Measurement of Volunteer Work
• CCVA Releases New Standards for Effective Management of Volunteers
Happy New Year! We have timed this issue – the last one of 2008 and the first of 2009 to arrive as close to the start of the New Year as possible. We are now only 24 months away from the start of IYV+10, the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the International Year of the Volunteer. As you will see from the articles on the recent meeting of the IAVE board of directors and the announcement of Singapore as the site of the next World Volunteer Conference in January 2011, IAVE is well on its way to preparing for IYV+10. We also are pleased to present an update report on work being done on the measurement of volunteer work from the 18th International Conference of Labor Statisticians.
NEWS FROM IAVE
IYV+10…THE COUNTDOWN CONTINUES
Only 24 months to go! The next article suggests where all of us should be to start IYV+10 in January 2011!
DESTINATION SINGAPORE: THE EXCITING VENUE OF THE 21ST IAVE WORLD VOLUNTEER CONFERENCE!!
[This article was prepared by Tan Chee Koon, member of the IAVE board of directors and chair of the organizing committee for the next World Volunteer Conference.]
In January 2001, the UN-designated International Year of Volunteers got off to a big bang with the 16th IAVE World Volunteer Conference in Amsterdam. That was my first introduction to the wonderful world of volunteering as seen through the eyes of IAVE in my new capacity as Singapore’s national representative to IAVE.
It was impressive; it was staggering, the conference programming, the site visits, the social events, the sheer number of delegates, exceeding 1500. That impression has never left me – the impact that a well-organised IAVE world conference has on the lives of all those participants who have a part to play in the increasingly important voluntary sector. Come January 2011, Singapore hopes to similarly impact key players in the global volunteer scene through its hosting of the 21st World Volunteer Conference. This is a significant conference for IAVE in more ways than one.
It will, 10 years later, be the signature event to launch 2011 as the UN-designated International Year of Volunteers +10. It is a time to review the progress made by the worldwide volunteering community especially towards the Millennium Development Goals since 2001, and to determine new approaches.
It also will be the occasion for IAVE to celebrate its 40th anniversary. It is no mean feat for an entirely volunteer-driven international organisation with limited financial resources to not only survive but also stay relevant in a rapidly changing world after all these years. Indeed, it is a time to celebrate as it is a time to reflect. In a world where established economic foundations are being shaken, and governments are struggling to get onto an even financial keel at the same time reckoning with growing ranks of “new poor” in their jurisdiction, the voluntary sector is increasingly being looked to, to stand in the gap.
It is against such a backdrop that the theme chosen for the 21st World Volunteer Conference in Singapore is simply, but powerfully, “Volunteering to Change the World”. Mega concerns call for a sea change in the way volunteer-involving agencies and volunteers the world over address social needs. The conference will seek to identify and present impactful volunteer programmes that have indeed changed the lives of the community in which they operate.
Importantly, it seeks to catalyse new volunteer programmes that seek to do things differently in a strategic way to bring about change, especially through inter-agency partnerships. Maximum impact comes from joining forces especially when volunteer-driven programmes are so limited in resources. Youth delegates will feature prominently in the accompanying youth conference, a signature feature of IAVE conferences.
Targeting 500 local and foreign youth participants, the venue will be the “happening” city campus of the Singapore Management University which will be an organising partner of this component The conference will seek to challenge conventional thinking around volunteer programmes and the way things are run.
All of this is against the backdrop of Singapore, a country which has continually reinvented itself to stay relevant and connected to the world. The face of Singapore in 2011 will be quite different from even today which has already seen this nation-state hosting the first night-time Formula 1 race, to roaring success. By 2011, there will be a magnificent new botanic garden by the bay, new integrated resorts boasting world class entertainment, in addition to a made-over main shopping belt in Orchard Road and existing world class attractions like its Night Safari.
IAVE has a strong organising partner in Singapore, the government-supported National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC). The Singapore government is strongly committed to growing volunteerism through the resources it makes available to the voluntary sector in Singapore and in coming alongside this conference.
Minister for Community Development, Youth & Sports, Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan, in his letter to IAVE, committed the Ministry's full support of NVPC's bid to host the 21st IAVE World Volunteer Conference and to make it a success. He wrote: "We look forward to partnering IAVE once again in a conference to inspire volunteerism both here and globally, in the International Year of Volunteers +10 through the 21st IAVE World Volunteer Conference, to celebrate IAVE's 40th anniversary and to welcome delegates from far and near to Singapore's shores."
The local Steering Committee is chaired by NVPC Board Member Ong Boon Hwee, and the Organising Committee by NVPC’s newly retired CEO Tan Chee Koon who is also on the NVPC Board. The Organising Committee is strongly backed by key volunteer agencies in Singapore like the Singapore Girls’ Brigade, YMCA and Halogen Foundation, in addition to key government bodies like the Singapore Tourism Board.
Watch out for more exciting news in e-IAVE as we go along, including the choice of venue, and keep those dates free, January 17-21 2011. It will be a fascinating time to be visiting Singapore with Chinese New Year festivities just around the corner. The organisers welcome feedback and suggestions on how to make this 21st IAVE World Volunteer Conference an event to remember. You can contact kenny@nvpc.org.sg with your comments, and make a date with Singapore, January 2011.
Please accept my best wishes for a health, happy and prosperous New Year. I look forward to working with the entire IAVE network as we continue our shared effort to promote, strengthen and celebrate volunteering worldwide!
• International Volunteer Day
Hundreds of volunteers and volunteer managers all around Korea gathered to celebrate the 2008 International Volunteer Day on December 5. The event, organized by the Korea Council of Volunteering (KCV) and observed by almost all local volunteer centers in Korea, was held in Taean which was damaged by the huge oil spill in Dec. 2007 and then became a small town where the miracle of the clean-up by volunteers happened.
At the event, volunteers who have contributed their energy and talent to their communities were honored. Mr. Nam-Soo Kim, who helped people in need by offering Korean traditional medical treatment throughout his life was highly recognized and awarded the most meaningful prize which is given by the Korean people. Mrs. Hyun-Ok Kim, the President of Seoul Volunteer Center, was also honored for her outstanding leadership in introducing the volunteer center model.
At the end of the event, participants enjoyed performances which included a concert by a university student rock band who composed a song titled “Together” to promote volunteering. The song will be engraved in people’s mind and will help to improve the image and awareness of volunteering. Han Seung-soo, the prime minister of Korea, also attended the event and celebrating the IVD by emphasizing the importance of volunteers.
As the organizer of the event and the President of IAVE, I tried to help volunteers in Korea to have deeper understanding on IVD. I also encouraged volunteers and volunteering related organizations to use IAVE’s Red V logo as a symbol of volunteering. The history and meaning of the Red V logo were introduced at the event as well as many other Red V items such as t-shirts and book markers. In many aspects, the IVD event truly encouraged volunteers regardless of the field of volunteering by giving motivations and impressions.
• Research on the Current State of Volunteering in Korea
On December 9, a seminar was held in Seoul to share the result of research on the current state of volunteering in Korea. The research, sponsored by the Ministry of Public Administration and Security of Korea, was conducted by Volunteer21. As a principle investigator of the research, I took part in the seminar and facilitated the discussion.
According to the research, although the participation rate of adults in volunteering in Korea has been stalled since 2005 at 20 %, the average hours volunteered has increased by 70 % to 1.7 hr/week from 1 hr/week. Also, the research shows that the motivations of the volunteers are now more diversified and individualized than before. The volunteers are seeking to volunteer for mutually beneficial activities.
I believe these features in volunteering in Korea coincide with global trends. This should serve as inspiration not only to me but to all members to work even harder to promote and strengthen volunteering worldwide.
• A Visiting IAVE Member
I met Dr. Eugen Baldas from Caritas Germany, the Catholic Church’s Welfare Association, on December 6. Dr. Baldas, who visited Korea to give a lecture on volunteer management at Hanlim University, is a member of IAVE and the director of community engagement department of Caritas Germany. Dr. Baldas and I discussed how to improve partnership between IAVE and Caritas and committed ourselves to future cooperation.
• Farewell to U Bin Lee, My Assistant
Five months with U Bin Lee has flown by quickly. She began working with me in July of this year and will end her time with us at the end of this year. She was very helpful in organizing the 2008 IAVE board meeting in Changwon, Korea. She is planning to go a graduate school. Expressing her interests in youth volunteering, she says that she will actively participate in the IAVE activities as well as volunteering. Although she still can be reached by email at shinebin@gmail.com even after her resignation, we are going to miss her a lot. Dr. Kang-Hyun Lee iavepres@korea.com
On November 16-18, the IAVE board of directors gathered at Changwon City in Gyeongsangnam-do Province, Korea. Taking the unusual step of meeting twice in one year, the board felt it necessary to maintain the momentum created at the last IAVE World Volunteer Conference in April and finalize action plans for the tenth anniversary of the UN International Year of Volunteers (IYV+10) in 2011.
The meeting was also an opportunity to welcome new participants, celebrate success, and above all have the pleasure of meeting and working together. The board agreed on a new membership strategy and moved forward on plans to redevelop the IAVE website. Each board member had the chance to present a report on their work for IAVE since the last meeting.
IAVE’s offices around the world, including the International Resources Center (IRC), the Global Corporate Volunteer Council (G-CVC), the Youth Office in Catalonia (IYOC) and the membership office, announced some exciting developments for the future. Partnerships with other organizations were revisited and explored, and the board looked at ways to improve the governance of IAVE and make it more accountable to its members.
The board was confident to see work is well in hand for upcoming regional conferences in Kaohsiung in 2009 and Gyeongsangnam-do in 2011, and the next IAVE World Volunteer Conference in Singapore in 2011. Plans for a youth conference in 2011 were also discussed.
As at every board meeting, there were greetings and goodbyes. Representative for international organizations Amanda Bowman and youth representative Yumiko Mase were welcomed to their first board meeting. Special thanks were given to immediate past president Liz Burns, who was attending her last board meeting.
Many thanks must go to the sponsors of the meeting, Gyeongsangnam-do Province, who also arranged a tour of the local area, including a visit to the small city of Tongyeong to learn about volunteering at its International Music Festival, and a dinner hosted by the Doosan company.
G-CVC MEMBERS MEETS IN SEOUL
[This article comes to us from Sarah Hayes, IAVE consultant responsible for GCVC.]
On November 20, following the IAVE Board Meeting in Changwon, South Korea, a meeting of members of the Global Corporate Volunteer Council was held in Seoul. The luncheon meeting was generously hosted by the JW Marriott in downtown Seoul. Marriott Hotels International Ltd is a member of the G-CVC, and a great deal of thanks goes out to the team at this beautiful property for their kindness, and especially to Julie Lee who worked hard to make the occasion a memorable one. Not only was the meeting a great opportunity for networking amongst members, but the lunch also was absolutely delicious!
Attendees from G-CVC companies included Claudia McNamee (also IAVE Board Member) and Yong-shik Lee from Citi, Mihyun Cho from SK Telecom, Namgon Kim from Samsung, Eunice Kim and Sun Kyung Park from Lilly, Jae-Min Shin from Hyundai-Kia and – in addition to Julie Lee – Jin Jung and Robert Stark (General Manager) from the JW Marriott. Thanks also to Shannon Kim of Events Management at the Marriott, who helped with the arrangements. Also attending the luncheon was IAVE President Dr. Kang Hyun Lee and his assistant You Bin Lee, and Theresa Oh from Volunteer 21.
Sarah Hayes, Consultant and Director of the G-CVC led the meeting, with assistance from Claudia McNamee. Dr. Lee expressed his gratitude for the commitment of G-CVC companies to IAVE and its mission to support, promote and celebrate volunteerism worldwide. Claudia spoke further about IAVE and its unique place in the world of volunteerism and community engagement, and Sarah spoke to the specific goals of the G-CVC, including raising awareness of the great work companies are doing to alleviate serious world issues through the energy and passion of their greatest asset – their employees. G-CVC company representatives also had the opportunity to talk about their current efforts, especially in Korea.
The difficult economic times were also addressed, as most companies are being asked to do more with less. Employee volunteer programs are often the most efficient way to address community needs while helping with company morale during difficult times. Collaboration between G-CVC companies was also discussed, as an important way to do more by doing together. Thanks to all participants, and especially the JW Marriott, for an informative and inspirational meeting. We look forward to many more such meetings in the future – not only in Asia Pacific, but in all regions of the world where G-CVC companies operate and do business.
NEWS FROM IAVE MEMBERS
“VOLUNTEERING AND SOCIAL ACTIVISM” NOW IN PORTUGUESE
Thanks to the efforts of the global retail company C&A, “Volunteering and Social Activism: Pathways for Participation in Human Development is now available in Portuguese at http://www.iave.org/ResourceView.asp?resourceID=454. IAVE member Monica Galiano, global consultant on corporate volunteering based in Brazil, reports that C&A found the publication “an excellent contribution to the field” and want to ensure that “all Portuguese speaking volunteers around the world can benefit from those important findings and concepts.” “Volunteering and Social Activism: Pathways for Participation in Human Development” is a joint publication of IAVE, CIVICUS and United Nations Volunteers.
It can be found in English at http://www.iave.org/resources/Volunteering%20and%20Social%20Activism.pdf. Thanks to Monica and to C&A for this wonderful contribution!
VALE CELEBRATES V DAY IN SOUTH AFRICA
[Volunteers from Vale, a founding member of IAVE’s Global Corporate Volunteer Council, celebrated its annual V Day, day of service, in South Africa for the first time. Thanks to Monica Galiano for this first-person report from Vale in Sandton, South Africa.] Our V Day was a great experience to our Volunteers where they had a chance of spending time with needy children. The day was filled with fun activities such as performance of traditional Zulu dance, Gumboot dance and a drums performance. Volunteers also performed activities with the children – skipping rope, skipping elastic, dancing chairs, puppet shows – and all assisted in feeding the children during Lunch time. Sizanani children were very excited in having such a day. Volunteers also offered to the children a Special V packet, made from recyclable material to support sustainability, which contained juice, fresh fruit, candy and a toy. We had an attendance of 38 volunteers. Volunteers definitely made difference in these children’s lives; each smile; each hug; each gesture of love was indeed priceless to all our Volunteers. What an experience. Children loved being part of our special group of Volunteers; they loved our activities as well. Volunteers managed to assist 372 children on our V Day. For a first V Day everything was better than expected starting from the enthusiasm of our Volunteers; all Volunteers are now looking forward to upcoming activities in 2009 and this V Day was indeed a wise seed of Volunteer Work planted among our Volunteers. Yet again this was a great starting point and also was a point where all Volunteers once again assured their dedication to future projects. Children at Sizanani also gave a retribution of the love and dedication our Volunteers offered to them at the V Day.”
EARTH VOLUNTEERS IN GHANA MARK THEIR NATIONAL VOLUNTEER DAY
[This report comes to us from Earth Volunteers, an IAVE member in Ghana. They can be reached at earthvolu@yahoo.com.]
A 12 member team of Earth volunteers organized a day clean up exercise at Madina Police barracks and its surroundings specifically to clean up the choked gutters and stagnant waters. This exercise was organized to mark the national voluntary day. Due to numerous human activities, it has led to indiscriminately disposal of refuse and other materials into the main gutters which serve as a drainage basin. .As a result the gutters got choked which is now serving as the breeding grounds of mosquitoes and flies leading to malaria and cholera. Challenged by the aim of eradicating environmental pollution, we saw the spot as a potential relaxation area. We decided to desilt the gutters to allow free flow of water so as to prevent stagnant waters breeding mosquitoes and flies causing Malaria and Cholera. Participants were armed with the digging and paving way for the stagnant water to flow. Work started as early as 7:30 am, we took a thirty-minute snack break after two and half hours and continued till 12:00 noon. Garbage was collected and buried in a 4 feet depth. Both the young and the old came in their numbers to support the clean-up. they really worked to the satisfaction of the community. The gutters looked clean with the flow of stagnant waters easily, no refuse found again in the surroundings, it really looked nice. As the saying goes ‘’Cleanliness is next to Godliness’’.
NEWS FROM AVS IN HONG KONG
[This article comes to us from Flora Chung, Chief Executive Officer of the Agency for Volunteer Service, IAVE’s National Representative for Hong Kong. Congratulations to AVS on this distinctive recognition!]
The Agency for Volunteer Service (AVS) in Hong Kong is rejoicing in the honor of its Board of Directors winning the Directors of the Year Awards in the category of Statutory / Non-profit-distributing Organization Boards recently. The Award, organized by The Hong Kong Institute of Directors, is an annual event to promote good corporate governance, to recognize directors and board of directors for their outstanding director practices and corporate governance.
The AVS Board was cited by the Panel of Judges as having “established a well-defined governance structure to delegate its responsibilities effectively”, and consisting of “capable individuals with diversifies skills who are able to provide strong leadership and visionary guidance in strategic planning, fund raising and taking new initiatives for the advancement of AVS.” This Award is a remarkable recognition and unique source of encouragement for the AVS Board to pursue excellence in delivering visionary leadership and accountability.
The 4Ps – Proactive, Professional, Passionate and Performing will continue to be its icons to further promote sustainable volunteerism in building a caring community. And Other News… We have launched the We Share to Care Volunteering Campaign and a Volunteer Recognition Ceremony to celebrate IVD, published newspaper supplements and ads to pay salute to volunteers. Over 200 organizations and 10,000 volunteers joined us in the campaign.
As the host of the Volunteer Programme of 2009 East Asia Games Volunteer programme, we have been busy with the volunteer recruitment and screening since May this year. Volunteer training is to commence this month. Due to the limited budget and tremendous high demand of the programme, our AVS team is working very hard for achieving a successful Games.
FROM THE GLOBAL VOLUNTEER COMMUNITY
THE MEASUREMENT OF VOLUNTEER WORK
[This report comes to us from Dr. Lester M. Salamon, with the assistance of Adriana Mata-Greenwood, at the Center for Civil Society Studies, Institute for Policy Studies, Johns Hopkins University.]
A Working Group on the Measurement of Volunteer Work was authorized by the 18th International Conference of Labor Statisticians to consider the possible measurement of volunteer work through regular labor surveys or other survey methodologies. The Working Group met on Friday, November 28, 2008, and was chaired by Yandiswa Mpetsmeni from Statistics South Africa.
In attendance were approximately 100 statistical officials and business and labor representatives as well as staff of the ILO. Also attending were Dr. Lester M. Salamon of the Johns Hopkins University Center for Civil Society Studies and Ms. Mae Chao of United Nations Volunteers.
The Working Group had available to it a draft Manual on the Measurement of Volunteer Work prepared at the invitation of the ILO Bureau of Statistics by the Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies in cooperation with a Technical Experts Group convened by ILO. This report summarizes the major issues explored by this Working Group and the central conclusions the Working Group reached.
The Importance of Measuring Volunteer Work
The Working Group began its deliberations with a presentation by Ms. Adriana Mata-Greenwood of the ILO on the importance of volunteer work. Ms. Greenwood pointed out that volunteer work is enormous in scale, essential to the welfare of nations, a source of great social contributions, yet largely overlooked in regular economic statistics.
Ms. Mae Chou of the United Nations Volunteers, reinforced this message, pointing out that better data on volunteering was crucial for encouraging supportive policies towards it, and praising the International Labour Organization for creating, through the consideration of this Manual on the Measurement of Volunteer Work at this International Conference of Labor Statisticians, a “milestone in the international recognition of the importance of volunteer work.”
Delegates to the Working Group were in overwhelming agreement about the importance of measuring volunteer work. The delegate from Indonesia pointed to the enormous contribution volunteers made to disaster work in that country; Senegal emphasized the role of volunteers in rural education; Portugal indicated that it had already begun to measure volunteer work through organizational surveys; Algeria congratulated ILO for putting volunteer work on the agenda of the Conference; New Zealand complimented ILO and the Johns Hopkins Center for bringing this topic forward, emphasizing that labor statisticians need to measure all aspects of labor, and volunteering is clearly one of them; and similar sentiments were echoed by Croatia, Italy, Israel, Lebanon, South Africa, Vietnam, Slovenia, Mali, Canada.
CCVA RELEASES NEW STANDARDS FOR EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT OF VOLUNTEERS
The Council for Certification in Volunteer Administration (CCVA) released a new “Body of Knowledge for Volunteer Administration” at the Independent Sector conference in Philadelphia. This document outlines specific performance expectations for competent leadership of volunteer involvement, based on the following five core competencies:
• Ethics: The ability to act in accordance with professional principles.
• Organizational Management: The ability to design and implement policies, process and structure to align volunteer involvement with the mission and vision of the organization.
• Human Resource Management: The ability to successfully engage, train and support volunteers in a systematic and intentional way.
• Accountability: The ability to collect relevant data and to engage in meaningful monitoring, evaluation and reporting to stakeholders.
• Leadership and Advocacy: The ability to advance individual, organizational and community goals, advocating for effective volunteer involvement inside the organization and in the community it serves.
The CCVA Body of Knowledge was developed by a task force of practitioners with experience in mobilizing and managing volunteers, and validated by a Job Analysis Survey of the field. It provides a valuable resource for nonprofit executives who are concerned about ethics, accountability and risk management related to volunteer engagement in their organizations.
A companion Self-Assessment offers a professional development tool for individual leaders of volunteers to identify their own level of knowledge and skill within the five competencies. “This recent work adds another level of credibility to those who work in the field of volunteer administration,” said Katherine Campbell, CCVA’s executive director. “Skilled and competent leadership based on the CCVA Body of Knowledge ensures that results and impact are achieved, and that the spirit of volunteering is sustained.” The Council for Certification in Volunteer Administration advances the profession and practice of volunteer resource management by certifying individuals who demonstrate knowledge and competence in the leadership of volunteers and by advancing standards of ethical practice.
Candidates demonstrate their mastery of the knowledge required of practitioners in this field as measured through an exam and peer assessment process. The CVA (Certified in Volunteer Administration) credential is the only international professional certification in the field of volunteer resources management. The program has continued uninterrupted since the early 1980’s, growing steadily in visibility and credibility.
In 2008 there were a record number of candidates, and several major national and international capacity-building organizations in the field have signed on as supporters of the CVA credential. Registration for the 2009 cycle is now open. For a copy of the complete CCVA Body of Knowledge in Volunteer Administration, the Self-Assessment Tool, and details on how to become Certified in Volunteer Administration, visit www.cvacert.org or contact CCVA at ccva@comcast.net or 804-794-8689. To get started, visit the CCVA web site at www.cvacert.org to read testimonials from recent CVAs and print a copy of the 2009 Candidate Handbook and registration form. Specific questions can be directed to CCVA at 804-794-8689 or ccva@comcast.net
“I cannot begin to tell you how proud I am to have this credential! Truly for me this was probably the single most important exercise that has helped me to really value what I do as a volunteer administrator and really commit to the profession.“
Anne Breakey Hart, CVA – Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON Canada
“Completing the CVA has given me the confidence needed to challenge myself to continue in my chosen career path.”
Lora Alberto, CVA – Mill Creek Restoration Project, Cincinnati, OH USA
“Receiving my CVA was a great experience. Having someone else acknowledge me as a volunteer management professional is fantastic. But interestingly enough, it ended up being less about recognition from the outside and more about a genuine, internal understanding that I really do know what I am doing. It was my “a-ha” moment!”
Rob Buckel, CVA – Beacon Hospice, Inc., Boston, MA USA
