Let’s talk volunteering: Exploring future issues and trends

Join the Volunteers Stakeholder Group, one of the Major Groups and other Stakeholders (MGoS), to enhance your understanding of global trends in volunteering. This virtual side event will explore some key global research that has been published in the past year, including Forum’s COVID-19 and the Future of Volunteering for Development, IAVE’s Leadership for Volunteering: the COVID-19 Experience; and UNV’s State of the World’s Volunteerism Report 2022: Building Equal and Inclusive Societies.

The conversation will showcase the findings of these strategic reports and consider the issues they jointly highlight, and what this means for the future of volunteering. This virtual side event is being offered in partnership by Forum (International Forum for Volunteering in Development), IAVE (The International Association for Volunteer Effort), UNV (the United Nations Volunteers programme), and VGA (Volunteer Groups Alliance), along with global organisations and networks with a focus on supporting and developing volunteering.

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Organisers

Briefing

This virtual side event will enhance understanding of global trends in volunteering by bringing together some key global research that has been published in 2021, including IAVE’s Leadership for Volunteering: the COVID-19 Experience; Forum’s COVID-19 and the Future of Volunteering for Development; and UNV’s State of the World’s Volunteerism Report 2022: Building Equal and Inclusive Societies. Showcasing the findings within these strategic reports and considering the issues they jointly highlight and what this means for the future of volunteering, an academic will look at the three reports and provide a briefing on the common issues/themes that emerge. This will add value to people’s understanding of global trends for volunteering and engage people in considering what the future for volunteering might or can be. This work is being undertaken by Dr. Alice Chadwick El-Ali. A paper will be finalised afterwards and made available via the Web.

Background

IAVE believes that the COVID-19 pandemic has emphasised how volunteers as agents of change provide the practical action that builds hope and resilience, improves lives, and strengthens communities. In November 2020, IAVE commissioned research to create a body of knowledge about the strategic leadership role of national volunteering leadership organisations, and to understand their responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in their countries. Data was collected from across 67 countries and the research report Leadership for Volunteering: the COVID-19 Experience was launched in September 2021.

Shortly before IAVE commissioned their research, Forum had commissioned research on the impact of the pandemic on volunteering for development. This research report COVID-19 and the Future of Volunteering for Development was also launched in 2021. IAVE had approached Forum before both reports were published to consider an event to look at the research evidence and the common themes or trends emerging. 2021 was also the year for UNV to publish in its three-year cycle the next State of the World’s Volunteerism Report 2022: Building Equal and Inclusive Societies, launched in December 2021. It seemed important and opportune to bring these three pieces of global research on volunteering together to share knowledge, highlight and consider the strategic common issues/trends, and provide commentary on what this evidence indicated for the future of volunteering. The three organizations and VGA agreed to work together on this virtual side event Let’s Talk Volunteering: Exploring Future Issues & Trends.

• IAVE Research – https://leadership4vol.iave.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Leadership-for-Volunteering-The-COVID-19-Experience_IAVE.pdf
• Forum Research – https://forum-ids.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Forum-Research-Report-COVID-19-and-the-Future-of-Volunteering-for-Development.pdf
• UNV Research – https://swvr2022.unv.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/UNV_SWVR_2022.pdf

 

Biographical Details

Moderator:

David Styers is currently the representative for volunteers at the United Nations as coordinator of the Volunteer Groups Alliance.  He is a former Treasurer and North American Representative of the International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE), and Board President of the Council for Certification in Volunteer Administration as well as Volunteer Alexandria.  From 2000-2007, David served as a Senior Director at the Points of Light Foundation and Volunteer Center National Network in the U.S.

Presenters:

Nichole Cirillo joined IAVE as Executive Director in October 2019. She believes in the power of volunteers to change the world and sees IAVE as an activator and thought leadership organization helping to both support volunteering globally and advance the conversation and understanding on the importance of volunteering and volunteering leadership. Nichole has significant executive experience across environmental and social justice sectors and has led the engagement of a large network of global volunteers. 

Helene Perold is the Director of Helene Perold & Associates, an organisation based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Since 1993 she has developed extensive research and evaluation experience in South Africa, Argentina, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Costa Rica, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, USA, and Zimbabwe. She was the founder and Executive Director of VOSESA, a non-profit research organisation that worked from 2003-2013 to build an evidence base in the field of volunteering and civic service in Southern Africa.

Jane Muthumbi is a policy specialist (research and evidence) for the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme and was involved in coordinating and managing the research for the 2022 State of the World’s Volunteerism Report. She holds a Ph.D. in political science and has interests in socio-economic policy research and analysis.

Dr Alice Chadwick El-Ali recently completed her doctorate at the University of Bath. Her research explored the role of volunteering within development projects in Sierra Leone and how this interacts with employment and citizenship. At a broader level she is interested in volunteering as a response to crisis, the connection between volunteering and development in policy and practice, and the role of volunteerism within the SDGs. 

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