Managing Volunteerism for Development
Prof. Yoga Rasanayagam
Academic Advisor/NISD &
Emeritus Professor, University of Colombo
Preamble
The treatise presented below is meant to serve as an introduction to the subject of volunteerism particularly in the context of human/social development. The reader is guided through the explanations/discussions provided on the importance of volunteerism as social capital, on the relevance of the concept of social capital and volunteerism to social work and the relationship between volunteerism and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) before discussing the relevance of volunteerism to development/social development
What is Volunteerism?
Volunteerism, an altruistic/unselfish activity, is defined as the practice of people working on behalf of others without being motivated by financial or material gain. It is an engagement based on free will, commitment and solidarity, with enormous potential to promote human development by supporting the delivery of economic and social services, fostering reciprocity among people and contributing to social cohesion.
Voluntary action is deeply embedded in most cultures. In almost all societies, it comes from the most basic of all values- people helping people and, in the process, helping themselves. It emerges from long-established, ancient traditions of sharing, philanthropy and community service, or civic participation and advocacy. Volunteering as the ultimate expression of the willingness and ability of people to help others, brings significant benefits to individuals and communities and helps to nurture and sustain a richer social texture and a stronger sense of mutual trust and cohesion. It is often referred to as the "glue" that holds society together
There are two major benefits of volunteerism; economic and social. Economic benefits are related to the activities undertaken by volunteers which would otherwise have to be funded by the state or by private capital. It adds to the overall economic output of a country and reduces the burden on government spending. In countries where empirical studies exist, the contribution of volunteering is estimated to be between 8%
and 14% of Gross Domestic Product. On an individual level, volunteerism contributes to capacity building processes by helping the individual volunteer to develop marketable skills, providing access to workplace networks and boosting confidence and self esteem.
Socially, volunteering helps to build more cohesive communities, fostering greater trust between citizens and developing norms of solidarity and reciprocity that are essential to stable communities. The social capital represented by volunteering plays a key role in economic regeneration.
Volunteering is both an opportunity and an asset for development. It represents a tremendous resource for addressing many of the development challenges of our times. The value of volunteerism to development and its contributions in various forms is widely acknowledged. Prior to explaining the relationship of volunteerism to development, volunteerism as social capital is discussed in the following section.
Volunteerism as Social capital
Social capital is said to refer to traditions of engagement, trust, solidarity and reciprocity that exist in every society, although they are more manifest in some. Social Scientists define social capital as the strengths of a particular community. Some definitions refer to the institutions, relationships, and norms that shape the quality and quantity of a society’s social interactions when defining the concept of social capital. Social cohesion, an outcome of positive social interactions, is critical for societies to interact positively and prosper economically. Social interactions resulting in social capital, enable individuals, groups and communities to achieve their needs by using their strengths such as norms, values and interactions.
In the context of development social capital is seen as a complement to the established capital categories (physical, financial, human) to explain how development can occur in some situations and not in others. Social capital attempts to achieve sustainable development by the use of the strengths of communities. The term sustainable development means a pattern of resource use that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but in the indefinite future. To achieve and maintain sustainable development, the complementarities among the natural capital, economic capital and social capital should be maintained. People-centered development encompassing social capital is therefore essential to achieve sustainable development.
Social capital directs individuals, groups and communities to achieve their needs through collective action. In this sense social capital is interpreted as the cumulative capacity of social groups to mutually and beneficially co-operate and work together for the common good. In this regard it may be said that strong links exist between the mobilization of social capital and volunteerism.
Volunteerism and volunteers are at the core/heart of Social Capital. It is very important to bring about a better understanding and acceptance of the vital contribution volunteering can make in mobilizing social capital for development as volunteerism constitutes an enormous reservoir of skills, ingenuity, creativity, solidarity and local knowledge
As one form of social capital, volunteerism benefits the recipients of service and the broader community. As people continue as volunteers, commitment to the community increases. Commitment in turn increases the incidence of volunteer actions on behalf of the community. Thus, volunteerism represents selfless actions that promote community spirit and civic participation; while at the same time changes the volunteer’s self-concept to promote further volunteerism.
Social processes explained in terms of ‘social capital’ form some of the major concerns of Social Workers. Social Work is a human service profession which focuses “on individuals’ relationships with others, their ties and interdependencies. It gives priority to the bonds and conflicts between people, and either enables or constrains co-operative and/or competitive endeavors of groups and communities. These enabling and constraining forces that determine the functioning of groups and communities is an important tenet of social capital (Jordan, 2003)
Volunteerism and Social Work
Volunteer participation in community service is a phenomenon deeply rooted in the cultural ethos of many countries and social work has deep roots in volunteerism. The social work profession operates under the assumption that volunteers are an integral part of the human services programs. Although volunteerism continues to grow, volunteers do not replace the skills that trained professionals bring to the communities. Social workers only support the role of volunteers in the delivery of social services The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) of the US recognizes and validates the role of volunteers in the delivery of social services. The NASW , however, emphasizes categorically, that volunteers should be assigned tasks commensurate with their skills and not be used in lieu of trained professional social workers.
To illustrate this point the words of Terry Mizrahi, PhD, President of the NASW are cited here;
“Volunteers nurture our children, but they cannot replace professional child care workers; they mentor and tutor young people but they are no substitute for professional educators; and while volunteers can play vital roles in human services, they must not be perceived as viable substitutes for professional social work care.”
Volunteerism and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
In practice volunteerism has contributed significantly to broad-based development. Since the year 2000 the role of volunteerism is being increasingly seen as an essential ingredient in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Former Secretary General of the UN, commenting on the role of volunteerism in achieving the MDGs stated that;
“If the world is to make progress in implementing the Millennium Declaration and move decisively towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals, it will need people everywhere to be involved. Volunteerism continues to be a powerful and productive channel for that engagement”
(Kofi Annan, 5 December 2004)
To achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) solidarity and creativity of millions of ordinary people are required through voluntary action. Efforts of national governments can only complement what ultimately will depend on the full involvement of people
Research by the World Bank and others indicates that increasing the opportunities for people to work together is the single intervention that has the greatest positive impact on the situation facing the poorest members of societies. If the Millennium Development Goal of reducing poverty by half by 2015 is to be achieved, the significant contribution of volunteerism, as one manifestation of social capital, needs to be much more widely understood and recognized.
Volunteerism and Social Development
Social development is a process which results in the transformation of social structures in a manner which improves the capacity of the society to fulfill its aspirations In 2001 the United Nations Economic and Social Council's Commission for Social Development held detailed discussions for the first time, on the role of volunteerism in the promotion of social development. Among its resolutions; recognition of the valuable contributions of traditional forms of mutual aid and self-help, service delivery and other forms of civic participation to economic and social development and the recognition of volunteerism as an important component of any strategy aimed at poverty reduction, sustainable development and social integration, in particular overcoming social exclusion and discrimination were noteworthy
The philosophies of social development and social work address the individual actor, his or her agency, (that is, power to act). Social development has already become a central principle of international social work . In June 2010 a Joint world conference on social work and social development was held in Hong Kong by the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW), the International Council on Social Welfare (ICSW), and the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) to bring together social workers, social development advocates and practitioners in order to consolidate their experiences and share new knowledge and skills. The agenda designed for social work and social development to create synergies among professionals to lead the global agenda for people-centered sustainable social progress has been a success with ………..
Policies and Legislation on Volunteerism
Many countries are seeking to foster voluntary action through the development of policies and legislation. These in practice, serve to define volunteerism, to clarify the roles and relationships among stakeholders, to prevent the development of tension between stakeholders (particularly when institutions other than the State offer aid and assistance through volunteerism) and to identify necessary legal, social, administrative and financial support
One of the many unique outcomes of the International Year of volunteers (2001) was the fact that the United Nations General Assembly adopted legislation that underscored the role of volunteering as a valuable asset that reinforces societal traditions that bind communities together
While volunteerism is developing fast some people who argue that it is on the decline explain that the decline is due in part to economic and social stress created by unemployment and underemployment, rural to urban migration, HIV/AIDS and civil conflict. In this connection it is argued that hardship leads to more self-centered and individualistic behavior, as people concentrate on dealing with their own, immediate problems of survival.
There is, however, another line of thought that demonstrates how hardship catalyses social ties and draws people and their communities closer together. Research is being carried out on some of the factors which drive people in one direction or the other. For example, it seems that levels of local volunteerism are higher;
- where the majority of the adult population is not working away from the community;
- where women are involved in local decision-making processes;
- where there are healthy community-based organizations;
- where there is stability around land ownership; and
- where there is effective leadership at the local level.
In addition to these contextual factors which have a positive impact on volunteerism at the local level, there are also a number of policy-related factors that need to be considered at the macro level to facilitate the promotion of volunteerism. They are;
- the degree of decentralization of resources and authority;
- the legal environment needed for community-based organizations to thrive;
- public access to information .
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