ulla gronlund - defining youth volunteering: role and contributions

Participation of youth in the civil society15-16 November 2013Istanbul Bilgi University’s NGO Training and Research Centre Istanbul Bilgi University’s Youth Studies Unit

Defining Youth Volunteering: Role and Contributions

Ulla Gronlund, ulla.gronlund@undp.orgUNV Programme Officer

UNV is administered by the United Nations Development Programme

Workshop questions posed:•How do we define volunteerism?

•What are the key historical issues to be taken in to consideration in order to understand current dynamics of volunteerism through a critical perspective?

• What are the dynamics behind the citizens’ and especially young citizens' participation and volunteerism attitudes?

UNV is administered by the United Nations Development Programme

Definitions•Legal definitions • Academic debate• Reflecting culture and history of a relevant country• Value based: “Ubuntu”, “solidarity”• As a term relatively new, western construction maybe?• Volunteer, noun – from the perspective of the doer: Someone who gives time, effort and talent to a need or cause without profiting monetarily.• Volunteer, noun – from the perspective of the recipient of service: Someone who contributes time, effort and talent to meet a need or further a mission, without going on the payroll.• Membership, although voluntary, is not volunteering. But how about in Turkey?• Service done without remuneration, but within the reasonable expectations of being a family member: caring for a sick child or aging parent.• Service done without remuneration, but within the reasonable expectations of being a citizen in a democratic country: voting and paying taxes.

UNV is administered by the United Nations Development Programme

UN definition of volunteering, volunteerism, voluntary activities:

Refers to a wide range of activities, including traditional forms of mutual aid and self-help, formal service delivery and other forms of civic participation.

Undertaken of free will, for the general public good, and where monetary reward is not the principal motivating factor.

A/RES/56/38

UNV is administered by the United Nations Development Programme

How about defining volunteering through its purpose and relevance?

UNV is administered by the United Nations Development Programme

Approach 1 – from the point of view of a doer:

Volunteering as a means of empowerment and learning for young people personal motivations to volunteer development of skill and competencies personal growth method of influence Complements formal education

Receiving

Giving

Continuity

Closeness

Contemplation

New

Distance

Action

Diamond model of volunteering

UNV is administered by the United Nations Development Programme

Approach 2: from a point of view of a receiver

Volunteering as a force for social transformation / creating societal impact

Less studied than approach 1, academic research limited.

No common agreement on how to “measure volunteering” although in general studies refer to a wide scale of volunteering, its cross-cutting nature, “two-way street” nature creating benefits to volunteers themselves and to the society around them.

Important particularly if we are to demonstrate the importance of volunteering in the society, and a inform decision making that is required to create an enabling environment and infrastructure for volunteering

UNV is administered by the United Nations Development Programme

Volunteering contributing to social cohesion

Strong linkage to human rights (are volunteers duty bearers or rights holders?)

Volunteering and social inclusion: an important issue also for youth volunteering. While volunteering can create an effective route to inclusion, are we able to use it as such? Is youth volunteering inclusive or elitist? Are volunteering opportunities available to every young person despite their educational, family etc. background?

The complementary contribution to formal and public service delivery.

UNV is administered by the United Nations Development Programme

Well-being

UNV is administered by the United Nations Development Programme

1.2 billion young people in the worldLargest group of young people ever

UNV is administered by the United Nations Development Programme

Challenges hindering participation:

Limited opportunities for effective participation in decision-making processes Lack of participatory structures for participation at a community and national level Lack of trust between youth and the government institutions and political parties Lack of capacity development for youth and youth organizations Lack of support and commitment toward young people.

UN Inter-agency network of youth development , 2012 survey conducted in 186 countries

UNV is administered by the United Nations Development Programme

The role of civil society in general vis-a-vis perceptions on volunteering: the role of volunteering intimately linked to the fundamental freedoms of civil society (political participation/freedoms, legal framework for organizations to exist etc.)

Recognition of young people as active citizens in a society

Bottom-up approach to development increasingly common

Individualism vs. Community – not necessarily hindering values that inspire volunteering, but rather influences the ways and methods of volunteering by young people

Dynamics