The less easy, and more interesting, answer is that I also became a very busy volunteer. In March, I became chair of the board of an organization called Capitol Hill Group Ministry, a faith-based human service organization in my neighborhood that works with homeless and at risk families. Then, in April, I was called to become Senior Warden (roughly, chair of the board) of my church, St. Mark’s Episcopal.
Together, the two have been taking huge amounts of my time as I learned the jobs, got both organized and began to set their agendas for the next two years.
But it has been a fascinating experience for me to move into two very demanding, totally volunteer leadership roles in my local community. In fact, I hope that in coming months I can share some of what I am learning (or re-learning) with you.
Third, I need to make a commitment to you that I can keep. It is this: by the 10th of every month, you will have E-IAVE in your email box. No late arrivals; no excuses.
So…apology, explanation, commitment. From you – understanding, forgiveness?
Thanks!
Kenn Allen
ONLY 16 MONTHS TO GO! 2011 is the 10th Anniversary of the United Nation’s International Year of Volunteers in 2001. As it did in 2001, IAVE is preparing to give leadership to the nongovernmental volunteer community in celebrating this global recognition of volunteering.
Our work has already begun. In
Now, as the following article reflects, we are laying the groundwork for the World Youth Volunteer Summit, scheduled for the last quarter of 2011, mirroring our schedule in 2001. And, we are even looking forward to 2012 when the World Volunteer Conference will return to its regular even-numbered-years schedule.
The IAVE board of directors is seeking a host organization for the World Youth Volunteer Summit to be held in the last quarter of 2011 or the first quarter of 2012.
The
Convening the IAVE World Youth Volunteer Summit brings status and worldwide recognition to the host country. It creates a real boost for volunteering in the host country, and can bring significant economic benefit.
Complete details on expectations and the application process can be found at http://www.iave.org/NewsView.asp?newsID=273.
All bids must be returned to IAVE board member Mark Molloy by Monday, October 5, 2011.
For more information, please contact Mark directly at mark.molloy@dumgal.gov.uk or by phone at 44 1387 260240 or 44 7761944688 in the
The 12th IAVE Asia Pacific Regional Volunteer Conference, hosted by IAVE, IAVE Taiwan and the Kaohsiung City Volunteer Association, will be staged in
Please see the conference website (www.iave.npotech.org.tw) for full details in English, Chinese, Japanese and Korean and to register.
The conference theme is “Volunteerism as a Lifestyle for Social Solidarity”. The conference organizers write about the theme:
“In recent years, the political, social, and economic climate of the Asia Pacific Region has undergone considerable transformation. Dramatic changes in ecology and the environment, employment, immigration, international relations, tourism, sustainable community development and other issues have taken place. In order to respond to the challenges and continually improve the quality of life, the concept of ‘volunteerism as a lifestyle need’ cannot be overlooked.
“Volunteering makes important contributions economically as well as socially. Volunteering contributes to a more cohesive society by building trust and reciprocity among citizens. Voluntary services and social inclusion are efficient channels to achieve a reciprocal relationship between the community and its citizens. The active role of civic participation is a key ingredient for nurturing urban development and enlightening the public to recognize their social obligations”.
The conference will be built around six “streams for discussion”:
We are pleased to announce that Claudia McNamee, corporate representative to the IAVE board of directors, has been named executive director of the White Nights Foundation in
The White Nights Foundation of America (WNFA) was formed in 1999 to support the
WNFA's mission includes a commitment ot strengthen and expand the cultural, educational, and business relationships between
Her best e-mail address for IAVE remains claudia.mcnamee@gmail.com.
IAVE’s Global Corporate Volunteer Council (G-CVC) held the fifth of a series of meetings that have taken place since the launch of the initiative in November of 2006 at the XIX World Volunteer Conference in
The G-CVC meeting in
G-CVC member participants in this meeting included Alejandro Diaz-Garretta from Telefonica in Spain, Regina McNally from State Street in Boston, Monica Beatriz Galiano representing Vale from Brasil, Mary Jo Sashegyi and Sherrie Bossung from Lilly in Indianapolis, Rosemary Byrnes from Citi in New York, Sam Santiago and Lawonda Peoples from American Airlines in Dallas, Luiz Covo from C & A in Brasil, Anna Cunningham from Starbucks in Seattle and Karen Kawanami from Disney in Los Angeles.
Additional participants in the meeting included Sarah Hayes, Kathi Dennis and Kenn Allen from IAVE, Audra Jones and Erin Hulme from the International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF), and Ellen Linsley and Joanne Kumamoto from Connect L.A. he group was also treated to two outside speakers – Dev Patnaik from Jump Associates and Cleveland Justis from the Institute at
The meeting was led by Sarah Hayes, Consultant Director for G-CVC, assisted by Sam Santiago from American Airlines, who is also leading the effort around communications and marketing for GCVC. At this meeting a sub-committee was formed and includes Sam, Alejandro from Telefonica and Sherrie from Lilly. Since the meeting, Lisa Cohen from BD has also joined this committee.
One of the highlights of the meeting was the kick-off speaker – Dev Patnaik , Founder and CEO of Jump Associates. His organization helps businesses achieve success through integrating empathy, innovation and strategy. Dev is also the author of a highly successful book called Wired To Care. Dev talked about “Intuition – to feel a vibe before you see it”, “Gut Sense – to know you are right”, “Passion – to take a leap”, “Courage – to stick with something initially shaky”, and “Clarity – to make decisions faster”. Dev’s presentation was very relevant to the attendees, and inspired much discussion and inspiration! It really set the tone for the remainder of the two days.
The companies were asked to consider two questions prior to the meeting – what changes, if any, have they made to their programs given the current economic climate, and also what would be some excellent ways for the G-CVC to celebrate the tenth anniversary of IYV. During the time of company reports in the meeting, the representatives addressed these matters as well as sharing about their current company activities and goals. It was gratifying to hear that even though the recession had caused some changes in company giving, on the whole the volunteer programs were still going strong and in some cases increasing. It was also interesting to note that everyone seems to be in a “time of change”, re-visioning and re-structuring their EVP’s to change with changing times. There were also some great ideas around IYV and G-CVC in the future – much about social networking (even FlashMob!) and where we want to be in 2021! It was a lively afternoon of discussion!
Audra Jones from IBLF made an interesting presentation to the group about their incredible work with the private sector to build value for civil society throughout the world. They are always on the forward edge of thinking around issues of importance in volunteering and CSR as a whole, and G-CVC is excited to have them as an ongoing partner in our progress.
The G-CVC meeting concluded with a trip to the beautiful
G-CVC is proud of our progress to date, and we thank all our members for their continued support. In these times it seems the G-CVC is more relevant than ever. We thank our members for making the vision real, for taking our goals to heart, and for adding their own passion and effort. This G-CVC meeting was very valuable for all, and we look forward to many more to come!
We have heard from our members…
§ Esther Herlitz in
§ Ms. Akiko Seto has retired from her position as Principal of the Japan College of Foreign Languages in
§ Foster Murphy in
One of our newest organizational members is VIDES Philippines Volunteers Foundation. Sister Jojo, the Philippine Delegate of VIDES, wrote recently to tell us that VIDES is an international NGO of volunteers established by the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians in 1987.
According to their website - http://videsphil.multiply.com/ - the organization “believes that the youth are effective advocates for social change and transformation. They have a lot to share in promoting the rights, social protection and development of women and children in solidarity with people in communities.”
Sister Jojo can be reached at videspinoy@gmail.com.
[Annette Maher, Information and Research Officer at Volunteering Australia, asked us to share the following update on their well-respected journal.]
The publishing platform for the Australian Journal on Volunteering has changed this year. It is now only available online. People can either subscribe or buy individual articles. Also, there is only one volume per year with subscribers being sent email alerts three times a year (Autumn, Winter and Spring). To learn more or subscribe: annette.maher@volunteeringaustralia.org.
[This comes to us from Heloisa Coelho, IAVE National Representative in
The common desire to contribute to a more effective impact of volunteerism in the Brazilian society, expanding and amplifying the efforts that take place all over Brazil, the Volunteer Centers of Curitiba, Florianópolis, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul and São Paulo created the Brazilian Volunteer Network.
The RBV will be a social network, formed by
The network also aims to offer and put into practice new, original proposals and strategies for 2011, when the whole world will be announcing and celebrating “2001+10”, the 10 years of the International Year of Volunteers.
For more information: Heloisa Coelho at
[This comes to us from Rose Ekeleme, IAVE Vice President and founder of IAVE Nigeria. It was written by Chinenye Atuma, IAVE Secretary in
IAVE Nigeria, Umuahia Abia State, in collaboration with Blessing Welfare Trust, Aba organized a charitable forum for the widows tagged, “Widows Day” to commemorate the International Volunteers Day (IVD) 2008 at the Aba North Local Government Council Headquarters Aba, Abia State, Nigeria.
In her opening remarks, IAVE Nigeria Coordinator, Dr. Rose Ekeleme explained that IAVE Nigeria is noted for its commitment in volunteering and humanitarian activities which have improved the lives of the less privileged. She proudly announced that IAVE members have been making giant strides in volunteering in the society and called on Abians to join hands with IAVE to do more.
The President of Blessing Welfare Trust, Aba, Mrs Blessing Azuru, who is IAVE member as well as member of the Abia State House of Assembly commended IAVE Nigeria for partnering with Blessing Welfare Trust to put smiles on the faces of the widows and disclosed that the welfare Trust together with IAVE had given micro-soft loans to the widows, trained some on skills acquisition and conducted free eye examination for them. She stated further that she had sponsored a bill on widows which would soon be passed into law. She urged corporate bodies, government agencies, Non-Governmental organizations and good-spirited individuals to come together and provide succor to the widows and applauded IAVE for providing the platform for the success of the programme.
The wife of the Governor represented by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Women Affairs presented cash awards to the women and assured them of government’s continued support and care.
In a good will message to the women, Bishop Owen Azubuike of Anglican Communion, Isiala Ngwa Diocese admonished them not to regard widow-hood as a handicap but as a surmountable challenge.
Highlight of the occasion was the presentation of several bags of rice, medical eye glasses, wrappers, and cash awards to the women.
The spokesperson for the widows, a female barrister, a widow herself while giving the vote of thanks expressed delight for the gift items and prayed God to sustain the organizers for remembering them.
The occasion was graced by IAVE members, traditional rulers, members of the Abia House of Assembly, Councillors, and members of the public.
[This comes to us from Leticia Vargas, an individual member from
We all need to band together and help each other in these tough economic times for which we have not come to experience even a quarter of its full sting. Through establishing values and strength in the face of adversity we will be able to get through times of trouble and crisis. This is the time for volunteer managers to shine as we are particularly good at communicating and keeping the fine balance between nurturing and achieving!
Now is the time to knock on doors and make the corporate and government sectors stand up and take note, not only through our words but through our actions. We need to demonstrate that as times get tougher there will be more need for community groups and hence more need to support volunteer managers. And the time to invest in building that infrastructure is NOW!
I heard a very sad story on the week end of how much “assistance” is going to waste in the midst of the
My challenge to you this month is to see what you can do to make the influence of the Volunteer Managers in this nation stronger. Put your case forward to increased funding of our profession to both local government and businesses – and tell me of your successes and outcomes so we can share on the next e-news! Good luck!
[We were thrilled to see this announcement in E-CIVICUS. Many of you will recognize Kumi as the former leader of CIVICUS and a frequent keynote speaker at IAVE World Volunteer Conferences. He is one of the world’s foremost activists, from his work against apartheid in
Note: This article is abstracted from the Greenpeace International website. The full article can be found at http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/new-leadership-at-greenpeace-110609.
Kumi was part of the successful struggle against apartheid in his native
He was one of the founders of Global Call to Action Against Poverty, which has grown since 2005 into a coalition of anti-poverty campaigners from over 100 countries. They apply public pressure on leaders to fulfil promises on aid, trade, debt, climate change and gender equality.
Kumi brings with him a passion for activism, for non-violence and clear ideas for shaping the future of Greenpeace. His experiences in campaigning, fundraising, advocacy, policy work, networked organisations and leading through change will all be called upon.
"The way Greenpeace works on all levels from confrontation to cooperation with governments and corporations is an inspiration. The mix of pragmatism and passion really gets things done and effects real change in the world. I believe that Greenpeace is one of the most precious assets the global community posses as a critical part in reversing the current fatal trajectory of our planet," says Kumi.
Gerd Leipold will remain at the helm until November, and has this to say about the successor he has already worked closely with: "Kumi has all of the qualities needed to take Greenpeace forward and lead it in the greatest challenge it and the world has ever faced: climate change."
Greenpeace International (Stichting Greenpeace Council), is the body that coordinates global Greenpeace policy and strategy, and is based in
Our greatest challenge is filling E-IAVE every month. We need your help with:
Think of it this way – what would you most like to read about in E-IAVE about volunteering in other countries and the work of other members? Then send us something similar from your country.
Send to kenn@civilsocietyconsulting.com.
Thanks!
ความคิดเห็น
แสดงความคิดเห็น