As promissed: Volunteering

In a blog about the benefits of volunteering abroad, author Elizabeth Kruemelmann starts by quoting cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead: "Never doubt that a small group of committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that has." Then she lists the merits of giving up one's time for free, including learning from the source, travelling off the beaten path, applying your skills and then further down, working without previous experience.
Recognising the appeal of the above, as well as the opportunity to employ highly motivated individuals at low cost, or even foster closer political relationships between countries, a whole host of development organisations – from bilateral and multilateral donors to grassroots charities – have set up volunteering programmes. Indeed some of the largest and best known international NGOs have volunteerism at the centre of their strategy to fight poverty.
But can organisations that have their roots in 19th century missionary work and a development ethos that can be traced back to early 20th century post-war reconstruction efforts, still be relevant and applicable today?
For Brendan Joyce, assistant director of Palms Australia, the first point is that the activities which claim the title 'international volunteering' are diverse but are often tarred with the same brush. He says: "Some [activities] are funded by government, others by private donors, others at the volunteer's own expense. Some can be slotted into a few days of an existing holiday while others demand two full years. Some take all comers, others are more selective. Some focus on short-term manual labour, some on technical skill transfer, others on relationships of mutual empowerment. Because of this diversity, volunteering is often seen by many development workers as a bad thing, an activity which promotes notions of a 'white saviour' helping people incapable of helping themselves."
So how can organisations that run volunteer programmes cultivate the right attitude among their volunteers? How can they communicate their value within a community that is often sceptical and as a development activity, what forms of volunteerism have the most impact and contribute to sustainable change?
Join our panel this Friday, 19 April from 1 to 3pm BST, to share best practice in volunteerism in international development.
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