The policy or practice of volunteering one's time or talents for
charitable, educational or other worthwhile social activities.
Volunteerism
As a volunteer-based programme, assigns
mid-career professionals to sectoral and community-based development projects,
humanitarian aid activities and the promotion of human rights and democracy.
Volunteerism benefits both society at large and the individual volunteer by
strengthening trust, solidarity and reciprocity among citizens and by
purposefully creating opportunities for participation.
UNV advocates for the recognition of
volunteers, working to integrate volunteerism into development programming and
mobilizes an increasing number and diversity of volunteers throughout the world.
NV directly mobilizes more than 7,500 UNV volunteers every year nationally and
internationally. More than 75 percent of UNV volunteers come from developing countries
and more than 30 percent volunteer within their own countries.
Volunteers were involved in
peacekeeping, peacebuilding, humanitarian assistance, post-conflict recovery
and electoral operations. Volunteers become closely involved with the communities
in which they work and live, engaging beyond the scope of their daily tasks.
Their participation has extended to include community clean-up activities and
hygiene awareness campaigns, sport events, agricultural extension work,
teaching in local schools and blood-donation drives.
UNV is also active in cyberspace,
where the UNV Online Volunteering Service connects volunteers with
peace and development organizations worldwide. As proclaimed by the General
Assembly, the International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social
Development is observed annually on 5 December.
Founded on the values of solidarity and mutual
trust, volunteerism transcends all cultural, linguistic and geographic
boundaries. By giving their time and skills without expectation of material
reward, volunteers themselves are uplifted by a singular sense of
purpose."
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (5
December 2012)
Types
Skills-based volunteering
Skills-based volunteering is
leveraging the specialized skills and the talents of individuals to strengthen
the infrastructure of nonprofits, helping them build and sustain their capacity
to successfully achieve their missions.
This is in contrast to
traditional volunteering, where specific training is not required. The average
hour of traditional volunteering is valued by the Independent Sector at between
$18–20 an hour. Skills-based volunteering is valued at $40–500 an hour,
depending on the market value of the time. Skill based volunteering
include medical internship, dental elective, teaching English etc.
Volunteering in developing countries
An increasingly popular form of volunteering
among young people particularly gap year students is to travel to communities
in the developing world to work on projects. Activities
include teaching English, working in orphanages, conservation and so on.
International volunteering is said to give
participants valuable skills, knowledge, and the experience of a lifetime.
However, "volunteerism" has been criticized by some as being
paternalistic and reinforcing historic power imbalances. Some critics argue that
in many cases, volunteerism does more harm to communities than good.
Virtual volunteering
Also called e-volunteering or online
volunteering, virtual volunteering is a term that describes a volunteer who
completes tasks in whole or in part, offsite from the organization being
assisted. They use the Internet and a home, school, telecaster or work computer, or other Internet-connected
device, such as a PDA or smartphone.
Virtual volunteering is also known as cyber service, telemetering,
and teletutoring, as well as various other names. Virtual volunteering is
similar to telecommuting, except that instead of
online employees who are paid, these are online volunteers who are not paid
Micro-volunteering
Micro-volunteering is an unpaid
task that is operated via an internet-connected device and completed in small
increments of time. It is distinct from virtual volunteering in that it
typically does not require an application process or a training period.
Environmental volunteering
Environmental volunteering refers
to the volunteers who contribute towards environmental management or
conservation. Volunteers conduct a range of activities including environmental
monitoring, ecological restoration such as re-vegetation and weed removal,
protecting endangered animals, and educating others about the natural
environment.
