Workshop on Participation of Young People in Civil Society 15-16 November 2013 http://www.sebeke.org.tr/en/?page_id=179

1. Participation of youth in the civil society
15-16 November 2013
Istanbul 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.org
UNV Programme Officer

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. How about defining volunteering through its
purpose and relevance?
UNV is administered by the United Nations Development Programme

6. 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
UNV is administered by the United Nations Development Programme

7. Diamond model of volunteering
Continuity
Receiving
Action
Distance
Closeness
Contemplation
Giving
New

8. 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

9.  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

10. UNV is administered by the United Nations Development Programme

11. 1.2 billion young people in the world
Largest group of young people ever
UNV is administered by the United Nations Development Programme

12. 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

13. Dynamics
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
UNV is administered by the United Nations Development Programme