FROM THE EDITOR
Yes, this is November’s issue. Yes, it is late. Yes, we are sorry. Yes, you will get two issues in December.
The featured news this month is from the meeting of the IAVE Board of Directors held in October. As an interested observer and sort of participant in that meeting, I can tell you that the board worked very hard, was very strategic in its thinking and has put together a significant plan for the next two years.
There is a LOT happening so please don’t miss anything!
— Kenn Allen
NEWS FROM IAVE
IAVE BOARD MEETS IN PARIS
The IAVE board of directors held its annual meeting October 10-12 in Paris, France.
It was a time of transition for the board, as the terms of four members came to an end:
– Milo Ghossein, Regional Representative from the Arab Nations,
– Vitalis Anoupe, Regional Representative from Africa;
– Claudia McNamee, Corporate Representative; and,
– Tan Chee Koon, National Volunteer Center Representative.
The board also welcomed new members:
– David Styers, appointed as Regional Representative for North America, filling the vacancy created when Kathi Dennis left the board to become IAVE’s executive secretary;
– Dr. Patricia Nabti, new Regional Representative from the Arab Nations; and,
– Sam Santiago, new Corporate Representative, from American Airlines.
David Styers also was elected Treasurer, assuming the second role previously filled by Kathi Dennis.
Daniel Buritica was elected as Youth Representative to the IAVE board, filling the unexpired term of Yumiko Masi from Japan who recently resigned. Daniel, from Colombia, is the founder of Red Colombiana de Jovenes Recojo, a national network of youth leaders. You may recall that an essay by Daniel on his volunteer experience appeared in the October issue of E-IAVE.
The board was joined during the meeting by Markus Held, executive director of the European Volunteer Centre (CEV) who had come from Brussels from the meeting. He briefed the board on the developing plans for 2011 as the European Year of Volunteering. It was an opportunity to discuss the relationship between IAVE and CEV and explore possibilities for future cooperation, particularly by drawing CEV members, umbrella leadership organizations for volunteering throughout Europe, into closer contact with IAVE.
The board also was honored by the presence of Mme. Jacqueline Couste, founder and former leader of the first national volunteer center in France. Jacqueline is one of the longest-serving members of IAVE and was for many years a member of the board of directors. One of her most significant contributions to IAVE was to bring French-speaking Africa into the organization and to facilitate the participation of representatives from those countries in regional and world conferences.
Meeting facilities and lunches were provided by France Benevolat, the current national volunteer center of France, in its own offices for the first two days and in the headquarters of the Order of Malta for the third day. Dr. Lee expressed appreciation to both organizations for their hospitality. He gave special recognition to Colette Robert, IAVE Regional Representative for Europe and a member of France Benevolat’s staff, for her assistance in making the arrangements that enabled the board to come to Paris in an economical way.
VOLUNTEERING IRELAND CHOSEN TO HOST 2012 WORLD VOLUNTEER CONFERENCE
Volunteering Ireland, the national volunteer center for the Republic of Ireland, has been chosen by IAVE’s board of directors to host the 2012 World Volunteer Conference.
The board acted on the recommendation of the committee, headed by Rose Ekeleme, IAVE Vice President from Nigeria, responsible for reviewing the proposals received. For the first time in several years, there were multiple candidates bidding to host the World Conference with – proposals also received from South Africa and Mexico. Dr. Ekeleme expressed appreciation for the hard work done by each in submitting their proposals for consideration. It is the hope of the board of directors there will be future opportunities for close collaboration with them.
In making the announcement, Dr. Kang-Hyun Lee, IAVE World President, praised the excellent proposal received from Volunteering Ireland and, particularly, the significant level of endorsement and committed support they have from key leaders in government, the voluntary sector and business. It was noted with approval the enthusiastic endorsement of the proposal by the European Volunteer Centre.
Dr. Lee noted that Elaine Bradley, CEO of Volunteering Ireland, and her staff had been particularly diligent in their development and presentation of the proposal. They clearly demonstrated that they have the capacity and the infrastructure to undertake this major project on behalf of IAVE.
In accepting their proposal, the IAVE board was enthusiastic in looking forward to working in close partnership with Elaine and her colleagues.
Final dates are yet to be set, pending final negotiations with IAVE and potential venues. But it will definitely take place in mid to late September 2012. A youth conference will precede the main conference.
For more information on Volunteering Ireland, please see the related article in “From IAVE Members”
PARTNERS OF THE AMERICAS TO HOST THE GLOBAL YOUTH VOLUNTEER SUMMIT
The IAVE board has selected Partners of the Americas to host the second Global Youth Volunteer Summit, which will take place on November 3-5, 2011 in Barranquilla, Colombia as IAVE’s closing event in the 10th Anniversary Celebration of the International Year of Volunteers.
Partners of the Americas is an international, grassroots network that connects volunteers, institutions and communities to serve and change lives. With over 100 volunteer chapters linked in sustainable partnership, Partners builds mutual understanding between diverse cultures and builds the capacity of civil society to contribute to the social and economic development of the region. Partners’ youth programs develop youth to become leaders in their communities through volunteer service. For more information, visit www.partners.net.
In conjunction with the Universidad del Norte (UNINORTE), Partners and IAVE will bring youth together from all corners of the world to explore ways to increase social inclusion and civic participation through volunteer service.
Responding to the decision, Steve Vetter, President and CEO of Partners of the Americas, said, “It is a tremendous honor to have been selected by IAVE to host the next Global Youth Volunteer Summit. Partners is eager to move forward and begin planning what I am confident will be a transformational event for everyone involved. All of us working on this will spare no effort to ensure its success.”
The Global Youth Volunteer Summit is a unique event in the world of volunteering, an occasion when young people involved in volunteering come together to celebrate and share their knowledge and experiences.
The second Youth Summit comes 10 years after the first was held in Tokyo in 2001, which celebrated the United Nations International Year of the Volunteer (IYV).
The Summit in Colombia will mark IAVE’s cornerstone event to close the 10th anniversary celebration of the International Year of the Volunteer, or IYV+10. The Summit will feature distinguished international speakers, as well as expert workshop and forum leaders and presenters from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), governments and the corporate sector.
Barranquilla was chosen to be the host city for the event in recognition that youth throughout Latin America are increasingly demonstrating active citizenship through volunteer service. Across the region, youth organize projects and fundraisers to address the most pressing needs of their communities – regardless of politics or the global economy. The Global Summit will promote youth volunteerism, build capacity, and celebrate the accomplishments of youth worldwide.
REGIONAL CONFERENCES SET IN ARAB NATIONS AND LATIN AMERICA
The IAVE board has approved regional conferences to be held in 2010 in the Arab Nations and in Latin America as part of the lead-up to IYV+10.
The Arab Nations Regional Conference is tentatively scheduled for July 2010 as part of a broader regional initiative to promote volunteering throughout the region. Planning is being led by Dr. Patricia Nabti, Regional Representative for the Arab Nations, through her organization, the Association for Volunteer Services in Lebanon, and in collaboration with other leadership organizations throughout the region. The conference will be held in Lebanon.
The Latin America Regional Conference is scheduled for September 2010 in Bogota, Colombia. Planning is being led by Maria Teresa Gnecco, Regional Representative for Latin America, in cooperation with IAVE Colombia and the IAVE National Representatives from throughout Latin America.
These conferences are part of IAVE’s commitment to offering multiple opportunities for people to come together in preparation for and during the 10th Anniversary Celebration of the International Year of Volunteers.
That convening process began just this past month in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. We anticipate regional meetings, albeit not full conferences, also to take place in 2010 in North America, in conjunction with the annual National Conference on Volunteering and Service, to be held in New York City in June, and in Europe in conjunction with one of the regularly scheduled General Assemblies of the European Volunteer Centre.
IAVE RENEWS ITS COMMITMENT TO CONVENING VOLUNTEER CENTERS
Remember 1982? That was the year that the IAVE World Volunteer Conference was held in Oxford, England under the leadership of IAVE members in England and the Volunteer Centre of the UK. Foster Murphy, then executive director of the Volunteer Centre, added a special dimension to that event by convening, immediately after, a meeting of national volunteer centers from around the world.
That meeting began a continuing association between IAVE and volunteer centers that has, as all relationships do, waxed and waned – with changes in leadership, emergence of new priorities, the emergence of regional coalitions and changes in the volunteer centers themselves.
At its meeting in Paris, the IAVE board reaffirmed our long-term commitment to support the development and sustenance of volunteer centers with a primary focus on using our convenings as opportunities to bring them together to learn from and support one another.
As a result, the board is asking that a specific component for national and local volunteer centers be added to the World Volunteer Conference in Singapore in January 2011 and to the regional conferences in Latin America and the Arab Nations.
The board also approved, in concept, the holding of a Global Forum of Volunteer Centers in conjunction with the World Volunteer Conference in Ireland in 2012 – coincidentally, the 30th anniversary of the first such convening.
GCVC COMPANIES MEET IN PARIS
[Thanks to Sarah Hayes, IAVE consultant who manages the Global Corporate Volunteer Council, for this article.]
On October 13, a meeting of the G-CVC was held at the Marriott Rive Gauche in Paris, following the IAVE Board meeting held at France Benevolat October 10-12. Company representatives included Tammy McFeggan and Sandra Wallis from Disney, Nicole Curtin from Citi; Sabine DeBouche from UPS; Avril Ponnelle from Lilly; Laura Roberts from Marriott; Sam Santiago and Michele Gorius from American Airlines; Alejandro Diaz-Garreta and Lucila (Lula) Ballarino from Telefonica; Bridget Badiou from Monsanto; and Molly Slaughter from Freshfields. Other participants included Amanda Bowman from IBLF; Samantha Peñalver, consultant, from Spain; Dr. Kang-Hyun Lee, President of IAVE; Dr. Kenn Allen, G-CVC Research Project Director; Michel de Tapol, Executive Vice President of France Benevolat; Danielle Bernardet from France Benevolat; Meg Villanueva from the IAVE Youth Office, and Klara Kim from the IAVE President’s office. Colette Robert, IAVE’s European representative, joined the group for lunch.
An important part of all G-CVC meetings is the sharing from members, so in both the morning and afternoon sessions each company talked about their current work, and goals for their programs. It was exciting to hear about the community work by employee volunteers going on in Europe, and in France in particular.
The group was also treated to a presentation from Monsieur de Tapol, Executive Vice President of France Benevolat which serves as the hub for volunteering efforts and activities in Paris and throughout France. It was of interest to the participants to learn more about France Benevolat and how this organization can assist and work with corporate entities. We are encouraged that more local collaboration will occur from this engaging presentation!
Sarah and Molly presented on two corporate projects launched from IMS, the French partner of ENGAGE, and an organization which promotes corporate responsibility towards society as a whole – including volunteer programs, diversity, economic and social development and social innovation. The two projects are Mobi(3) and the One Day One Job. G-CVC companies are welcome to consider involvement in these innovative programs locally! Also introduced was a new website – The New French Meetic© for companies and NPOs – www.mecenova.org. Company representatives in France are encouraged to log on and explore how this new site can benefit their company and their employees who want to volunteer.
Amanda shared with the group about the work of the International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF), an independent non-profit organization working with business leaders and their companies to develop and manage sustainability programs worldwide. She also talked about Business in the Community and ENGAGE, and some of the projects going on, particularly in Europe, that might be of interest to G-CVC companies.
The meeting ended in the later afternoon after much discussion around many topics – including youth and the corporate sector, ideas for future G-CVC meetings, the ongoing debate between private and corporate volunteering efforts, working with organizations such as France Benevolat, and many more!
Many thanks to the Marriott Rive Gauche (and Marriott, our member!) for their wonderful hospitality, and many thanks to the G-CVC companies which participated in this meeting.
NEW AFRICAN ELECTIONS SCHEDULED
As a result of potential irregularities in the recent election for Regional Representative from Africa, the board authorized a new election to be held prior to the end of 2009.
In late October, African members were sent announcement of the new election and were invited to nominate themselves or others. The nomination period closed in late November and the Nominating Committee is currently preparing the voting papers.
It is anticipated that the ballot will be sent to the African members during the week of December 7 for return by the end of the month. The winning candidate will be announced in the January E-IAVE.
In keeping with stated policy, this representative will be chosen from English-speaking Africa, complementing our sitting representative from French-speaking Africa, Honore Sietso from Togo.
Dr. Amelita Go, one of the Regional Representatives from Asia-Pacific, continues her service as chair of the Nominating Committee and is managing the process of this new election.
IYV+10…THE COUNTDOWN CONTINUES
ONLY 13 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.
UPDATE ON THE 2011 WORLD VOLUNTEER CONFERENCE
[This report comes to us from Tan Chee Koon, former executive director of the National Volunteering and Philanthropy Centre in Singapore and also former member of the IAVE board. She now is leading preparation for the next World Volunteer Conference.]
Jan 24-27 2011. Mark these dates for that is when IAVE gets the International Year of Volunteers +10 going with its 21st World Volunteer Conference in the bustling city state of Singapore. IAVE herself celebrates her 40th anniversary on this occasion, so it will be one big happening bash for those of us who play a part in growing volunteerism worldwide.
Just as IYV in 2001 got off to a roaring start with IAVE’s 16th World Volunteer Conference in Amsterdam, the idea here is that IVY +10 too will get off to an auspicious start with IAVE’s Singapore conference. And auspicious it promises to be as it will be held in the immediate period leading up to the celebration of Lunar New Year in Singapore when the island is bedecked in festive colors to celebrate this very auspicious occasion for the Chinese.
Held on the resort island of Sentosa in the new integrated resort that will be completed in early 2010 called Resorts World, participants are in for a great treat as the resort boasts world class conference facilities and attractions such as Universal Studios, a festive walk, shops and interesting eateries.
Organised in partnership with local host agency the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre of Singapore, IAVE’s 21st world conference has as its theme “Volunteering to Change the World”. The conference organizers are working to bring together a line-up of first class speakers to demonstrate the power that volunteers wield in bringing about change. The conference will highlight significant volunteer programs that are making impactful change around the world, showcase examples of individuals who have successfully grown their program, raise leadership and volunteer management issues, draw attention to volunteering trends as well as present significant examples of corporate engagement. Each plenary track will be supported by its respective workshop sessions.
We will be announcing more speakers with each issue, but for starters, movie actress Michelle Yeoh of James Bond and Crouching Tiger fame will make an appearance at the conference as one celebrity who has chosen to champion, amongst many of her causes, road safety, given that road deaths now fall within the top 10 list of killers globally.
IAVE and NVPC are targeting at least 1000 participants to take part in this conference, which is accompanied, as with past conferences, by its youth conference. The youth conference venue is in the exciting city campus of the Singapore Management University, NVPC’s venue host partner. There is space for just 300 participants. Overseas delegates have a choice of a wide range of backpacker hotels in the vicinity with rates of under US$50 per night. Accommodation at Resorts World hotels have been specially negotiated at S$300 per night ( approx US $220), but there will be a full range of hotels and beds available on the mainland to suit all budgets once online registration formally begins in Jan 2010 with early bird fees at US $400 for IAVE members.
The regular fee is at US $500, which includes the opening night buffet reception (experience “yu sheng” tossing) and the farewell dinner during which IAVE will celebrate its 40th birthday.
For more information and to keep posted on conference developments, please email kenny@nvpc.org.sg. NVPC’s website is at http://www.nvpc.org.sg. Suggestions on finer topics and workshop presenters are also welcome at this juncture.
Jan 24-27 2011. Dates not to be missed, for those serious about what it takes to change the world through volunteerism.
THE CALENDAR
So with all of the new decisions made at the IAVE board meeting here is how IAVE’s calendar is shaping up.
June 2010 North American Regional Meeting at the National Conference on
Volunteering and Service in New York City
Meeting of the IAVE Board of Directors in New York City (to be
confirmed)
July 2010 Arab Nations Regional Conference in Lebanon (to be confirmed)
September 2010 Latin America Regional Conference in Colombia
January 2011 21st World Volunteer Conference in Singapore in partnership with the
National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre
November 2011 Global Youth Volunteer Summit in Barranquilla, Colombia in partnership
with Partners of the Americas
13th Asia-Pacific Regional Conference in South Korea
September 2012 22nd World Volunteer Conference in Ireland in partnership with
Volunteering Ireland
NEWS FROM IAVE MEMBERS
MEET VOLUNTEERING IRELAND
Never heard of Volunteering Ireland before? Well, here is a chance to get to know a bit about them. We visited their very informative and well-organized web site for this article. You can learn even more by going there, too – http://www.volunteeringireland.ie/.
Here is what they say about themselves:
“Volunteering Ireland, the National Volunteer Development Agency, is a peak body for all organisations involving volunteers in their work and a representative voice for volunteering in Ireland. We are an independent membership-based organisation that inspires, promotes, supports and celebrates voluntary activity in Ireland as a way of strengthening participative democracy and building social capital. In addition to our remit within Ireland, we support the work of Irish-based overseas development agencies that involve volunteers in their work through a number of initiatives.
“Our vision is for Ireland to be a country that brings alive the principles of active citizenship, enables participation and empowers everyone to be involved in all aspects of Irish society through voluntary activity in the neighborhood, community and world we live in.
“[Our aims are]:
– To inspire everyone to get involved and make the best contribution that they can through volunteering.
– To promote volunteering and active citizenship in all it’s forms to the public, media, organisations and policy makers.
– To support organisations in developing skills to make volunteering a fulfilling and rewarding experience for both the organisations and the volunteers.
– To celebrate volunteering.
“[Our main work areas are]:
• Advocacy: On behalf of membership and those actively volunteering, Volunteering Ireland acts as a representative voice in relevant government and public arenas, both in Ireland and overseas.
• Research: We undertake research in areas relating to volunteering in Ireland with the intention of providing evidence to support the need for development and funding in the sector. We disseminate the research conducted by others into volunteering related issues.
• Organizational Development: We have a range of services and interventions that support organisations to build capacity for the effective involvement of volunteers. As experts in the field of volunteering we offer a consultancy service to help you identify and address the unique needs of your organisation. We also offer a range of training courses in all aspects of volunteer management. Volunteering Ireland has extensive experience in the design and delivery of courses, having been established in 1997 with a remit to deliver training nationally.
• Promoting Volunteering: At Volunteering Ireland, we aim to promote and celebrate volunteering as much as we can through various projects and events including the Ireland InVOLved Awards and Dublin City Volunteer Week.
• Inclusive Volunteering: In these changing times, we see a strong correlation between groups who have traditionally been excluded from society and the benefits of volunteering for these individuals. It is our commitment to help facilitate, support, and develop programs by which these individuals can find positive volunteer opportunities and in turn become active members of their communities and society.
• Infrastructure Development: We commit to continuing to build the supports for the work of volunteers in Ireland in both a domestic and international arena, and will offer national platforms for celebration and recognition of their contribution
“Volunteering Ireland is the brainchild of Carmichael Centre for Voluntary Groups – Ireland’s largest centre for voluntary organisations. By the late 1990s, volunteering rates in Ireland were starting to decline slightly.
“Carmichael Centre and its 46 member groups had had many years’ firsthand experience of volunteer-driven organisations and the challenges they can bring. Unlike most countries, there was no place in the Republic of Ireland where organisations could go for practical help with volunteering issues, nor with the very real task of finding more volunteers. At the same time, many individuals who had time to spare, were experiencing difficulties linking in with the thousands of groups that were looking for volunteers. Thus the idea of a resource centre devoted to volunteering was born.
“In February 1997, a volunteer on a college placement finalized a feasibility study into the setting up of a volunteering unit at Carmichael Centre, which was used as the basis of a funding proposal to the National Social Service Board. In November of that year, a part-time Manager was recruited to develop the volunteering unit. The Volunteer Resource Centre was officially launched by Mary Banotti MEP around the time of International Volunteer Day in December 1998.
“At the Ireland Involved event in December 2001, Volunteering Ireland was launched as an independent organisation.
“Elaine Bradley has been CEO of Volunteering Ireland since April 2007. Before taking up this post Elaine worked as a consultant, specializing in the enhancement of capability and strategic development of organisations in the nonprofit sector through a range of interventions including organizational development and change management. Elaine has extensive experience in the community and voluntary sector in both a paid and voluntary capacity. Elaine holds a degree in training and education from NUI Galway and an MSc (Business) in Organizational Behavior from Trinity College.”
We are pleased to welcome Volunteering Ireland as IAVE’s partner in the 2012 World Volunteer Conference. HOORAY!!!
VOLUNTEERING AUSTRALIA ANNOUNCES ITS 2010 NATIONAL CONFERENCE
[This comes to us via Kylee Bates, one of our Regional Representatives for Asia-Pacific.]
Volunteering Australia has announced the dates for its next National Conference on Volunteering – October 27-29, 2010 at the Sebel Albert Park on Queens Road Melbourne.
The best way to keep in touch with announcements regarding the conference is to subscribe to Volunteering Australia’s e-newsletter Involve. It is an excellent regular publication with information, ideas and resource materials. Just go to www.volunteeringaustralia.org to register for the newsletter.
AND ONE MORE THING…
MEET OUR NEW BOARD MEMBERS
We are pleased to introduce two of our new board members.
David Styers is Senior Governance Consultant at BoardSource, an NGO based in Washington DC that is dedicated to advancing the public good by building exceptional nonprofit boards of directors. In this role, he provides consultation services to help strengthen the board of directors of NGOs. He previously served as Senior Director for Volunteer Center Development and National Partnerships at the Points of Light Foundation and the Volunteer Center National Network. He also served as Vice Chair of the board of directors of the Council for Certification in Volunteer Administration.
Sam Santiago is Director Workforce Giving & Volunteerism at American Airlines and Vice President of the American Giving Employee Charitable Fund. In this role, he implemented the first corporate volunteering program for over 80,000 American employees located throughout 250 cities in 40 countries around the world. A 20-year employee of American Airlines and its parent company, AMR, Sam has served in a variety of operational roles, moving into his current position in 2007. American has been a GCVC member since the fall of 2008. Sam leads the efforts of GCVC’s Marketing and Communications Committee.
