by Chiponda Chimbelu

22 September 2010

Bonn, Germany: On 17 September, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme hosted two Right Livelihood Award Laureates, Francisco Whitaker (Brazil) and Plenty International, represented by Peter Schweitzer (USA). The guests discussed volunteerism and social activism with UNV Executive Coordinator Flavia Pansieri as part of a series of events that took place during the annual meeting of the Right Livelihood Award Laureates, held in Bonn from 14-19 September.
 
A few moments were taken to show solidarity for this year’s Stand Up Against Poverty Campaign. Everyone in the room stood for two minutes while Ms Pansieri read the pledge. This act in a way highlighted the 2010 Right Livelihood Award’s theme, “Changing Course – Reclaiming our future – 30 years Right Livelihood Award.”

Social activists and volunteers have played a major role in changing the course of our future and continue to do so. But is there a difference between social activists and volunteers? Mr Whitaker, one of the founders of the World Social Forum and an activist, who has worked for democracy and fought corruption in Brazil throughout his life, feels that there is no difference between social activists and volunteers.
 
But critics argue that volunteers just skate the surface. These critics reflect the stereotype some have of a volunteer, a young and idealist person, Ms Pansieri said; but there is a continuum between social activism and volunteerism, and there is no way of saying where one starts and ends.

“(Volunteerism) is not just ‘do-goodism’. What volunteers do makes a difference,” she added. And it makes a difference in the lives of the volunteers and those affected by their acts.

Volunteerism has been a journey of growth for us and our volunteers, said Mr. Schweitzer, Plenty International Executive Director. Founded in 1974, Plenty International (also called the ‘Hippie Peace Corps’ by some) began as part of the 60s Peace movement. In its early days, only members of the organization were allowed to take part in the organizations voluntary actions, which included missions to Guatemala in the aftermath of the 1976 earthquake that left 23,000 dead and more than 1.2 million homeless.

Volunteerism and social activism are processes through which the individual and the environment they are working in undergo change. For Ms. Pansieri, “engaging in volunteerism is the most enriching activity.” But can today’s communication tools, especially social media, be used to build networks of volunteers or social activists? Plenty International has a website, a blog and is present on YouTube. Also, the organization has donated computers to indigenous populations in different countries to allow them to connect and share their experiences virtually.

Still in spite of the technological advances in social activism and volunteerism, young people associate social activism with alternative lifestyles, a member of the audience said. “(But) young people are more advanced today than they were 30 or 40 years ago,” Mr. Schweitzer argued.

Indeed, young people are advanced, and many are using technology for volunteerism and social activism. Thousands are able to volunteer via the numerous resources today, and online volunteering is growing. One of UNV’s thousands of online volunteers, Tiffany Shaw Diaz, was even featured on CNN for making a difference. UNV and organizations like Plenty International and the World Social Forum are allowing people to come together and make a difference on the ground and through the Internet.

See the video of the event