المبادرة العربية لدعم ثقافة التطوع 2010-2011

 ARAB INITIATIVE TO FOSTER
A CULTURE OF VOLUNTEERING 2010-2011

SUMMARY
The United Nations has designated 2011 as International Year of Volunteers + 10. This Initiative provides a framework to capitalize on IYV+10  to motivate individuals, organizations, service institutions, schools, universities, government agencies, and socially responsible businesses throughout the Arab World to work together to strengthen and improve volunteering in the region. 

BASIC OBJECTIVES OF THE INITIATIVE
COMPONENTS OF THE INITIATIVE
VOLUNTEERING: Clarification of the Term
PARTNERS FOR THE INITIATIVE
FIRST IAVE REGIONAL CONFERENCE FOR THE ARAB NATIONS - 2010
INITIATOR AND COORDINATOR OF THE INITIATIVE

BASIC OBJECTIVES OF THE INITIATIVE
§Bring together key people in volunteerism in the Arab World to share knowledge, experiences, and needs regarding volunteering in the region.
§Provide basic training, as well as orientation to other training opportunities available, with the goal of expanding and improving the core of specialists in volunteerism in the Arab World, drawing on Arab cultural traditions and experiences, as well as expertise from within the region and worldwide.
§Develop effective service programs for elementary, intermediate, and secondary schools, technical schools, and universities that foster a culture of volunteering.
§Provide funding opportunities for those who would develop major sustainable volunteer development projects in their countries in 2011.
§Provide information, models, support, and advocacy for the development of national volunteer policies in countries of the region.
§Develop mechanisms for networking, resource development, sharing, collaboration, and mutual support among those who promote volunteering in the region that will last long after 2011.


COMPONENTS OF THE INITIATIVE
§The launching of the Initiative after establishing an advisory board for the Initiative, recruiting initial partners and sponsors, and setting a basic schedule and framework.
§An initial training and sharing conference (September 15-18, 2010).
§A training workshop July 12-18, 2010 for educational specialists, to develop Learning to CARE teams in different Arab countries to train schools in how to develop effective school service programs.
§The funding and follow-up of initiatives to promote and develop volunteer programs in poorer Arab countries (to be proposed within two months of the conference, planned in 2010 and 2011, and implemented throughout 2011).
§A series of web seminars to allow interactive networking and support throughout the Initiative period.
§The collection of available resources (books, videos, government documents) to support volunteerism in the region.
§The translation into Arabic and cultural adaptation of selected resources.
§The development of culturally authentic children’s book, videos, and other materials in Arabic to help support a culture of volunteering in the region.
§The development of an online clearinghouse in Arabic to make resources easily available online.
§The collection and evaluation of previous research and the development and implementation of new research on volunteerism across the region.
§A second conference in 2011 (IYV+10), ideally around the date of December 5 (International Volunteer Day) in which Arab countries share what they have done since the first conference to promote volunteering, and to determine next steps in the development of volunteering in the region.
 
VOLUNTEERING: Clarification of the Term
Volunteering, as presented here, has three criteria:
     The work is done for good- for the benefit of society.
     The person does it for free (without financial compensation for the services provided).
     The person freely chooses to do it (not required or coerced).
 
This is different from most UN Volunteering, Peace Corps, and other programs that give cost-of-living stipends to “volunteers”. While a few people can be full-time volunteers according to these criteria, in most cases, this kind of volunteering is part-time, and done alongside of one’s work or studies (after work/school, weekends, holidays, and vacations). It is an integral part of citizenship and civic engagement, and can either be done within existing institutions or as new initiatives to address a social need.
 
This includes volunteering for:
§Service institutions (hospitals, schools, elderly homes, institutions for those with disabilities, museums, orphanages, concert halls, etc.)
§Voluntary organizations that serve a diversity of causes
§Government agencies (municipalities, ministries of health, environment, education, etc.)
§Emergency preparedness and relief
§Special initiatives to serve a short term need

With very few exceptions, people of all ages, abilities, and social circumstances can volunteer, given appropriate opportunities to do so, including:
§Youth, through their schools and youth organizations, and through family volunteering
§Working people through corporate volunteering (volunteering of staff and their families promoted and facilitated by companies)
§People who are not employed
§Elderly and retired people
§People with disabilities

What is seriously lacking in the region is:
§Awareness of more professional approaches to volunteering.
§Government policies to support and encourage volunteering, and to remove existing constraints.
§A core of specialists who can provide training and consultation to institutions and organizations that wish to establish effective volunteer programs or improve programs that already exist.
§Opportunities to share expertise, resources, and experiences (conferences, webinars, workshops, websites).
§Written and audio-visual materials in Arabic to support volunteer programs:
§Training materials  
§Workbooks/textbooks for youth
§Manuals – how-to guides on different types of volunteering
§Books, videos, and other materials for children to develop a spirit of volunteering

PARTNERS FOR THE INITIATIVE
A wide variety of partners are needed to provide the expertise, contacts, experience, and resources to make this Initiative a reality. The three Strategic Partners of the Initiative are:

1) Association for Volunteer Services (AVS)
The Association for Volunteer Services is the coordinating partner of this Initiative. AVS was established to promote, facilitate, and improve volunteering and community service throughout Lebanon and beyond. It has had 10 years of experience in developing programs and providing consulting and training on all aspects of volunteerism, not only in Lebanon, but also in Egypt, Kuwait, the UAE, and Syria. Its President and Director, Dr. Patricia Nabti, is the initiator and coordinator of this Initiative and is the Regional Representative of the International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE) for the Arab Nations (2009-2011). AVS has been the National Representative of IAVE in Lebanon since 2003.
 
2) The International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE)
The International Association for Volunteer Effort is a primary partner in the Initiative, providing it with international recognition and credibility. IAVE was created in 1970 by a small group of people from throughout the world who shared a common vision of how volunteers can contribute:

• To the solution of human and social problems, and
• To the development of bridges of understanding among people of all nations.

3) Arab Thought Foundation (ATF) – www.arabthought.org

The Arab Thought Foundation is a non-governmental independent foundation established in 2001. It was launched and founded by HRH Prince Khalid Al Faisal. ATF’s headquarters are located in Beirut, Lebanon. It is a joint initiative between businessmen and intellectuals to promote Arab core principles, values and morals within the confines of responsible freedom. It is concerned with all fields of knowledge, covering sciences, culture and the arts. It works to bring together the intellectual discourses and cultural actions that advocate Arab solidarity, development and the preservation of Arab identity

Other Program Partners
In addition, the Initiative includes a broad spectrum of other partners (both regional and international) who are integrally involved with content and are active participants in Initiative programs (attending conferences and trainings, contributing their expertise, sharing their experiences, developing resources, suggesting and recruiting participants, and establishing their own volunteer initiatives within the larger regional Initiative). These include:

4) Sponsoring Partner(s):
The Initiative will need many other contributing sponsors from within the region and beyond who will provide monetary and in-kind contributions to support the different components of the Initiative, including the conference, training programs, and national initiatives of some of the poorer Arab countries. These sponsors might include embassies, businesses, foundations, government agencies, and non-governmental organizations. In return, they will be officially recognized for the support they provide and will have the satisfaction of knowing that they have significantly contributed to the development of volunteerism in the region.

FIRST IAVE REGIONAL CONFERENCE FOR THE ARAB NATIONS - 2010

For details, click here.

Arab Initiative to Foster a Culture of Volunteering (English) pdf file, click here.
المبادرة العربية لدعم ثقافة التطوع (Arabic) pdf file, click here.

 INITIATOR AND COORDINATOR OF THE INITIATIVE
Patricia Nabti, Ph.D.
Director, Association for Volunteer Services
Representative of the Arab Nations (2009-2012) for the
International Association for Volunteer Effort/IAVE
961-1-449470    961-3-757098
pnabti@avs.org.lb   

INITIATIVE MANAGER
Dalal Farah
961-1-449536    961-70-571924
initiative@avs.org.lb