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August 2010
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THIS MONTH'S TOPICS
1. FROM THE SERVICE: UNV Online Volunteering Award 2010: Nominations now open
2. EXPERIENCE: Youth action online
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1. FROM THE SERVICE: UNV Online Volunteering Award 2010: Nominations now open
The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is calling for nominations for the UNV Online Volunteering Award 2010, which will be presented to ten online volunteers or teams of online volunteers for their contributions towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The online collaboration must date back less than two years, and must have been facilitated through the UNV Online Volunteering service. The winners of the award will be announced on International Volunteer Day (IVD), 5 December 2010.
Following UNV’s theme for IVD, "Volunteering for the MDGs", the purpose of this award is to recognize online volunteers’ contributions to achieving the MDGs, to showcase the many ways in which online volunteers can strengthen the capacities of organizations, and to demonstrate the difference volunteers can make to peace and development projects by sharing their time, skills and expertise over the Internet.
Nominations may be submitted until 8 September 2010. For detailed information and to access the nomination form, please go to About the award.
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2. EXPERIENCE: Youth action online
To mark International Youth Day and the beginning of the International Year of Youth on 12 August 2010, the following stories highlight the contributions of young online volunteers to organizations that aiming to empower youth. In 2009, 82 percent of volunteers engaged via the UNV Online Volunteering service were between 18 and 35 years old, and the featured examples demonstrate that online volunteering is a powerful tool to strengthen youth participation.
Organizing a youth conference in Ghana
Pajaaf is a Ghanaian foundation that serves underprivileged children, youth and women. Youth leaders in the communities, which Pajaaf serves, have expressed the desire to share knowledge with other youth around the world. In response, Pajaaf is working to hold an international youth conference in Ghana on the theme “Youth engaging Youth on the MDGs”. Online volunteers are helping Paajaf make this ambitious project happen. “They are working hard to help us organize this international youth event in Ghana”, says Executive Director Philip K. Appiah.
Kalinda Russell, 31, from Australia, coordinates a team of online volunteers, draws up project plans, writes grant proposals and helps Paajaf seek partnerships with charity organizations. Kalinda has a background in education and brings ten years of experience managing social programmes: ”I have facilitated international youth programmes, worked as a leadership coach to indigenous Australian women and young people, as a volunteer helping migrant and refugee youth settle in Australia, as a facilitator of youth roundtables for marginalised youth sectors, and much more. The Paajaf foundation is working to support the development needs of underprivileged children, youth and women, which is deeply aligned with my own passion. It’s really fulfilling working without thought of personal gain, and I’m learning more everyday about the priorities and issues facing non-profit NGOs in Africa!”
Tommaso Bareato, 31, from Italy and currently living in the U.K., is helping the foundation, together with other online volunteers, develop and manage the budget and obtain funding. “We have started a few months ago and there is still a long way to go, but we are making progress! I am keen to channel my free time and business skills to help Paajaf Foundation in its quest to promote the UN Millennium Development Goals in Ghana.”
Bringing Indian Youth Leader Magazine to life
The Youth Leader Magazine hosted by the German Positive Nett-Works e.V. Association is a learning and action-oriented online magazine for youth, with a worldwide outreach via regional and local editions. Providing information on success stories of groundbreaking change initiatives, solutions and tools to address development issues, the magazine inspires and empowers youth to take their own initiatives forward and address local issues.
Hundreds of young online volunteers are contributing as writers, translators, editors and coordinators. “It is a win-win relationship,” says Creative Director Eric Schneider. “While we receive valuable help, our volunteers experience exceptional inspiration through the magazine. They experience a change of world view, especially in regards to young people's and citizens' potentials. This not only kindles a new feeling of hope and positive outlook to the future, but it also fuels their own commitment for being part of positive change. Volunteers respond with changes of lifestyle, sharing it in their circle of friends and starting outreach measures to local schools”.
Ritika Verma, 23, from India, a young Mass Media graduate specialized in Journalism, had initially joined in as an English writer to cover stories from her country. “But as I saw the potential of the website, I took up the initiative to start the national edition (www.youthleader.in). Together with around 30 online volunteers, we've brought the magazine to life.
I work on the site almost the whole day, around 5 hours at least. I write, coordinate with volunteers for articles and sometimes help in editing as well. We hold online jam sessions on Skype to coordinate our work, and also I keep updating the status of new stories and more on Twitter and Facebook. I create contacts online, and on the ground. I am in touch with various veteran journalists and professors of Mumbai University, who are all keen to support the cause. I visited Manipal University in South India to meet the Media faculty and students, which resulted in them volunteering for the magazine. I have media students from several colleges supporting our cause by writing stories, taking photographs, creating posters and spreading the word. I've invested personally in the development of the Indian edition site and am looking forward to converting it into a print publication in future.
I've learnt about various initiatives and individuals in my country specifically, and also across the globe. Eric has been very kind to teach us about various issues and in depth analysis of certain causes. I've come across people who are young social entrepreneurs to professionals who've chosen the un-trodden path of non-profit organisations, and been highly motivated and inspired by them. Being an online volunteer is an amazing experience. It's like being part of this huge human workforce, which is everywhere!”
Empowering youth to take action for the MDGs
A team of eight online volunteers is supporting the communication and outreach activities of Young People We Care (YPWC), a youth-led NGO based in Ghana that empowers young people to take action for key development issues such as climate change, global migration and the MDGs. They issue newsletters, update the website and moderate online discussions on various development issues. “YPWC, through the support of online volunteers, embraces the theme of the International Year of Youth, "Dialogue and Mutual Understanding", not just in principle but also in practice as we will continue to involve young online volunteers in initiatives like the 2010 Online Youth Consultation on Migration and Development, which provides youth an online platform to exchange views and ideas on global migration, enhancing youth participation in the migration discourse”, explains Michael Boampong, the founder of YPWC.
Gavaza Maluleke, 26, is from South Africa and currently working in the Republic of Korea as an English teacher. With two other online volunteers, Gavaza is writing the YPWC newsletter. ”I am currently working on my Master’s thesis for a Degree in International Development, and I have learnt a lot about where to find information about this field. YPWC is a great organization that has a lot of information on issues related to youth around the world.”
Ausrine Pasakarnyte, 25, from Lithuania, is one of the online volunteers who are facilitating the online consultation. Having not yet reached the minimum age of 25 to become a UN Volunteer in the field, “I decided to start with an online experience and then move on. When I applied to YPWC, I had just finished my studies in political science at university and was knowledgeable about the topic “, Ausrine recalls. She has moderated the annual discussion forum in two consecutive years, and is planning to continue her engagement this year. “I have learned that young people from all over the world are interested and have knowledge on migration. But most of all, that they are eager to make the situation in their country better, not just leave for ‘better pastures’”. Ausrine finds her online volunteering experience powerful and motivating. “The sense of belonging to a group of people from all over the world makes me even more interested and motivated”.
Hamida Rehman, 35, U.K., started her involvement with YPWC proofreading and editing material before she embarked on the role of Web Content Manager. Besides regularly updating the site, Hamida has added a forum and other functionalities. “These changes have made the YPWC website ‘an outstanding one’, more youth- and user-friendly according to the testimonials of our online community members. Through my engagement with YPWC I help youth to air their concerns about global issues and provide them with resources and tools to take action for the Millennium Development Goals, hence creating a better future for themselves and their community. I am a mother of four children and I have worked in the commercial sector, but I have always remained committed to contributing to YPWC, and will continue to do so as I take pride in being an online volunteer and a member of YPWC”.
