Volunteers, development workers and experts
Programme Models
Cliff AllumChief Executive Officer, Skillshare International
President, International Forum on Development Service
Presentation to Study-Visit for NMS-NGDOs on Expert-Sending
3 March 2008
About Forum• We facilitate the sharing of information, through our
website, news updates, sharing of knowledge and experiences.
• We commission and undertake research, as well as facilitating members’ involvement in research into issues around international volunteering.
• We organise an annual conference known as IVCO.
This conference is primarily concerned with issues of change, redefining International Volunteering and offering opportunities to learn about new models of activity.
About Skillshare International
• One of four UK based long term volunteer agencies
• Geographical focus on Africa and Asia• Key focus of social change• Uses a variety of international volunteering
models as well as range of other development inputs
• Annual turnover around E7million
The Origins of “International Volunteering”
A view from the 1960s: the two year model
– Low cost philanthropy– Aid for development (including technical
assistance)– Public relations between countries– Education for the volunteers
Low cost philanthropy
“It is possible to think of volunteer programmes in terms of sending philanthropic people to places where they can do charitable jobs – and maintaining them there at minimal cost “
ODI - 1966
Aid for development (including technical assistance)
• International Volunteering as a “valuable and inexpensive addition to other technical assistance programmes.”
• a two year model for volunteers providing technical assistance, a subsidised benefits package, training and adaptation prior to placement
Aid for development (including technical assistance)
A move to greater technical “expertise”– Demand led by local partners– Poverty focus and economic development
objectives– Supply side - broadening opportunities to
“volunteer” at different stages of our life cycle– Is it volunteering or a job? – a range of
motivations
Public relations between countries
• Long term programmes are very often state led or state funded and are located as part of the relationship between nation states
• Can be understood in the context of colonial and “cold war” history
• Can be understood in the context of economic co-operation
Education for the volunteers
• Building the leaders of the future – the historic elite model of Peace Corps in the USA
• Raising awareness back in the “home” country – the role of those returning in public engagement
The journey
• From solidarity to technical assistance?• From inputs to outcomes?• From voluntarism to “professionalism”?• From mission to commodity?• A diversity of models
Breaking the Mould
“In the past, International Volunteer Co-operation Organisations (IVCOs) typically
focused on volunteer sending. Today however this mould has been broken and IVCOs are now engaging in a wide range
of activities”
Development Initiatives 2006 survey report
Programme models - how they have changed and developed
• Refining the technical assistance model– Agencies as capacity builders of development rather
than senders of volunteers or experts (widespread)– Integrated forms of technical assistance with other
agencies (DED)– Development or relief?
• Beyond North South models – Breaking down the nationalism in programmes– South-south as an emergent model (UNV, VSO,
Skillshare, Progressio)
Programme models - how they have changed and developed
• Exchange / partnership model– Principle of reciprocity (FK Norway, CCI)
• Exchanges for young people – development or global understanding?– Canada World Youth,
• Bringing in young people – global understanding rather than development?
- German and UK Governments
Programme models - how they have changed and developed
• Short term / leave franchise – Retired executive professionals– Welcome to the corporate sector, career and personal
development– Supply side realities
• Online volunteering– UNV leading the way – An alternative or an additional model?
The JOCV Model
• Part of JICA, so essentially a governmental run programme
• Has a strong resemblance to the traditional two year model
• Strategic agreement between JOCV and Peace Corps since 2005 for joint co-operation
The JICA Model – how it works
• “JICA’s volunteer programme is designed to optimize volunteers’ knowledge, technical know-how and valuable experience for the benefit of local people in developing countries while they live with locals” JICA promotional leafet
Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) programme
• 2,500 people between the ages of 20-39 working in 77 countries in 120 different fields
• They are mainly assigned to governmental organisations
• Term is basically two years
• Short term can be from one to ten months
Volunteers for Japanese Communities Overseas
• Assigned to support the development of areas where local Japanese communities are located, living and working with Japanese immigrants and their descendents in overseas communities
• Usually work in education, culture and health care/social welfare
• Japanese language education takes up most of the posts
• 50 people in 6 countries• Has a senior volunteer programme (mainly south
America) with 36 people in 6 countries
Senior Volunteers (SV) programme
• Age range 40 – 69• 650 assignments in 53 countries• Assigned to government organisations for 1 to 2
years• Short term programme also applies to the SV
programme• System engineering, computer engineering,
organic farming, wood processing, judo and karate… (nine assigned fields)
How it works
• Requests made from partner governments through their partnership with the Japanese government
• After requests accepted, recruitment and screening process, “pre-dispatch training” and volunteers sent
• On return debriefing sessions and training• Living expenses and airfare costs met by JICA
How it works – some reflections
• The volunteer is pitched at the practical or community level and has a relationship with the experts at higher or central levels. There are parallels with the Korean agency – Koica
• This is a simple uncomplicated model that has not changed much over a long period of time
Recruitment and Selection of personnel
• Assessment of placement and drawing up person specification
• Two key components:– Technical– Personal - will they make a development worker?
• Assessment centre or interview(s)?• Ongoing process during per placement phase?• Reviewing diversity – are you recruiting a wide enough
range of people ?
Briefing, training, learning
• Pre departure– Knowledge base of where the development worker is going and
the partner organisation. Direct contact?– Dealing with expectations and cultural adaptation – the “six
month rule”• During Placement
– Orientation and familiarisation– Ongoing professional development
• Post placement– Preparing to return– On return – public engagement
Key Future trends
• International Voluntarism in a post – colonial period:– Technical assistance provider– Capacity builder– Facilitator of partnerships– Development at the door of emergency relief
• Flexibility and diversity in models• Global citizenship• Shifting geographical focus of the sources of
volunteers
International voluntarism in the future
• Will the nation state model decline?
• Will international voluntarism become global in its thinking?
• Will the consumerist model become more dominant?
• Will future generations engage more with “virtual” volunteering?
• Will IVCOs become multi-national?
