Volunteering and Social Activism: Pathways for Participation in Human Development

CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, the International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE), and the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme have published a joint discussion paper based on a study undertaken by the three organisations in 2007-2008. The paper explores how both volunteering and social activism are important strategies for fostering people's participation in social change and human development. It suggests that volunteering and social activism have the potential to help foster the level and diversity of participation needed to confront major tensions and development challenges. It seeks to promote a shared understanding of how diverse forms of volunteerism contribute to the achievement of development objectives in general, and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in particular.

From the Introduction:

"The study drew on inputs from all three partner organisations, engaged a geographically diverse range of over 100 volunteer-involving organisations, and tapped the experience of individuals from 54 countries. Participants in the study ranged from community based organisations (CBOs) to large international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and included volunteer centres, volunteer-sending organisations, youth service initiatives, research centres, and institutes, as well as civil society organisations (CSOs) focused on human rights, the environment, gender-based violence, health, good governance, humanitarian issues and international development.

The study shows that diverse interpretations of volunteering are shaped by different contexts and experiences. Taken together, however, they help us understand the range of actions by which people seek to effect positive social change in the circumstances that produce conditions of poverty, inequality and under-development around the world. Central to an understanding of these actions is the notion of people’s participation, which expresses solidarity, fosters social cohesion and promotes participatory development.

This discussion paper explores the following questions, drawing on the above-mentioned background study:

• How is volunteering and social activism understood?
  
• How do volunteering and social activism foster people’s participation?
  
• What is the relationship between participation and development?
  
• What is required to widen and sustain participation?"