Organization: Canadian Red Cross

Volunteer position: International and Youth Services Leadership Volunteer

Duration: February 2003-June 2007 (position ended upon gaining employment as Coordinator of the program)

What I learned: The most important thing I learned as a volunteer in this program was the civilian impact of conflict. In my team of volunteers we raised awareness across the Niagara Region and other cities in the Province of Ontario about humanitarian issues in conflict such as the global impact of indiscriminate weapons use (i.e. landmines and cluster munitions), and how vulnerable populations are impacted by conflict such as women, children as child soldiers and refugees, and migrants. The Seven Fundamental Principles of the Red Cross/Red Crescent movement became and will always be my guiding principles for raising awareness about humanitarian issues.

I also learned much about the real impact of raising awareness through presentations and workshops, from the mechanics of tracking outcomes (i.e. number of attendees, pre-test, post-test, and evaluation scores) to monumental indirect outcomes such as follow-up campaigning and fundraising from inspired attendees, as well as follow-up service and policy changes from stakeholders in the field.

What I accomplished: In my volunteer team, we piloted the first scripted presentation for the Canadian Red Cross Even Wars Have Limits Campaign and utilized high profile support in the form of a guest presentation from a local de-mining officer with his de-mining dog. We also included the always compelling relief video from the IFRC: ”Where the Streets Have No Name” with the song generously donated by U2. As the team evolved, I helped market and deliver over 20 Even Wars Have Limits assembly sized presentations (audience of 500-1500) across the Niagara Region which inspired many follow-up campaigns and donations from local high schools.

Organization: Corporation of the City of Kitchener

Volunteer Position: Volunteer Research Consultant

Duration: February 2010-June 2010

What I learned: How to harness my qualitative research skills and interest the public in an innovative participation process through facilitation of a World Cafe.

What I accomplished: With an intern co-leader I helped develop a World Cafe Facilitator’s Toolkit for a round of Who Are You Kitchener 2, a citizen engagement process that allows the public to choose success indicators for the City of Kitchener so that a citizen council can evaluate City of Kitchener Departments on an annual basis. By delivering a presentation to launch the facilitator’s toolkit to staff and volunteers of the Corporation of the City of Kitchener, I helped gain faith from staff and volunteers in the qualitative research process. By co-facilitating one of the scheduled World Cafes and evaluating one of the indicators that re-emerged (Environment), I witnessed first-hand the power of individual and collective input to influence the operations of Municipal Government.

Organization: Ian Somerhalder Foundation

Volunteer Position: Volunteer Consultant

Duration: January 2011-October 2011

What I learned: How to maximize outreach, support and engagement to affect real change by connecting with networks of like-minded organizations, grassroots support groups, major media outlets, and celebrities using social media. I also increased my eco-know-how and discovered how connecting with individuals who are passionate about similar causes via social media can spark a few long-lasting professional relationships and friendships.

What I accomplished: In a small volunteer team, I helped behind the scenes to research, write, and launch the organization’s first campaign to lobby the BC Ministry of Agriculture for stronger animal cruelty penalties and a retirement plan preserving the lives of working animals. This followed the slaughter of 100 sled dogs in Whistler, BC. With the support of over 60,000 people who signed our petition, celebrities, and major media outlets the Foundation was named as one of the top influencers in the task force report. Once the BC Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act was amended according to the recommendations in the Task Force Report, the Foundation celebrated our efforts as a major success. In my volunteer team, we were also responsible for gaining the Foundation a partnership with the Best Friends Animal Society.

I also lead a team of international youth volunteers and supporters in the Foundation’s participation in the upcoming UN Rio+20 Summit on Sustainable Development in 2012.  This involved writing the Foundation’s first campaign page and developing a Sustainable Development Survey seeking input from our youth audience towards the Foundation’s contribution to the MGCY Zero Draft document.  After analyzing the survey responses and sharing the results with the international youth team, the survey results were compiled with their additional input so that I could write our contribution in the form of feedback to the draft of the Zero Draft from the Major Group Children and Youth. The final Zero Draft document from the Major Group Children and Youth which included feedback from contributing organizations like the Ian Somerhalder Foundation was submitted to the UNCSD on November 1^st, 2011.

Special thanks to all who retweeted the post!

Changing the Face of Youth Leadership in 2011: Vampire Support

What do you get when you combine environmentally conscientious vampire craze fans with innovative grassroots web campaigns that support a partner organization founded by a celebrity role model? Vampire Support, a promising youth-led organization for 2011 with a mission to “raise awareness about causes by using the vampire phenomenon to start projects and encourage the world’s youth to speak up for what they believe in.”
Its founders Chloe Dawn and Amber Davis have led several campaigns already to support the launch of the Ian Somerhalder Foundation and help with Gulf of Mexico relief through theNational Wildlife Federation. Their new campaign requires youth to demonstrate their awareness of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico to compete in a raffle for a basket of Twilight prizes. All proceeds will support the Ian Somerhalder Foundation. What better way to engage youth in taking action than by raising money for an organization supporting innovative partnership projects resulting in real outcomes for the environment.

What really give this campaign impact are not only the long-term environmental outcomes that will result thanks to funds raised for the IanSomerhalder Foundation, but also the results it will have for participants as well. The contest ballots will represent tangible evidence of participants’ “awareness raised” about the oil spill in the Gulf and the prize is truly enticing due to its pop culture relevance.
Want to participate in the contest but need to brush up on your knowledge of the oil spill first? Visit the official website of the Ian Somerhalder Foundation to do your research. Be sure to enter Vampire Support’s contest before January 22nd.
Follow Vampire Support on Facebook and Twitter to stay in touch with culturally-relevant grassroots youth leadership online.

What are some examples out there of youth coming together around a common personal/social interest to support a common humanitarian interest?

The response was incredible, and I would like to continue the discussion about my favourite youth action ideas in part 2 of this blog.

1)      Party With a Purpose: This form of engagement is for older youth, in the 20+ crowd. A sample project is discussed here. It is a great way for older youth to raise funds and awareness for a cause that they care about with their friends.

2)       Showcasing to Youth Leadership: One of the best ways an organization can demonstrate their commitment to youth leadership is by designating an official website of the organization to the activities, resources and opportunities delivered by and available to their youth. Plenty of examples can be found on Dosomething.org.

3)       Social Interest Clubs – Know of a social interest club at a high school or post secondary institution with a high volume of engaged youth attracted to the club’s activities? Encourage them to host a fundraiser or campaign for a cause you think might be important to them where activities supporting both the social and humanitarian interest can be the theme. This encourages innovation and creativity in youth groups and helps them hold stock in their interests and skills while affecting real change in their communities.

“It’s not often that you associate vampires (bloodthirsty night-dwellers) with environmental activists (solar-loving vegetarians) but friend of NRDC Ian Somerhalder is trying to bridge the gap by launching the IS Foundation.”

With this seemingly unlikely relationship between fandoms, environmentalists and Vampire Diaries enthusiast environmentalists taking place, I was impressed with the ingenuity and success of all of the work supporting the IS Foundation. I wanted to help, to contribute to the Birthday Project by making a “donation” to the Foundation before ian Somerhalder’s Birthday. With a family vacation looming around the corner and my “overseas” launch taking place on December 8th, I decided to make that donation a small guest blogging project that would hopefully attract a large network of nonprofits and volunteers to support the IS Foundation.

My guest post on Volunteer Match demonstrates how the IS Foundation is a model social innovation for the environment. Check it out below, and don’t forget to donate to the IS Foundation!

The Launch of the IS Foundation: A Model of Social Innovation

A remarkable model of social innovation has been taking over the Twitterverse and blogosphere and has motivated networks of environment-minded people to create meaningful change. That movement is the launch of the IS Foundation, founded by Ian Somerhalder (Lost, The Vampire Diaries).

What makes the launch of the IS Foundation so remarkable is the self-organizing of support networks that has been taking place online in order to address all of the complex components that are involved with protecting the environment. Below we look at the Foundation’s pre-launch activity using some of the core components of social innovation. This shows how the IS Foundation is a model for other nonprofits and volunteers to follow to achieve their goals for protecting the environment.

Read on to discover more about the IS Foundation and learn how to “team up to become a united spirit for change.”

Complexity – According to the Social Innovation Generation, one feature of social innovation is complexity, whereby “subtle rules of engagement, between and among elements, gives initiatives a life of their own.” This typically starts where a problem reaches a tipping point, motivating a leader to act. For Ian Somerhalder, this tipping point was the aftermath of the BP oil spill in his home state of Louisiana. His involvement in the cleanup and subsequent PSAs motivated environmentally conscious people, including his fan base, to act.

In his interview with Vampire-Diaries.net Ian stated:  “Rather than be Generation Extinction, the youth of today could become Generation Green. Our mission strives to transform – with every willing person, organization and government body – our destructive relationship with our planet into one that is a true symbiotic relationship.”

Building Relationships – Ian’s influence secured support for the launch from powerful online communities of fans of his work on The Vampire Diaries – people who also happen to be passionate about the environment. One notable mention is the Ian Somerhalder Birthday Project and their Bash on the Bayou event on November 13th, 2010 in support of the St. Tammany Humane Society, along with the organizations supporting the Foundation (Conservation International, Natural Resource Defense Council, Go Green Mobile Power, the National Wildlife Federation, New Leash on Life, and the St. Tammany Humane Society).

Resilience – The book “Getting to Maybe” by Frances Westley, Brenda Zimmerman, and Michael Patton, describes resilience as “the capacity to experience massive change and yet still maintain the integrity of the original innovation.” Since the collaborative efforts of partners of the Foundation have involved the “self-organization” of “powerful strangers” working towards environmental change, the resilience of the Foundation looks promising.

According to Ian: “In order to solve the interconnected issues facing humanity, we must work in full collaboration with other organizations and government bodies to create and provide tangible solutions that will empower people to protect their health and the environment. Any organization, business or person committed to creating positive change is invited to reach out and partner with us.”

How You Can Get Involved: If you are working towards improving the environment, your vision for change can be accomplished by collaborating with others who share your vision. To find out more about how you can join the IS Foundation in this collaborative innovation, visit the official Facebook page.

Volunteers engaging in reflection exercises to become more clear about their work is one goal of Community Service Learning at Wilfrid Laurier University. While I am impressed by the demonstrated success of the Community Service Learning model, I find myself hungry for more examples of the tools and strategies that organizations working with indirect service volunteers use to make the outcomes of macro-level service volunteering  more clear. I encourage readers of this post to share those strategies.

1)     Journaling is the most authentic (and most meaningful) self-evaluation tool a volunteer can use.

2)     It is an avenue for volunteers to document some of those “aha” moments that are unique to every volunteer challenge. These moments can be easily recalled later when brainstorming how to respond to a service need.

3)     Journaling is another way to keep a record of experiences for the purpose of career development. These experiences can be more readily referred to in a resume or interview when they have been documented.

4)     Journaling offers volunteers a personalized narrative history of their lives as volunteers. A volunteer’s journal is a keepsake of some of their most touching moments with clients, staff, fellow volunteers, and the community at large.

5)     There are many well known mental health benefits associated with journaling, including reduced stress and improved capacity to retain long-term memory.

1)      Make sure the tools selected fit the program that the facilitation project is part of. Try to increase your facilitator tool search to include existing facilitator activities that are customized to the specific type of service that the facilitation is needed for.

2)      Make sure the mission, vision, and values of your organization are reflected in the toolkit. Your organization’s mission, vision, and values should be included at the beginning of the toolkit and should be followed closely by the team developing the toolkit. The toolkit developers should prioritize facilitation tools that best reflect all three. When done correctly, the volunteer facilitators will have a greater understanding of how their role as facilitators helps your organization realize its mission, vision, and values.

3)       Make sure that the facilitation tools selected recognize and enhance the skills that each volunteer facilitator brings to the table. Instead of selecting tools that limit facilitators to structured facilitation questions, provide them with tools that help them customize questions through their own inquiry that are best suited for each facilitation process they lead. For an example, see The Art of Powerful Questions.

This resource includes a host of questions for your volunteers to ask themselves before facilitating so they can master the art of asking good questions. It also includes malleable, open-ended questions they can customize to fit the project.

I would like to leave you with an important recommendation when developing customized facilitator toolkits for your volunteers. Include them in the process! No volunteer facilitator toolkit is more customized to the project than one created by volunteer facilitators for volunteer facilitators. They will feel all the more connected to the facilitation content and will feel proud of the final product they all played a role in constructing. As a volunteer contributing to my current assignment, I do feel a sense of pride in the toolkit I am developing and feel closely connected to the content.

The “ability to demonstrate the full social and economic value of volunteer contributions – to the individuals who are directly served, to the organizations they work with, to the community at large, and to the volunteers themselves – is fraught with many practical and conceptual challenges.”

While communities, organizations, and volunteers themselves would benefit from evidence of volunteer work expressed as expenses from the organization, articulated social capital, and tangible service outputs, there is a real fear that standardized models capturing the economic value of volunteer contributions would “devalue the generosity of volunteers” and omit the value that each volunteer individually assigns to the volunteer experience themselves. The same can be said for the value that organizations and community members served assign to each and every volunteer experience.

So, considering the arguments above, my question is this. Can a model be developed capturing the economic value of volunteering without omitting the “values” that are unique to every volunteer experience?  

The discussion paper from Volunteer Canada can be found here.

I am reminded of the term “armchair activism” when I reflect on the many reasons why this form of volunteering is so popular. As expressed by Full Contact Philanthropy, this form of volunteering is a “placebo” for its users to feel like they’ve really made a contribution towards a particular effort.

“The only thing The Extraordinaries have been able to get their users to do is tag photos for online archives maintained by museums like the Smithsonian. This is all fine and good, but hardly worth much praise, or investment, and clearly not a game changer, like was claimed by the Huffington Post. What has me so in a tizzy about this company is their claim that they are a “Social Enterprise” focused on both providing social value and earning profits. Frankly, I see them achieving neither….”

Sure, micro-volunteering has the potential to exponentially expand service outputs of a particular cause, such as the number of volunteers attached to the cause and the volume of activity they produce, which, however tangible it may be, is not meaningful. What I question is the number of volunteers engaged in the cause and the outcomes of their activity.

One champion of micro-volunteering is Karen Quinn Fung of Countability Infinite.  After following a model from Urbantastic, a group championing micro-volunteering as an opportunity to link different organizations, Karen had the following comment to make:

“Their model sees them hooking organizations up with “micro-volunteering” – a term referring to skilled labour that professionals can donate to an organization in lieu of direct service or money, fueled by a well-articulated ask.”

I have highlighted key terms in this definition of micro-volunteering which seem to be missing from other definitions of the concept that have appeared in recent articles and blogs. This definition boasts that micro-volunteering can be successful as long as the effort attracts skilled labour and is well articulated. In order for a micro-volunteering project to be of this high caliber, the links between the activity and the proposed outcomes have to be clear, and have to be possible. I am keeping my eyes peeled for micro-volunteering projects that fit this description, and truly hope they can be models that make micro-volunteering a promising option for volunteer engagement that benefits all stakeholders of such activities. My recommendation for now is for volunteers attracted to micro-volunteering to find links between their micro-volunteering efforts and work in their communities, not to treat micro-volunteering as an alternative to community work.