What does volunteering mean to me?

On the last day of the seminar, participants were invited to reflect on “What does volunteering mean to me?” and other critical questions around youth participation. Along with the material from the week, these reflections will be the basis of UNOY’s framework Volunteering for Peace. The framework will be a collection of good practices and a guide for UNOY members, and youth peace organisations in general, on how to effectively include volunteering as a conflict transformation tool. It will also highlight the importance of youth participation and volunteering in the wider European context. The framework is due for publication on International Volunteers Day, 5th December 2013.

“Networks of organisations with previous project examples would allow project coordinators and volunteers to gather good practice examples.” Miguel, Spain.

“(People) need information, particularly on what would happen without peace.” Anonymous

Astrid, Germany & David, Armenia

“Volunteers must be determined, must have a strong will to help others and must be tolerant.” Guantsa, Georgia.

“For me volunteering can be used as a means to contribute to important objectives such as good quality education for all, cultural recognition of different groups and peacebuilding. Especially in situations where other actors, such as governments or companies, do not take care of these issues, the work of volunteers is important. Commitment to these objectives are my main motivation of volunteering.”

Joëtta, The Netherlands

What Young Volunteers Want! Prioritisation of the UNOY Network

The session on the prioritization of the UNOY Network was a unique exercise for UNOY to capture information from the young volunteers that work in our member organisation in Western Europe and the Caucuses.  As a network organisation, it is important UNOY remains relevant for and accountable to our members and their volunteers.

At the start of the session, Laura, UNOY’s Project and Fundraising Coordinator, gave a brief introduction about the UNOY network, showed the UNOY YouTube clip, guided participants to useful parts of the UNOY website and UNOY’s thematic page on youthpolicy.org and the newly established Facebook group on which we can share toolkits, documents, links and also the final report of the project.

Participants were then divided into groups to brainstorm how the UNOY network can support the work of young peacebuilders. The results of the brainstorm can be found below:

Important issues in your communities or the region:

Spain – Racism, increase in nationalism, economic problems, domestic violence.  Unemployment is the major issue facing youth today.

Southern Caucuses – Lack of quality and equally accessible education

Armenia –gender inequality, no freedom of speech, violation of human rights and the lack of awareness of human rights

Azerbaijan– Leisure time; youth have little access to leisure activities such as bars, dances and venues to socialize

The Netherlands – structural violence against migrants and refugees

Armenia & Georgia: how to motivate people to participate in youth organizations and stay active in it. Also problems with how train people and fundraising

What you and /or your organisation can gain from the network? What would you like to see more of?  

Organisations

–       More trainings and seminars on specific topics such as human rights or gender (referred to by 3/5 groups)

–       Partnership opportunities and exchange programs

–       Training of trainers and trainings in a specific region

–       Online forum for international network and database of bad and good practices that is thematically based

–       More training and knowledge dissemination on peacebuilding

–       Platform to exchange experience between members

–       Support in advocacy

–       Give advice to the volunteers and smaller organizations that are involved in Armenia

–       Focus on structural improvement of member organisations

–       Greater knowledge of and access to more materials

–       Assistance in fundraising or fundraising tools.

 Personal gains

–       Learn about different projects that do exist and we can participate in

–       Help to develop new projects, we maybe don’t know how to do it

–       Learn about other conflict that exist in the world; they may be similar conflicts and we can cooperate more globally with other NGOs

–       Learn about different culture and regions

–       Improve language (English)

How can UNOY help support the implementation of your planned projects?

–       Facilitate partners and assist in identifying contacts

–       Providing knowledge through manuals

–       Assist in fundraising

What can you contribute to UNOY:

–       Provide the network with information about the conflict in the Southern Caucasus

–       Identify the different tools that are used in organizations

–       Raise awareness about international trainings so that more people are reached and become involved.

–       Promotion of UNOY’s projects in our own network to reach an international spread, especially for bloggers

–       Ideas, skills, enthusiasm, an open mind!

Volunteer: Safety and Security

In light of recent incidents involving volunteers safety and security while on overseas placements, participants brainstormed the different risks volunteers may face during their work. Mitigating measures were also identified to help equip you volunteers with enough information to ensure their safety during their assignments.

Before Placement Risks  

• Physical appearance
• Language and body language may lead to misunderstanding
• Not understanding the task you will carry out
• Language barriers
• Family and friends may need to give permission
• Lack of preparation – may not be able to handle it emotionally

Before Placement Risk Measures 

• Dress as natural as possible, blend in.  Prepare dress codes, what should you wear in a formal setting vs. everyday work. Also, introduce volunteers to cultural codes
• Be fully prepared from both the sending and hosting organisation.
• Should be able to speak or have good command of English – the international language.  Can also take language lessons of destination country beforehand.
• May need the support of the hosting or sending organisation to talk with concerned family members.

During Placement Risks

• Dangerous places
• Money / stealing/ robbery / Kidnapping
• Health problems
• Discrimination
• Natural disasters
• Negative relations with local community
• May have to do something you do not like (eg. People may be against LBGTIs)
• Traffic accidents
• War, conflict, death
• Cultural misunderstandings
• Culture shock
• Extra danger for women (used to walking at night in your country, over confident in other contexts)
• Showing off your position, status
• Knowing timing and different ability levels
• Information and preparation problems
• Access to social life  – involvement in the society
• Language problems
• Falling in (and out of) love

During Placement Risk Measures 

• Only take a necessary amount of money, do not take expensive things
• Have a contact person in your home country in case of emergency; know contacts in your Embassy in the host country
• Disaster preparedness
• Be aware of your own values, self awareness (you always have to take a position)
• Continued reflection during your volunteer period with a coordinator or other volunteers
• Self awareness about your context,
• Not imposing your thoughts as an outsider but similarly not accepting behaviour that is universally unacceptable.
• In long term projects, it is important to take time to get to know the organisation and not impose your work style or values at the beginning, but integrate them as suggestions throughout.
• Analysis and research, especially if in conflict settings
• Hosting organisation should inform the local community you are coming. Indeed, all members of the hosting organisation
• Protection, may need police protection especially in conflict settings
• Make it obvious that you are an independent observer and not taking a ‘side’.
• Unfortunately, couples may break up.
• Safety and security training – simulate a checkpoint, a robbery, simulate behaviour

World Cafe – Project Presentations

The morning of day 7 was dedicated to sharing the project ideas and receiving feedback from the other participants. Using the world cafe method, participants had the opportunity to explore in detail the projects developed by their peers, offering constructive feedback and advice.  Four different problems were addressed by five different groups. Three of these projects are outlined below:

Winds of Change: Strengthening Social Movement in Armenia

The issue                                                                                                                                                                                                                                The Armenian political system is quite corrupted. The Republican party, which is the party in power, is very strong and has influence on all levels of society. Members own many of Armenia’s biggest businesses and industry. The party has strong connections to the Armenian Church and the Mafia. The Republican Party uses their influence to stay in power. Via the justice system, the army they control any public outrage or movements for change with direct and structural violence. Using the popular media and the education system they use cultural and structural violence to stop new and/or opposing ideas of being heard or discussed.

There are however small movements that offer a different voice to the system. Minority parties do their best to be heard, alternative media and bloggers speak about the situation openly and there are some alternative student movements. These groups are however highly diversified and not in contact with each other. The lack of communication and the constant repression by the party in power help keep the opposing voices to the government silent.

The idea
By bringing the different parties of the opposition together we hope to strengthen the bonds between the parties that are working towards social change. We will do this through bringing together parties with similar interests in meetings, trainings and parties. Apart from this we would like to further develop the connection between NGO’s, the parties working for change and the communities, thus creating a larger platform for change.

Impact Chain 
Resources: Volunteers, NGO’s,  Social Movements, Alternative media

Activities: Research, meetings, parties, training in social communication, promoting volunteering

Output: Information about needs and relations between movements, facilitate activities that bring social movement together, training on NGO’s communication tools.

Outcome: Uniting stakeholders in the opposition, linking NGO’s with social movements etc. for a common goal, linking NGO’s with the community through improved communication

Impact: Stronger and more organised opposition 

Karabakh: The full-frame story

The idea                                                                                                                                                                                                                               The aim of the project is to bring together a group of around 20 young Armenians and Azeris in four youth camps with the purpose of producing a short movie which would illustrate the history of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh in a single speech shared by both nationalities. Years of propaganda and violence have induced extreme positions in both the societies of Armenia and Azerbaijan. As such, a common version of the conflict including abuses carried out by both parties could helps to decrease the warmongering feeling about the conflict which prevails among the youth of these Caucasian countries.

Resources: Presence of open minded young people in local NGOs –some of them with video editing skills; Existence of enough free photos and videos about the conflict on the Internet –shooting in Karabakh is impossible and interviews might imply danger for the participants; It is possible to organise the meetings in Georgia, since the governments of Azerbaijan and Armenia do not allow their nationals to travel to the other country; Several NGOs focused on youth are currently operating in Armenia and Azerbaijan

Activities: Due to the complexity of the issue, team-buildings activities are of the utmost importance due to the issue the participants will deal with and its emotional implications. Besides, in the first two youth camps, participants from Germany, Spain and Czech Republic will also take part as facilitators; Azeri and Armenian participants will do some volunteering (beach cleaning) for the local community between sessions in order to team build and relieve tension; Youtube will be the site chosen to exhibit the film, although the Armenian NGOs might display it privately. The organizations will also be in charge of the promotion through Facebook and Twitter. Participants will be discouraged to do so with their personal accounts.

Outputs: Film containing a version of the history of Karabakh accepted by Azeris and Armenians; Completion of volunteer work for a local community in Georgia.

Outcome: Improved relations and enhanced cooperation between the parties; Creation of a mixed group of young Azeris and Armenians committed to seek a solution for the conflict and able to work together

IMPACT: Reduce the warmongering approach to the conflict that prevails in the Azeri and Armenian societies; Induce a decrease in extremist positions about this issue in Armenia and Azerbaijan; Offer an alternative vision of the conflict which does not fit with the speech of national governments; Advocate for a peaceful solution to the conflict.

Capacity-building in the Caucasus:  Improve the Georgian-Abkhasian Dialogue

The issue

Abkhasia is a small province in North-West Caucasus. International Law declares that this province is under jurisdiction of Georgia. However, after the 1992-1993 war in Abkhazia, the state became de facto independent. Even in contemporary days, the role of Abkhazia is difficult as the state is only recognized by a few states, and has a weak relationship with Georgia. Consequently, Abkhasians can only leave their autonomous Republic in few cases, for instance to Georgia, Russia, Venezuela or Nicuragua. In addition, Abkhasians struggle with their cultural identity, since this is not recognized. After all, estimating the political future and the place of Abkhasia in the Caucasus is rather difficult.

The idea

Nevertheless, the international community and in particular volunteers for peace and conflict transformation can stimulate this process. The ultimate impact to be made is to significantly improve the dialogue between Georgia and Abkhasia. The following three-fold impact chain will elaborate upon the means how to achieve this impact.

Impact chain 

Activities: Languages: Abkhasian course & English course; 8-day Training: Critical Thinking & Conflict Solving; 8-day Cultural Exchange: Cultural Exchange with youth from Georgia, Abkhasia, Balkans that have shared experiences to overcome a similar situation

Output: Improved languages of Georgian & Abkhasian Youth; Abkhasian & Georgian Youth have greater understanding of conflict solving tools and critical thinking; Shared experiences to use them in practice

Outcome: Greater access to global information of scholars/ social media about the Abkhasian Conflict; More interaction between Abkhasian & Georgian Youth. In addition, apply critical thinking to problem solving; Use the shared experience in practice in Abkhasia & Georgia

Impact: Improved dialogue between Georgia & Abkhasia

Developing volunteering projects for the Caucasus

After an intense day of conflict analysis and working through different national perspectives, the sixth day of the seminar was an opportunity to transform the problems into a solution.  Each group now has a thorough understanding of the problem they wish to address, and can now think about a project within their means and organisational capacity that could tale a positive step towards transforming conflict.

After watching the short clip, Birds, groups were encouraged to think about how alliances can fuel or help solve conflicts, and how the actions of bystanders often legitimise a conflict.

An important learning from previous UNOY projects, is to ensure the projects participants develop are realistic and achievable. Drawing on the theme of the seminar, groups also considered the valuable role volunteers can play in realising change in their communities.  Through the problem tree analysis and impact chain analysis, groups proceeded to plan their projects.

Problem or conflict tree; the core problem is put in the middle of the tree; the causes or influences of the problem are identified as the ‘root’; while the outcome or consequences are a ‘branch’.  It might be that the consequence is also a cause. 

Impact Chain is the first column of the  Logical Framework approach and outlines the:

Resources → Activities → Output: the direct result of your project → Outcome: indirect outcome. What the participants do with the knowledge/skills/resources you deliver as an output → Impact: overall objective / goal you want to achieve.

It is important to remember that the outcome is out of one’s sphere of control/influence. Thus, the output are the direct results of your activities/projects and something that you have control over.

In the afternoon, the group travelled to nearby seaside town, Batumi, and enjoyed an afternoon exploring the city. In the evening, we enjoyed a traditional Georgian dinner.

Priorities & Analysis

Conflict Analysis

Today the participants were introduced to different models and analytical tools which they will use to analyze the conflicts they will work on during the next days.  This included actor mapping, societal actor mapping, conflict cycle, the ABC triangle, the iceberg position of interests and many more, which can be found under the theoretical approaches page.

Before heading into work we watched a short film, Neighbours, by Norman McClaren which was produced in 1952 around the time of the Korean War. The film highlights the dehumanising effect prolonged conflict has on populations and, importantly, how one can loose sight of the original problem as conflict escalates.

 

Conflict Strategies

During a non-verbal exercise it became clear that people use different strategies when they are part of a conflict. The actors had the task to convince the other person to come to their side of the line in order to become ‘the winner ‘. The actors used several ways.  For example, trying to convince the other in a diplomatic way to cross the line or pulling each other. In general five different strategies can be distinguished:

• Accommodation strategy: You are giving in because you find your own interest not as important as the interest of the other person/party.
• Competition: You care about your own aim, not about the aim of the other party.
• Collaboration: This is the ultimate goal; you cooperate with the other party, take each other’s concerns into consideration and come to a common solution (win-win situation).
• Compromise: Both parties will partly get what they want. If you have an interest based conflict you can compromise but this is not always the case when there is a need based conflict because it will put your own life at risk.

The exercise showed how important it is to understand what the other person wants and what you want yourself in order to transform a conflict and search for a common goal. As happened in the exercise, the actors did not realize that they could also just swap sides and both become a winner. All of the above strategies can be used, depending on the situation.

Youth in Conflict Settings

We have  entered the second stage of the training. What does volunteer work and active participation have to do with conflict and peacebuilding? How are these topics linked? Before we can address this link, we should have a clear understanding of different aspects of conflicts. The participants were divided into four groups to exchanged their ideas about the following aspects of conflict; negatives of conflict, positives of conflict, the role of youth in conflict and definitions of conflict.

Definitions of Conflict

“Conflict is a status of divergence in interest between at least two parties”

Conflict can have many different forms, such as:

• Violent (psychological and  physical) / non-violent
• Intergenerational
• National, regional and international
• Interpersonal

Positive outcomes of conflicts

 

Negative outcomes of conflicts

 

Role of youth in conflicts

Human Sculptures – Obstacles to Volunteering

Obstacles to volunteering in Western Europe

Lack of financial security for volunteers – many volunteers are not paid for their work as it is carried out in a spirit of service. At the moment there are not many “real jobs” available so young people what to volunteer to gain skills and remain active while they are job hunting. The catch 22 is that volunteers also need an income to support their volunteer work. The challenge is how to balance volunteering, job hunting, studies and paid work. This draws out also the matrix between unemployment, poverty and citizenship.

Miscommunication and mismanagement – miscommunication can occur on multiple levels; between paid staff and volunteers within organisations or among volunteers. This impacts effective cooperation and thus effective use of human and material resources. Many young volunteers frequently come and go from organisation and many have difficulties mainstreaming communication and the continuity of the work among volunteers. 

Time management of the volunteer – There are so many things to do as a young person; work, studying, socializing, and one also wants to volunteer. Too many competing responsibilities can cause stress and lead to burn out. This is especially true among young people in Western Europe as competing social and economic pressures results in many young people many young people working hard to tick multiple boxes.

Exclusion – exclusion occurs on two levels. Firstly, different hierarchies exist between volunteers and paid staff, so there may be limited integration of the volunteer into the organizational structure. Or volunteers themselves create in-groups and, as a new volunteer, it is difficult to enter. Finally the volunteer does not receive recognition for their time and effort, which may leave the volunteer with a negative feeling.

Obstacles to volunteering in the Caucasus

Lack of information – there is a lack of information available t young people about volunteering and its importance for active citizenship. They have little to no knowledge about which organisations one can volunteer. In the wider community many misconceptions exist about volunteering.  In Georgia, for example, many perceive volunteering as a “waste of time” as they could be doing something more economically productive.

Volunteers’ capacity– Similar to Western Europe, many young people may spend too much time volunteering and do not make any money. Similarly, others need are continually striving for better paid work and do not make time for volunteering. It becomes a difficult juggling act between study, work and volunteering.  Volunteering therefore occurs in specific economic and social circumstances.

Organisational Capacity – Organisations do not have any money to support volunteers. There is little financial support for volunteers and volunteer projects from NGOs and governments. This is due to a lack of recognition of the value of volunteers in the Caucuses.

Human Sculptures – Conflicts in Western Europe & the Caucasus

Problems / Conflicts in Western Europe

Economic Euro crisis – Economic crisis is having a greater adverse effect on young people. It is more difficult to get jobs, which imposes financial strain, housing problems, and societal exclusion. In many cases friends or contacts are going abroad to search for work, or individuals they loose status and their social world shifts. The Euro crisis in this context highlights the importance of networks and how shifting networks can create conflicts in and across societies.

Discrimination and exclusion – both of ethnic minorities and marginalized groups. Discrimination is felt against anyone who does not fit the majority. Often the majority will create or perpetuate structures that directly or indirectly exclude the minority.  Forms of discrimination in Europe exist in integration – challenges with language, and cultural adaptation; LBGTIs; religious minorities; and those with disabilities.

Fortress Europe – Issue of immigration, migration, symbolizing the closing boarders. Europe has quite strong boarders and is quite strict on issues of refugees and immigration. It is difficult for outsiders to permanently enter and for those who settle, issues of integration emerge. 

Problems / conflicts in the Caucasus

Domination of great powers – Control, oppression and exploitation from great powers including US, Russia and other regional interests, still influence the politics and interaction between Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia. As the link between Europe and Asia, the Caucuses have always been a strategic site of geopolitics. Although the Caucasus no longer want to be influenced by outside players, the great powers perpetuate the conflicts in the region for self-gain. It is a political interest of territorial big powers to use and control the area for resources, but they should be shared and used equally. This is linked to both the establishment of new democracies and the role of multinational companies in national politics.

Lack of freedom of expression – Government and media censorship places tight restrictions on freedom of speech in the Caucuses.  There is little to no freedom of speech or expression, forcing many to turn a blind eye on issues they wish to speak out about.  Media remains highly controlled and often polarized by key political parties. More recently, greater crackdowns over Internet use and blogging have resulted in bloggers being arrested and access to sites restricted.

Gender-based violence and gender inequality – Gender inequality exists to varying degrees across the region, more notable in rural areas. Institutionally, there lack support and protection mechanisms for victims of gender based violence, perpetuated by entrenched cultural gender norms. A lack of education and limited perception of the role of women in society also create structural barriers to achieving gender equality. There is also a lack of solidarity among communities to speak out against cases of domestic violence or inequalities; it is acknowledged, but seldom people speak out against it.