NEWS

18 June, 2006 UK LAUNCHES NEWSWIRE FOR VOLUNTEER SECTOR UK’s Home Secretary David Blunkett recently launched a "Community Newswire" to help volunteer and community groups publicize their activities to the regional press. From: The Guardian   15 June, 2006 UN VOLUNTEERS REACH NEW HEIGHTS IN 2003 A record number of 5,635 mid-career professionals served with the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme in 2003 to promote peace, relief and development initiatives through volunteer action. According to Opening Doors, UNV's Annual Report for 2003, UN Volunteers representing 162 nationalities worked in 144 nations and countries in economic transition. From: United Nations Volunteers programme   7 June, 2006 UTAH RANKS FIRST AS VOLUNTEERING STATE: SURVEY A study shows that the US State of Utah leads the country in the number of volunteer hours, with nearly twice the national average. A research conducted by the Points of Light Foundation and the Indiana University reveals that the state also ranked at the top with the most number of adult volunteers. From: KSL TV   29 June, 2004 CORPORATE VOLUNTEERING RARER THAN PHILANTHROPY IN DEVELOPING NATIONS: RESEARCH Corporate philanthropy and social investments are common practices in developing countries, but there are not many examples of long-term formal corporate volunteering programmes, says a new research report published jointly by the United Nations Volunteer programme and the New Academy of Business. From: New Academy of Business   29 June, 2004 CORPORATE VOLUNTEERING RARER THAN PHILANTHROPY IN DEVELOPING NATIONS: RESEARCH Corporate philanthropy and social investments are common practices in developing countries, but there are not many examples of long-term formal corporate volunteering programmes, says a new research report published jointly by the United Nations Volunteer programme and the New Academy of Business. From: New Academy of Business   21 June, 2004 VOLUNTEERS BRING HOPE IN RURAL ARGENTINA The Argentine Red Cross brings hope to people of Corrientes, a poor rural area north of Buenos Aires, by running a feeding centre and implementing youth- and HIV/AIDS-oriented projects. From: International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies   21 June, 2004 SCOTTISH ORGANIZATION OFFERS PC SKILLS TO VOLUNTEERS The Volunteer Centre North Lanarkshire is the first volunteer organization in Scotland to offer PC Passport, the newest national computing qualification, to unemployed volunteers. From: Volunteer Centre North Lanarkshire   15 June, 2004 UN VOLUNTEERS REACH NEW HEIGHTS IN 2003 A record number of 5,635 mid-career professionals served with the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme in 2003 to promote peace, relief and development initiatives through volunteer action. According to Opening Doors, UNV's Annual Report for 2003, UN Volunteers representing 162 nationalities worked in 144 nations and countries in economic transition. From: United Nations Volunteers programme   9 June, 2004 US POLICYMAKERS TO PRIORITIZE CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION About 100 state and national policymakers and educators from 15 states will gather in Orlando, US to decide what states, districts, schools and campuses should make citizenship education part of every student’s education experience from kindergarten through college. From: Education Commission of the States   7 June, 2004 SENIOR CITIZENS DISCOVER ISRAEL AS VOLUNTEERS Senior citizens from North America are starting to discover Israel as volunteers under the Jewish National Fund’s (JNF) volunteer programme. Through JNF’s Canadian American Active Retirees In Israel, a volunteer, work and tour programme is designed for active retirees, ages 60 to 90. From: Jewish National Fund   4 June, 2004 ORGANIZATIONS MAKING IT EASIER FOR PEOPLE TO VOLUNTEER Volunteering a few hours of your time, lending a hand and improving the plight of starving people in the developing world, may seem like a good idea. But in between picking the kids up from school, impressing your new boss and slotting in a session or two at the gym, the truth is that you just don’t have time. From: Volunteer Development Scotland   VOLUNTEERS TO CLEAN MT. EVEREST A group of 100 volunteer environmentalists is expected to collect waste on the world's highest peak, Mount Everest or Qomolongma to the Chinese, in September this year. Volunteers aim to clear an estimated 615 tonnes of rubbish from Everest's upper slopes. From: BBC News Online & China Daily

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VIEWPOINTS

20 June, 2004 WE'RE ON THE CUSP OF A NEW AGE OF VOLUNTEERISM by Mark Trahant As more of his peers turn 50, Trahant ponders on the "what's next" in the lives of the so-called baby boomers – highly-skilled and unwilling to retire – as they enter into the "new era" of culture that encourages volunteering. From: Seattle Post-Intelligencer Columnist   22 June, 2004 EXPLORING THE SOCIAL SIDE OF VOLUNTEER INVOLVEMENT by Andy Fryar As a response to a Sunday paper article on corporate volunteering, this article discusses the declining opportunities for private sector employees to volunteer in their workplace. This is despite the fact that such social interactions significantly boost employees' morale and increase productivity. From: OzVPM   22 June, 2004 THE POWER OF VOLUNTEERS by Thomas W. McKee How can a group of volunteers, with no money, power or influence change laws in California, USA? It's no mean feat. This article illustrates how a volunteer group, the California Association of Safety Education (CASE), succeeded through the power of focus and unification. From: Volunteer Power   22 June, 2006 AN ARMY OF VOLUNTEERS by Abigail Trafford The article cautions the volunteering sector as it anticipates a deluge of "baby boomer" or retiree volunteers. In her commentary on the paper on Baby Boomers and Civic Engagement by the Harvard School of Public Health, Trafford believes that "the potential is huge" but argues that looking at this generation's dismal civic engagement, volunteer-involving organizations have to change the way they work to get baby boomers involved. (Free registration required) From: Washington Post

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