Good morning, all:
Thank you so much, Toke, for your amazing summary of learnings in Pro Bono
Work. The same learnings have also been mine during more than forty-five
years of offering "Robin-Hood prices".
The negative outcomes of becoming enamored with a great "cause" is a very
real challenge and one that affects all of us that work as or with
volunteers. It is so-o-o easy to get hooked into a prolonged and
castrating paternalism when we feel like using phrases like "I will be here
for you as long as you need me.", or "Call me anytime.", or "How else can
I help you?".
One issue that in my opinion is of major importance is the motivation of
the "volunteer". Through the Pro Bono work is (s)he fulfilling a personal
desire for transcendence or, as in too many cases, a neurotic need for
feeling important, loved or superior? Here in the Two-Thirds World we
constantly receive offers from both types of "volunteers".
The other issue of great importance, in my opinion, is sustainability. My
personal caveat is that if I am not in some way contributing to sustainable
(continuable without me) capacity-building in a community, I am probably
doing more harm than good. I have seen too many well-intentioned OS
facilitators step into a crisis situation and do an amazing job of textbook
space-opening, only to end up creating expectations with no strategies or
means of fulfilling them.
I had the pleasure of meeting (and learning from) many of you both at
OSONOS and online and would like to invite you to visit the website of the
Global Facilitators Service Corps (GFSC)
<http://globalfacilitators.org>. GFSC is a not-for-profit, worldwide
organization linking professional volunteer facilitators with service
opportunities in their local communities. We are dedicated to helping
groups and institutions address societal needs, helping people learn how to
resolve conflicts, solve problems and work collaboratively to strengthen
and support their own communities. By linking people, processes and
resources worldwide, GFSC unleashes the collaborative potential of
communities to create solutions to their challenges.
Our Guiding Principles address this subject and may be of use to you. And
we would love to have you as GFSC Field Volunteers and/or mentors and SMEs
in OS.
Warm regards,
Gil
At 01:00 a.m. 16/08/2004, you wrote:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 15 Aug 2004 11:48:38 +0200
From: toke <t...@interchange.dk>
Subject: Re: Pro bono work
I have done pro bono work for a long time - here are a few learnings
that I can offer, many are similar to what others have already shared....
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Resize of Resize of Resize of Amauta.jpg
Dr. Gilbert Brenson-Lazán
Presidente Ejecutivo - Amauta International, LLC
E-Mail: <<mailto:g...@amauta.org>g...@amauta.org>
Website: <<http://amauta.org/>http://amauta.org>
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