Why do it? Why the 10k journey?

I have been in a deep state of contemplation recently.  As launch date for OneVietnam (July 17!) draws near and the amount of work piles high (school, work, life etc), I often find myself sluggish and lethargic.  My motivation and passion for my work diminishes in a direct relationship with my energy level.  During these times, I often dig deep to reflect on my core values and the things that provide direction for my life.  It is during this period that I often become rejuvenated. It is during this period that many of the stories featured on LinVN.org and other philanthropy sites become my Red Bull, my energy pill, and my strength.

Please enjoy the following article by Pham truong Son, a writer for LIN, a non profit group located in and around HCMC.  Let’s rejuvenate and refresh our spirit of volunteerism TODAY! YES!

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Volunteerism in the US – Experiences and Lessons Learned from

My Recent Study Tour Through the U.S.

By Pham Truong Son

Over the years, I observed many youth from America and other Western countries coming to Vietnam to volunteer. Some volunteer to take care of children or teach English; some are paired with a not profit organization and support their programs or help with office administration; and some participate in charity trips to rural areas where they provide health care or build houses for the poor…

The questions I often wondered about were: Why do they do it? What encourages them to participate like this in a foreign community? What benefits do they expect or can get from this volunteer work?

Fortunately, this month I had the opportunity to obtain the answers to these questions by participating in a program called, “Volunteerism: United We Serve”, a three-week study trip throughout the U.S.

The themes that were addressed during this program related to volunteerism, pro bono services (i.e., the volunteering of professional services), corporate social responsibility and social enterprise. We learned and exchanged experiences through a series of workshops and site visits with individuals and social centers in four cities in the United State of America as of us starting in Washington, DC together and gathering once again at the end of our visit in San Francisco, California.

This was a great opportunity for me and 102 other participants who were all young leaders, not-for-profit staff, educators, journalists or businesspeople coming to the US from 100 different countries of the world to learn and share experiences.

The Role of Non-for-profit organizations/Non-governmental organizations (NPO/NGO) in Volunteerism.

Many American NPOs/NGOs introduced their experiences with encouraging citizens to participate in community services and contribute to the national welfare as well as efforts to volunteer in countries around the word.

Through the forums and conferences organized to address this topic, it is clear that the US Government and US Presidents have played a key role in motivating and appealing to US citizens for their participation in support of their communities and society more broadly. For example, Michelle Obama, the First Lady of the United Sates of America, committed to volunteer 100,000 hours with youth and American citizens in support of the community.

This call for engagement in volunteerism is fostered by American NPOs/NGOs who introduce their own calls for support, targeting everyone from young children to the elderly. I heard from many such organizations from Volunteer Match and Taproot Foundation to United Way and AmeriCorps.

Volunteer work can include a diverse range of activities, from planting trees, making your community gardens more beautiful; serving meals to the poor or to the homeless; reading books/stories to children or to the elderly; supporting disabled people; coordinating or transporting supplies to people affected by natural disasters; or helping spread the word about events or issues by sending out useful messages; or simply adding signatures to help protect the wellfare or rights of a community.

Every NPO/NGO in the US has a mission, a target and a beneficiary; they network with high schools, universities, religious organizations and governmental organizations to encourage and promote people’s participation.

Every individual has a right to choose their volunteer work, the beneficiaries they serve or the areas they serve (e.g., their sub-ward and community) by registering to a suitable NPO/NGO.Some more experienced, larger organizations such as the Peace Corps, Altlas Service Corps, and Youth Service America have reached out to other countries to exchange volunteers, especially in Asian and African countries. They create volunteer opportunities by sending Americans to volunteer in other countries as well as by bringing individuals from around the word to the US to develop skills and exchange experiences.

Learning through practical experience.

After visiting and meeting with some representatives of US NPOs/NGOs, I see that they have good volunteer management systems. All volunteers sign a volunteer agreement, which helps to define and control volunteer work and hours. The advantages, they tell us is that it is extremely useful in management, reporting as well as fundraising for their organizations. However, I know that this practice is still new in Vietnam – many of the Vietnamese NPOs, NGOs, groups and/or clubs have not yet professionalized volunteer engagement.

After meeting with some US NGOs, each of the international visitors had a chance to participate in volunteer programs and activities, which were hosted by NPOs/ NGOs in the US. During the trip, I had three opportunities to volunteer with my friends from other countries:

• Firstly, in Washington, DC, together with students at George Washington University, I helped remove weeds from the pavement and plant trees at Mount Vernon.
• Secondly, in Orlando, Florida, I volunteered with the Harvest Time International Organization, by organizing all sorts of furniture, which were then placed on shelves at a market for poor, homeless and unemployed people in the city.
• Lastly, at Crissy Field and the Presidio in San Francisco, California, I joined Oracle employees and my international friends by clearing weeds to make the public park more beautiful.

Everybody can join in these types of activities whenever they have free time and a desire to help their community.

What is the benefit of volunteer work?

This is a question that was often asked when we had the chance to meet and visit other volunteer host organizations. And we heard many different answers, depending on the ages of the volunteers. Among the answers we heard, was that volunteers gain life skills, time management skills, they learn how to work with patients and they learn about their community and their responsibility to the community…

Among high school students, they are many willing participants and they tend to be responsive to appealls from the community and from their schools. University students often seek to improve their CVs by volunteering with organizations and in their community. Employees participate in volunteer activities with their companies or in their free time to help people less fortunate or to improve their communities.

Not all Americans are engaged in volunteer activities; however, I could see that there is a strong networking system between CBOs, NPOs, NGOs and governmental organizations to promote and facilitate volunteerism, in the community in order to raise awanress about community challenges but also to gain invaluable experiences and necessary skill sets from volunteers in the community.

To hear more about my experiences during this exchange or to add your comments or questions, please visit LIN’s page on Facebook at: http://www.Facebook.com/LINCenter. (Refer to the Notes tab and feel free to share your thoughts and comments!)

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OneVietnam’s team members are a group of passionate individuals whose drive for philanthropy is rooted in their personal experiences growing up, working, or volunteering in the Vietnamese communities globally. What drives us to do what we do? Stay tune for a special series on our personal stories and the experiences that have shaped our vision and goals.