"Volunteering Taiwan" Youth Volunteer Service Programs 2001, The International Year of Volunteers Background of Volunteering Taiwan United Nations had mentioned that 2001 is the International Year of Volunteers and proposed four major goals for this movement. These goals are recognized as what is volunteer, facilitating the utilization of volunteers, volunteer networking, and motivating volunteers. In anchoring the visions of International Year of Volunteers, National Youth Commission of Taiwan has been developing a program called Volunteering Taiwan to facilitate the movement of volunteer in Taiwan. Through this program, we wish to accomplish the following goals. The first is to improve our people's knowledge about volunteer. Second is to integrate the resources of government, business world, and NGO'S in volunteer services. Third is to interact and network with international volunteer groups proactively. The final is to advance the quality of volunteer services in Taiwan. It is expected that, after reaching all of these goals, we can not only expand the areas and depth of volunteer services in Taiwan, also we can implement the goal of Volunteering Taiwan, which President Chen has mentioned in his inauguration speech. The Strategies of Volunteering Taiwan Interacting and networking with international volunteer groups proactively. 1. Helping NGOs in Taiwan attending volunteer international conferences. Organizing a group volunteers to attend 16th International Association of Volunteer Efforts (International Association of Volunteer Efforts, IAVE) held in Holland. a. National Youth Commission ((NYC) will invite Asia Pacific Public Affairs Forum (APPAF) and other NGOs together as a group to participate the 16th IAVE conference. These group members will compose of NGO representatives, government representatives, and business leaders. They also will be holding a workshop to discuss the 921 Earthquake in Taiwan. We will present the spirits, humanity, disaster helping, and medical cooperation of Taiwan volunteers to witness the development of volunteer services in Taiwan. b. Attending The World Youth Volunteer Summit held in Japan. The World Youth Volunteer Summit will be held on August 4-8 2001 in Japan. NYC will summon proper youth leaders in Taiwan to attend this conference. These leaders of Taiwan will share and discuss regarding issues of youth volunteers participation with international youth 1
volunteers from the entire world. Also, they will exchange experiences in promoting volunteer services with volunteers of other countries. d. Attending the Global Forum in Israel IAVE will conclude IYV by drawing together volunteer leaders, government officials, and policy makers throughout the world to focus on the role of volunteering in confronting the challenges facing people who have been forced from their homes by war, poverty or environmental crisis or people who have voluntarily immigrated to a new land. How does volunteering by these people help sustain their culture, values and community? How does volunteering on their behalf help them resettle and be absorbed into new communities and cultures? The Global Forum will be held in November 2001 in Jerusalem under the leadership of the National Council for Voluntarism in Israel. NYC will recruit some outstanding volunteer groups in Taiwan to attend this conference. They will also provide a workshop to present Taiwan experience in volunteer service to all the countries. Through this interaction, we wish to facilitate the accessibility and partnership between Taiwan volunteer groups and others in the World. 2. Establishing the Taiwan Branch office of IAVE. IAVE is the one quasi-country volunteer organization and has memberships from over ninety countries in the world. Further, it is also recognize as a Special Status group of Economic & Social Development Committee, ECOSOC, of United Nationals. There are some Departments, NGOs, and individuals of Taiwan already participate in the organization as members, but we still wish to establish a branch office in Taiwan to work with the organization. Through this office, we can coordinate the communication channel and promote exchange with volunteer groups in the world more effectively and successfully. 3. Encouraging Taiwan Youth participate in oversea volunteer services. Taiwan is an active group member of IAVE currently. Also, we communicate with other countries continually, such as United States, Canada, Austria, Japan, Korea...etc. We will enthusiastically encourage our youth to volunteer oversea and work with volunteer groups in other countries. Establishing Local Volunteer Centers in different regions. Although volunteer groups in Taiwan is flourishing and become the third party in the society, but they are still deficient in lacking an administration mechanism. Therefore, we will establish some Local Volunteer Centers to strengthen communication within different organizations, and localize, systemize, and generalize volunteer services in each region. 2
Motivating senior school students participating in the Service- Learning Program. All the senior schools in both Taipei and Kaosiung cities have already implemented the Service-Learning Program. NYC will work closely with schools and provide our experiences and supports to facilitate this new movement in our youth. Advocating volunteers services and promotes the volunteer values. Promoting volunteer values is the prime goal of year 2001, Year of International Volunteers, in order to estimate the importance of volunteer services in civil society. We develop campaigns in diverse media, such as TV, newspapers, and Internet, to promote and build-in the volunteer vole in our people. 1. Producing Documentary of Youth Volunteer in Taiwan for a season. This documentary will include thirteen episodes about different youth volunteer service programs and their work process. Through broadcasting this documentary, citizens can understand more about what is volunteer and wish to take part in these works. 2. Publishing local youth volunteer newsletters. After establishing local volunteer administration office, the office will publish local youth volunteer newsletters as a communication bridge within different local volunteer groups. The components of this newsletter will include of group introducing, advanced volunteers reports, information exchange, volunteers statistics, volunteers anchors, volunteer news... etc. 3. Developing local volunteer center's front pages. Facilitating the communication between experienced volunteers and other social service volunteers and networking is one of the major goals in year 2001. In order to accomplish this goal, we will utilize the modern telecommunication techniques, Internet, as a tool to build up the network. NYC will work side by side with each local volunteer office to build up their front pages. Through the Internet, each local office can share their plans, techniques, skills, experiences, and outcomes with other volunteer groups. 4. Developing volunteer training college. Pre-service training and in-service training are the foundation for providing quality-assurance services. We will help each local office to develop their own volunteer training system and cultivate valued volunteers. These training includes providing volunteer training, developing volunteer plans, developing training curriculum, developing teaching materials, holding conferences, and building up scholars and experts database. 3
Holding conferences to facilitate the knowledge of volunteer. In one of the NYC 1997's survey, the Youth's View Point Toward Volunteer Services, we find that in the age of 18-44 youth in Taiwan, there is only 19.4% people had participating in volunteer services. However, the data also tell us that there is 80% youth saying that they are interested in volunteer. How to help the 60% people who are interested in but not participate yet in volunteer services to become volunteers is our, NYC, future goal. Therefore, NYC will hold different conferences to facilitate volunteer participation rate, to promote diverse professionals to participate in volunteer services, to expand the participation channel, to systemize service programs, and to communicate the different view points toward volunteer. We hope through these communication efforts, our youth will be more knowledge about the importance of volunteer services. Actions. 2001 Asia-Pacific Volunteer Conference. NYC will co-hold the 2001 Asia-Pacific Volunteer Conference entitled as "Motivation, Management and Maintenance of Volunteer Effort" on March 26-31 2001 with Kaohsiung County Government and The Asia- Pacific Public Affairs Forum. Service-Learning Conference for Senior High School Students. NYC plans to organize the Service-Learning Conference for senior high students on Jun, 2001 in Taipei, Taiwan. Service-Learning Conference for College Students. NYC plans to organize the Service-Learning Conference for college students on May, 2001 in Taichung, Taiwan. Increasing the utilization of volunteers through diverse volunteer activities. President Chen of Taiwan, R.O.C has mentioned in his inauguration speech that Volunteering Taiwan is one of his major policies and want to turn Greediness Island into Kindness Island. Beside s of that, the volunteer participation rate and willingness have been estimated gradually recently. Therefore, NYC will devote us to organize diverse volunteer activities to demonstrate the value of volunteer services ignored to increase the volunteer utilization rate in Taiwan. Actions. The first local volunteer Center wills establish in 2001 to warm up the atmosphere for the Year of International Volunteers. 4
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