Building a Society of Volunteers
On Monday & Tuesday, June 30 - July 1, 2003, seventeen people from 9 local NGOs/CROs gathered in the Naim Nassar Hall for a workshop on “Building a Society of Volunteers.” This training was sponsored by the Middle East Association of Training and Retreat Centers *(MEATRC) and hosted by the International Center of Bethlehem, a founding member of MEATRC.
As part of MEATRC strategic plan for 2000-2005, capacity building for the
different member centers and other centers that MEATRC sees as potential members
has been identified as a priority. The issue of effective recruitment of
volunteers to help the growth of these centers has been chosen to be the focus
for the year 2003.
Carol Sansour and Rev. Sandra Olewine provided the leadership for the workshop
on behalf of Dar Annadwa. Al-Liqa, also a member of MEATRC, participated and
were joined by representatives from the Arab Educational Institute, Bethlehem
University, the Peace Center of Bethlehem, Sabeel Liberation Theology Center,
Wi’am, and the YMCA Rehabilitation Center.
Day One focused on the theory and history of volunteerism, covering such topics
as: what is volunteerism, the history of volunteerism in Palestine, the
importance of volunteerism in building civil society, the characteristics of
volunteers and the ethics of volunteerism. Day Two focused on practical
considerations for strengthening volunteer programs. Discussion centered on the
particular experience of local institutions in their volunteer programs, and how
to recruit, select and train volunteers.
Throughout, the discussion was lively. While the experience of the participating
institutions with volunteers differed, all expressed a need to improve how they
deal with volunteers, including better orientation and training for them. In the
evaluations, everyone expressed keen interest in more training in this area,
particularly focusing on how to motivate volunteers in Palestinian society.
Dar Annadwa was excited to be able to offer this initial training and looks
forward to providing more resources for our community. We are grateful to MEATRC
for their support which made this workshop possible.
* MEATRC is an association of a number of centers that address
spiritual and social concerns in their communities and work in the fields of
training and human resource development. Founded in 1994, MEATRC centers seek to
accomplish their common vision through networking, sharing of ideas and working
together, thus serving the churches and the community in the Middle East. The
centers of MEATRC are located in Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Cyprus and
Palestine.
