Last week I had a great lunch with the Nike We Run SG organizers to discuss some of the feedback I provided and they also wanted to learn about how things work in Canada. They were really open to sharing what their experiences have been and what mine was like. They really took it all in stride and acknowledge that they have many challenges and also that this event was a bit of an anomaly compared to some of their other events. I followed that with a great dinner discussion with a friend about some very similar topics.
The most important point to me about my volunteer experience was how I felt the time I gave wasn't used to it's greatest potential. Frankly, most of my time was wasted through waiting around. Their major challenge is the lack of public transport for the volunteers to get to the site early in the morning as trains and buses mostly don't run until around 6 or 7am on the weekends. Hence, they have no choice but to ask the volunteers to arrive before the last train or bus the night before. Most of the volunteers are high school kids who rely on public transport and it's safe to say that many families do not own a car. I compared that to my experiences in Vancouver where we can start driving on our own when we're 16.5 (here it's 18) and that there's lots of street parking in most places. We also live in a culture where volunteerism is almost a part of growing up, and have awesome family members who are willing to drive some of us around! Then, in Sri Lanka buses run pretty much 24 hours per day, so no issue there! Another major concern was that they were afraid they would get more no shows for a shift that starts early morning rather than going overnight. As it seemed, (at least for my group), I saw probably about a 50% no show rate!
The best solution is that if people could share taxis or carpool and have parental support to volunteer (i.e. rides to a volunteer assignment), less people would have to check in so early. The challenge here is the culture in Singapore does not promote, encourage, or value volunteering. People who volunteer mostly do it for what they get in return, materialistically. The volunteer entitlements are just as important as the runners' entitlements. The question most people ask is, "what do I get in return for my time?" My warm and fuzzy answer for recruitment in Canada (and in Sri Lanka) of "the joy of knowing you just helped some people accomplish something they never thought they could do, or achieve a goal of being the best athlete they can be" won't cut it here. Mostly, the kids (and others) do it because they have to, and the parents aren't there to tell them why it's good to do donate your time (or give them reasons to keep doing it). So for people to fork out extra money to take a taxi or carpool? Unlikely because volunteering doesn't hold very much value in this society. Heck, I feel like that anyone who gives them amore meaningful reason for volunteering other than for the material goods, just isn't heard. Yes, they would nod, but deep within their hearts, I don't think it's in them.
I crossed out "more meaningful" because I recognized that is a very Western personal and cultural expectation. In my discussions last week, what is meaningful to people here is very different from what is meaningful to many people I know. Many of us find meaning in helping others, volunteering their time, fundraising for charity, and in general, engaging with other human beings. A lot of people here find meaning in having the latest in gadgets and the feeling of having the warm and fuzzy screens of the iPads, tablets, and phones in their hands. Not that they don't think volunteering isn't meaningful, just lower on the list. I make that assumption, because that's all I ever see on the buses, trains, restaurants, malls, and streets. Yup. Everywhere. That, and in those discussions, I came to the conclusion that people here, work to buy the latest gadget, that designer purse, or the swank pair of shoes. They don't work to be a better person, attain that leadership role, go on an adventure, a vacation, or some time off. Seems wrong to the majority of us raised in the Western world, right? But what if, this is your world and this is what you know? Should we impose upon them what they should learn about outside this little protected bubble?
For the younger generation, it's all about "me". What do I get out of it? It doesn't matter that my actions might help someone else, because what do I get out of it for putting that effort in? Back home, you are recognized for being a "good" person to volunteer your time, you maybe get a meal and a t-shirt, you feel good about contributing to an event/project/charity, and you get to put it on your resume. Here, you get a meal, t-shirt, and cash. That's all that is expected. So to change the volunteer experience and to grow volunteerism, a major shift in culture is necessary so that it holds a greater value. The culture would need to recognize that volunteering is an activity that builds character, experience, and life-skills, like sport. And guess what, sport engagement outside of high school is pretty dismal.
So, a little more food for thought. When primary schools are using parents of potential students as volunteers as a way to increase the probability their kid will be accepted into the school? They'll say that it's to help the school pick the best citizens for their school. Is it a clever scheme to get the resources you need to run school programs, or is a detriment to promoting volunteerism?
The most important point to me about my volunteer experience was how I felt the time I gave wasn't used to it's greatest potential. Frankly, most of my time was wasted through waiting around. Their major challenge is the lack of public transport for the volunteers to get to the site early in the morning as trains and buses mostly don't run until around 6 or 7am on the weekends. Hence, they have no choice but to ask the volunteers to arrive before the last train or bus the night before. Most of the volunteers are high school kids who rely on public transport and it's safe to say that many families do not own a car. I compared that to my experiences in Vancouver where we can start driving on our own when we're 16.5 (here it's 18) and that there's lots of street parking in most places. We also live in a culture where volunteerism is almost a part of growing up, and have awesome family members who are willing to drive some of us around! Then, in Sri Lanka buses run pretty much 24 hours per day, so no issue there! Another major concern was that they were afraid they would get more no shows for a shift that starts early morning rather than going overnight. As it seemed, (at least for my group), I saw probably about a 50% no show rate!
The best solution is that if people could share taxis or carpool and have parental support to volunteer (i.e. rides to a volunteer assignment), less people would have to check in so early. The challenge here is the culture in Singapore does not promote, encourage, or value volunteering. People who volunteer mostly do it for what they get in return, materialistically. The volunteer entitlements are just as important as the runners' entitlements. The question most people ask is, "what do I get in return for my time?" My warm and fuzzy answer for recruitment in Canada (and in Sri Lanka) of "the joy of knowing you just helped some people accomplish something they never thought they could do, or achieve a goal of being the best athlete they can be" won't cut it here. Mostly, the kids (and others) do it because they have to, and the parents aren't there to tell them why it's good to do donate your time (or give them reasons to keep doing it). So for people to fork out extra money to take a taxi or carpool? Unlikely because volunteering doesn't hold very much value in this society. Heck, I feel like that anyone who gives them a
I crossed out "more meaningful" because I recognized that is a very Western personal and cultural expectation. In my discussions last week, what is meaningful to people here is very different from what is meaningful to many people I know. Many of us find meaning in helping others, volunteering their time, fundraising for charity, and in general, engaging with other human beings. A lot of people here find meaning in having the latest in gadgets and the feeling of having the warm and fuzzy screens of the iPads, tablets, and phones in their hands. Not that they don't think volunteering isn't meaningful, just lower on the list. I make that assumption, because that's all I ever see on the buses, trains, restaurants, malls, and streets. Yup. Everywhere. That, and in those discussions, I came to the conclusion that people here, work to buy the latest gadget, that designer purse, or the swank pair of shoes. They don't work to be a better person, attain that leadership role, go on an adventure, a vacation, or some time off. Seems wrong to the majority of us raised in the Western world, right? But what if, this is your world and this is what you know? Should we impose upon them what they should learn about outside this little protected bubble?
For the younger generation, it's all about "me". What do I get out of it? It doesn't matter that my actions might help someone else, because what do I get out of it for putting that effort in? Back home, you are recognized for being a "good" person to volunteer your time, you maybe get a meal and a t-shirt, you feel good about contributing to an event/project/charity, and you get to put it on your resume. Here, you get a meal, t-shirt, and cash. That's all that is expected. So to change the volunteer experience and to grow volunteerism, a major shift in culture is necessary so that it holds a greater value. The culture would need to recognize that volunteering is an activity that builds character, experience, and life-skills, like sport. And guess what, sport engagement outside of high school is pretty dismal.
So, a little more food for thought. When primary schools are using parents of potential students as volunteers as a way to increase the probability their kid will be accepted into the school? They'll say that it's to help the school pick the best citizens for their school. Is it a clever scheme to get the resources you need to run school programs, or is a detriment to promoting volunteerism?
