Community and voluntary action

• “If we design well, we design for shared aliveness”. Speaking from China, John Thackara lays out an economy defined by care, The Daily Alternative (Jul 28, 2023)

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Community and voluntary action can contribute to resilient, thriving, empowered and unique communties.

Community and voluntary action for sustainability has common and overlapping interest with the wider community and voluntary sector. Both have an interest in the capacity and well-being of the sector as a whole - the extent to which community and voluntary action, especially at the local level, can thrive.

Both can be allies within partnerships. Representatives form the more formal voluntary sector have a wealth of experience, whilst sustainability brings a unifying vision. At the local level, in different areas different kinds of agencies may be the most natural allies, or potential allies, to local action for sustainability. In the UK for example, in some areas it may be Councils for Voluntary Service, in others it may be Volunteer Centres or Rural Community Councils.

Community action projects[edit | edit source]

• create and develop community resources
• Local environmental projects
• partnership working
• alliances and coalitions
• Advocate expenses for volunteers, so that no-one should be out of pocket from volunteering, and it isn't something just for those that can afford it
• Make a gift of your time as a Christmas, birthday or other present to someone (for example some kind of volunteering toward a particular cause they may be passionate about)

Events[edit | edit source]

• Jul 18, 2024 (Thu) — Mandela Day

Resources[edit | edit source]

• Help From Home website enabling Micro-volunteering ^W, easy home based volunteering actions

Quotes[edit | edit source]

"...if we are to move from charity to justice, helping our community members who are most marginalized to be heard is one of the most effective and enduring things we can do. Let’s restore one of the strengths of our sector, and one of our sacred duties. Let’s mobilize the full power of our community, constantly and unapologetically, in service of justice.

We must intellectualize less and organize more. The soul of our sector, and the well-being of our community, depends on it." Nonprofit AF^[1]

"We are social creatures, our behaviours are shaped and constrained by social norms and expectations. Negotiating change is best pursued at the level of groups and communities. Social support is particularly vital in breaking habits, and in devising new social norms and more sustainable patterns of consumption. Government can play a vital role in nurturing and supporting community based social change." Professor Tim Jackson, University of Surrey

News and comment[edit | edit source]

2018

Charities risk becoming irrelevant, warns new report, Nov 20^[2] ...Community and voluntary action UK

How can we shape the future together? Nov 18^[3]

Matt Kepple: Why we need the voluntary sector's collective expertise, Jul 12^[4] asks "Where is our Wikipedia for social change?" ...How about right here? CASwiki and Appropedia? Philralph (talk) 10:58, 9 November 2021 (UTC) ...Community and voluntary action UK

2016

Volunteering from home will become as commonplace as working from home.^[5]

See also[edit | edit source]

• Communities online
• Community currencies, sustainable community action
• Community involvement
• Community resources
• Community safety
• Localism
• Networks, Networks, news and comment, Transition Network
• Rural sustainability
• Sharing
• Social inclusion
• Urban sustainability

local information can be found, or shared, via our many location pages

External links[edit | edit source]

• Wikipedia: Local community, Micro-volunteering
• Hippohelp.com is a free map-based platform connecting hosts with travellers from all over the world. The travellers work a few hours per day, in exchange for free food and accommodation. It's possible to login on Hippohelp using Facebook.
• Help Exchange (HelpX)
• WWOOF, World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, or Willing Workers on Organic Farms, is a loose network of national organizations that facilitate placement of volunteers on organic farms. While there are WWOOF hosts in 99 countries around the world, no central list or organization encompasses all WWOOF hosts. As there is no single international WWOOF membership, all recognised WWOOF country organizations strive to maintain similar standards, and work together to promote the aims of WWOOF. ^W
• Workaway.info one of three international organizations that enable travelers willing to work as volunteers to contact hosts (who can be individuals, families or groups) wanting help with their projects or activities. Similar to HelpX and Volunteers Base, volunteers or 'workawayers', are expected to contribute a pre-agreed amount of time per day in exchange for lodging and food provided by their host. ^W

References[edit | edit source]