IESALC Reports begins 2009 focusing in the university volunteerism and its potential impact in the development of Higher Education and the Latin American and Caribbean region. In this opportunity, Dr. Bernardo Kliksberg, Principal Advisor to the Latin American Regional Office of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), discuss the theme and broad our perspectives with his wise influence.

1. What is university volunteerism, and what is its importance for universities in Latin America and the Caribbean?

Latin America has grave social challenges. In spite of macroeconomic achievement during the last five years, nearly 200 million inhabitants of Latin America are currently below the poverty line. Infant and maternal mortality figures are very high, and one in four young people are outside the education system and the labour market. Behind all of this is the fact that this is the most unequal region of all, where the 10% wealthiest possess 48% of national income, and the 10% poorest possess only 1.6%. All of this can be aggravated by the current international economic crisis. Within such unequal structures, the crisis will especially impact the broad vulnerable sectors.

More than ever, there is a need for high-quality public policies that protect the most underprivileged, social responsibility of the private sector, and vigorous practices of solidarity by civil society. The many thousand universities within the region can make highly valuable contributions in various areas, but a key is the mobilization of their students in support of public social programs and policies that have direct impacts on communities.

Voluntary efforts by university students, applying their knowledge and high level of educational capital can make a very important difference. This was done, for example, by medical students and recent course graduates of Dominican universities when they went to distant communities with medical aid in the face of floods; or by Guatemalan students who periodically travel to remote villages and are the only source of medical assistance of these locales; or Argentine economics and administration students who work with labourers of recovered companies.

Volunteerism is today a powerful force on the planet. In his inaugural address, Barack Obama, who did volunteer work the previous day, especially mentioned "Teach for America". This NGO annually proposes to graduates of the best American universities that they work for two years teaching in the poorest schools of the country. In 2008 they were able to recruit many more students than the large companies were able to attract with their job offerings. In Argentina and in Spain, in surveys taken a few weeks ago, more than 80% of young people said that they would be very interested in voluntary work.

Young people feel that volunteerism is a mission, but also that it enriches them profoundly. The educational impact of voluntary work in universities is outstanding. It is one of the best possibilities for moving toward the much hoped-for goal of transmitting more necessary than ever ethical values in universities.

2. Of what importance is the recent creation of REDIVU?

There are significant experiences in university volunteerism in Latin America, but there is an immense potential for mobilization.

It is necessary to move forward vigorously in institutionalizing the practice of volunteerism as a natural part of the curriculum. On the other hand, it is necessary to move in the direction of organic learning in service programs, with appropriate planning guaranteed, tutoring, of making efforts in effective programs of community service. Systems of monitoring and assessment should be established, and learn from the experiences.

This and much more, demands preparing teachers and researchers in the state of the art in in-service learning and the best experience at the world level. The joint effort of Latin universities in Latin America and Spain can permit us together to face these demanding challenges.

This is the idea behind the creation of the Ibero-American Volunteer Network for Social Inclusion, REDIVU. The network that is being established by the Unión de Universidades de América Latina and leading universities in the region has the support of the Latin American Regional Office of the United Nations Development Program, of the Spanish International Cooperation Agency for Development, of United Nations Volunteers, the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, that leads university action in Spain, IESALC, CLAYSS, and other institutions. It is planned that the working headquarters will be at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Preparatory meetings have already been held, the first in Lima in 2007, and the second in the Dominican Republic in 2008, with very active participation of institutions throughout the continent and beyond.

REDIVU can be a powerful instrument for fostering this sleeping giant that is university volunteerism in benefit of the most underprivileged of the region.

3. Up to this time, what has been the contribution of existing experiences of university volunteerism in Latin America and the Caribbean?

They have aided millions of needy people in the most varied fields, from legal assistance to the poor to providing odontological services in neighbourhoods where children have never had the opportunity to have their teeth examined.

The young students who have participated in these experiences have seen them as a key part of what they learn at the university. They have been marked by what I call "the blessed virus of solidarity". But in addition, volunteerism in action sends a message of regenerated, stimulating, and inspiring values to all of society in this time of ethical crisis. It is the echo in the XXI century of the original biblical message, "Each of us should be his brother's keeper".

Volunteerism in Numbers

According to the Global Civil Society study organized by Johns Hopkins University, in which they studied 35 countries from 1995 and 1998, if you add all the production of the third sector (also known as NGO sector), the sector would become the seventh largest world economy. It employed 40 million people (including religion congregations) and 190 million people volunteered, which is equivalent to 20% of the adult population of the studied countries. Source: Johns Hopkins Comparative Nonprofit Sector Project.


UNESCO-IESALC

Bernardo Kliksberg Principal Advisor to the Latin American Regional Office of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and Director of the Spain-UNDP Fund "Toward Integrated and Inclusive Development in Latin America and the Caribbean". The author of 47 works and hundreds of technical articles that have had strong international impacts and have been translated into English, Portuguese, Chinese, Russian, Arabic, Hebrew, French, and other languages. A recognized pioneer in new fields of thought, including: social management, ethics for development, social capital, and corporate social responsibility. He has been named Doctor Honoris Causa, Honorary Professor, and Professor Emeritus by numerous universities - among the most recent being the Universidad Nacional de Buenos Aires, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (Spain), the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo, the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (Mexico), and the Universidad Católica del Perú. Among his latest works are the international best-sellers "More Ethics, More Development" (Temas, 17 ediciones) and "First, the People" (Planeta/Deusto, 2ª edición).