What makes a volunteer? Perhaps a desire to help a worthy cause, or get involved in the local community, or assist a sporting organisation, or simply as a social outlet, or it may be a matter of following in a family tradition.
Some people are convinced that all of us must be getting something out of our voluntary work. They cannot believe we are doing it for nothing. In a sense, they are right. While we are getting nothing material from our voluntary work, we certainly are getting something personally rewarding.
We are getting that feeling of satisfaction that comes from knowing we are making a difference within our local community and within our society as a whole. We are helping to enhance our local communities and to improve the quality of life for many people.
In this, the United Nations International Year of Volunteers, voluntary action is called for more than ever to meet human needs and solve problems in society. However, there is some evidence that volunteering is on the wane.
Significantly, there is important evidence that men are not coming forward to volunteer in Foroige clubs as they used to in the past. Our figures show a 10 per cent drop over the last 10 years in the proportion of male volunteers in Foroige. We should take the opportunity of the International Year of Volunteers to recruit more men as voluntary leaders.
Personal development and community development are fundamental to Foroige. Our organisation's purpose is to enable young people to involve themselves consciously and actively in their own development and in the development of society. Their own development involves matters such as growing in useful knowledge and skills, growing in sensitivity towards others and their needs, growing in awareness of one's strengths and weaknesses and developing a sense of one's personal dignity.
Development of society involves contributing in some shape or form to the wellbeing of others. This might be improving the physical environment, fund-raising for a good cause or innumerable other activities.
Every young person has a right and an obligation to contribute to both their personal development and the development of their community, to become what they are capable of becoming and to put their mark on the world.
They must experience the value of service to others and the common good. This is why we volunteer our time and our energy and this is why we need to recruit others to join us. The bonus for us personally is that it is also one of the means by which we put our mark on the world and fulfil part of our vocation in life.
It is one of the reasons why we are privileged to be youth leaders and why we need to reflect on our youth work and to assess to what extent we are achieving our fundamental purpose. Are we contributing to the community? Are we helping our young people become better persons?
Next year, 2002, our organisation will have a great opportunity for reflection as it will be the Golden Jubilee of the founding of Foroige. We will reflect on the past as a foundation for developing a vision for our organisation's future.
My own vision is that of a strong, courageous, flexible and innovative organisation built on the bedrock of core human development values; an organisation committed to volunteerism and governed by volunteers, dedicated to excellence in the pursuit of youth development and education; an organisation operating throughout Ireland in partnership with other agencies, as appropriate, and always working in the best interests of young people.
As the Youth Work Bill, 2000, came before Dail Eireann it was welcomed, in general, by Foroige. We welcomed especially the fact that youth work is to be "provided primarily by voluntary youth work organisations".
We also made some suggestions for amendments. Furthermore, a National Youth Work Development Plan is being drawn up for the years 2002 to 2006. All of these matters will be important for the development of youth work in the future, and we must do the best we can to safeguard and put forward the interests of the young people we serve.
Youth leadership is a privilege. It also carries with it obligations. All of us as leaders must be trusted guides and never renege on that trust. We need to continually renew ourselves in this regard by reflecting on the importance of our role as youth leaders.
We must also face the fact that not everyone is suited to being a voluntary youth leader and we must recruit and retain only those who are suited to the job. The protection and well being of the young people in our care must be our first priority.
Foroige is a national voluntary organisation engaged in youth development and education. It provides a comprehensive range of youth work services through the operation of Foroige clubs, local youth services, local youth development projects and youth information centres.
Tom Coppinger is chairman of the National Council of Foroige. Further information is available from: www.foroige.ie