Umberto Bernardo: Communications manager at UNV

Umberto Bernardo, Italian, is 27. Fluent in English, French and Spanish, for the past year he has worked as “communications analyst” at the UNV, the United Nations program that promotes and organises volunteering globally. The task of a communications analyst, as the name suggests, is to manage external relations, communications and marketing but in this case the UNV has had an important goal in mind: rebranding. Because, Bernardo explains, “the UNV carries out many more actions than those for which it is known for – organising volunteers and volunteers projects. It importantly also conducts research on the effects of volunteering, the value of volunteering in a policy context”.

Have you had a chance to experience the value of volunteering for your self?

Yes. I spent one and a half years as a UNV volunteer in Egypt, where I worked on an HIV prevention project, mainly with young people. It was an important experience that taught how fulfilling, and stimulating it can be to work on the field.

Is this how you ended up working at the UNV headquarters in Bonn?

No, actually I landed my current job with the UNV by chance, through a JPO selection where you have no control over the destination of the placement. But I was very happy to work with the UNV again as I believe volunteering to be a key value, especially to development.

Which is your passion…

Yes. I want to work in the field of development, either with the UN or with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Even though what I really want is to work on the field, in Africa, in Latin America, directly involved in development projects and not stuck in an office in headquarters in Europe or the US.

Why not work for an NGO?

I have tried, but the many cv’s I have sent out have never led me to a job interview, let alone a job offer. In the end it was easier for me to follow the United Nations path, which in any case is still connected with what I want to do. My studies – a degree in Diplomacy from the Orientale in Naples and a Masters in International Affairs in Milan – have always been geared towards working abroad in a development context.

From your point of view what are the main challenges facing the volunteering sector today?

As far as Italy is concerned, I think that what is really missing is a legal framework that promotes and stimulates a culture of volunteering. For example, if an expert in water management were to find an opportunity with UNV to go and work on a project on the field for 6 months, in Italy it is unlikely that this person will find the support to do so, in the sense that his/her job probably won’t be there for them when they return. In my opinion this is a great challenge for the third sector – most people see their volunteering activities as external to their work activity, but many social problems require experienced human resources, people with technical skills and it would obviously be a great step forward if there were the legal framework that enabled them to dedicate themselves to social projects for short periods of time without loosing their full time jobs at home.

Does this kind of framework exist elsewhere?

Yes. Some of the large multinationals, which may sound like a paradox, have a system that enables their workers to use part of their overtime or even a fraction of their working hours to development projects. For example Intel has an enormous project on at the moment to encourage its workers to become involved in the community.

Another challenge that the sector faces is to make volunteering opportunities and volunteers find each other. It is very, very hard for someone who is willing and eager to give some of their time to good causes to find out what opportunities are open to them at that particular time.

Any practical solutions?

A national database of volunteering opportunities. My experience shows me that many people who are not connected to the third sector through their local parish or through people they know who work with non profit organisations are cut out from volunteering.

Where do you see your future?

My long term objective and dream is to work on the field in war contexts and, if possible, with young people. Of all the experiences I have had the most fulfilling have been those that have put me in touch with youth and I believe they are the key to many of the problems faced by developing countries.

And what about youth in the developed world, how is the “mood”?

Black! I know so many people who are desperately trying to find their way into the field of development, who want to work for NGOs but who simply aren’t finding the opportunities they seek. Then there is the problem of the geographical disparity of employment opportunities within countries – in the south of Italy, where I am from, the work scenario is more tragic than it is in the north, and more so when it comes to the third sector. Migration – especially abroad – is not an option for everyone, especially as now internships, usually unpaid, have become a necessary step for any job. What I see is that working for the UN or for non profit organisations is becoming an opportunity open only to the elite, to those whose families can afford to support them.

Is it the same in Germany?

I think that Italy and Germany differ in one big area which is that in Germany it is easier for young people to gain work experience. The education system is organised so that even high school students have access to internship programs. I think this helps to prepare them for the world of work. For example, UNV takes on high school students for a couple of weeks every year. There are programs in northern European countries, like Denmark or Sweden, that enable university students to have access to funding to gain experience in development projects. So even though the credit crunch has hit Germany too, I think the mood isn’t as black as it is in Italy.

Any project that particularly inspires you?

Three cups of tea. If I were ever to set a project of my own up one day I would definitely get my inspiration from its founder, Greg Mortenson.