11th of September, Obama style

As every year since 2001, this 11 September 2009 is a sad day for Americans, as well as for most people around the world.

This year though, the anniversary has received a new kind of positive makeover.  It has been called the National Day of Service and Remembrance and is an official call from the Obama administration to volunteer on this day – as a symbol of coming together, solidarity, and transforming a bad thing into something beautiful.

Erin Barnhart, volunteer representative from Idealist.org, the reference American website for civic engagement around the US which aims to “connect people, organizations, and resources to help build a world where all people can live free and dignified lives,” answers Vita Europe’s questions about volunteering in the dawn of the new Serve America Act era.

 

Would you say that the will to volunteer has increased in the US since the passing of the Serve America Act last April? Have you personally noted a trend?

I believe – and am hearing anecdotally from volunteer resource managers and organizations nationwide – that there has been a marked increase in volunteering and service over the past several months. 

 

How would you explain this?

There are a number of theories as to why this is the case but three of the most often cited reasons are 1) President Obama’s call to service, 2) the high profile and attention paid to volunteerism via legislation and events like the Serve America Act, the ServiceNation summit last Fall, and Serve.gov, and 3) a reaction to the economic times, for example more people volunteering while looking for work in order to keep their skills sharp, make new professional contacts, etc.

 

Would you say that more people are volunteering on 9/11 as a result of the launch of the first national day of service and remembrance? 

I think over the past several years – as it has become more and more recognized as a day of service and an opportunity to do good on an historical (albeit quite recent) day of tragedy – more individuals are seeking ways to volunteer on 9/11.  Again, with the high profile of volunteering and service in the U.S. right now, I imagine we will see an increase in people seeking to volunteer this Friday. 

 

Do you think volunteering has suddenly become cooler because of President Obama’s endorsement?

I think so.  President Obama is a popular figure with many Americans, particularly young people, many of whom may have felt disconnected and disillusioned with the political process, so his endorsement of volunteerism as a powerful social change activity may well help some people rethink how they can get involved and why it matters.  I’m not sure we have the data yet to support this theory – research is still catching up and we won’t have 2009 volunteer statistics until next year – but again, anecdotally this seems to be a positive trend.

 

Are you an idealist?  What made you work for Idealist.org?

 Absolutely!  One of the reasons my life’s work is in supporting the infrastructure of volunteerism and service is because I wholeheartedly believe that everyone has energy, skills, perspective, and passion to lend to any given opportunity, idea, or problem in the world.  Volunteering can be such an enormously powerful, yet also accessible, way for individuals to lend a hand, learn more about the world, themselves and others, and make a real difference.  At the same time, I truly believe that there is no one right way to create change and so working at an organization like Idealist.org, that supports civic engagement whether it be through the workplace (nonprofit careers, employee engagement), education (graduate degrees for the public good), volunteering and service (national service programs, volunteering locally and/or abroad), and even through everyday connections with others who share our ideals, is genuinely a natural fit.

 

www.idealist.org