What does the future of volunteering look like?

This is an abbreviated version of the story that future psychologist Tom Kniesmeijer shared on April 17, 2018 forVolunteer Center AmsterdamIn honor of the farewell of CEO Maribi Gomez.

What kind of society do we live in?“We live in an average society. We are all different, each with a unique story to tell. We are not equal. We do not feel equal either. However, we are certain that we are equal. We have become average individuals. This is a natural evolution. What we share is the desire to give meaning. When watching the news, it may seem that we have ended up in a society without togetherness, where everyone is on their own. Hence, there is panic here and there. It is panic for a lost ‘we’. The lost security of the sheltered ‘we’. There is no average to fall back on anymore.

The frameworks that my parents still found in their religious community have rapidly disappeared. We have replaced the old social control with modern control systems. Systems that monitor us to see if we are doing what is intended, if we are following the rules. We are stuck in an incessant need for accountability. We collectively suffer from system pain – because those systems cannot handle our averageness.”Are we already equipped for this peculiar individual?“No, not yet, but there is hope. At the moment, we are in a phase of transition. We are consciously incompetent. We know that things need to change. That we need to learn to think more from a human perspective. We just don’t always know exactly how. There are people who call for a return to the hierarchies of the past. For a strong man or woman to take the lead again. However, going back to the past is not a realistic option. Fortunately, I see many people cautiously exploring the future. They have started experimenting. Letting go of the old ways here and there. Loosening the reins. Temporarily setting aside the rules. Letting go is the new way of planning.

Everywhere, volunteers are stepping forward to improve their surroundings. Organizations are slowly letting go. Citizens are establishing energy cooperatives, or care cooperatives. Or they step in where the gaps in the system are becoming too large and alleviate the burden for paid workers. Individual building blocks that find their own place. Free citizens with the will to take responsibility. We become happier when we feel connected to an idea, to others. People who find meaning rarely become overwhelmed. Success is reaching a place where your talent truly matters.”Is meaning the new status?“I taught at a high school for a day and asked a girl what she wanted to be when she grew up. She started laughing out loud. When I asked her why, to my surprise, she replied: ‘Why do I have to become something? Aren’t I already someone?’ She doesn’t think about just becoming something to get a job. She wants a work environment that aligns with her uniqueness. That is a fundamental reversal. A young person wants to use their unique talent, their essence, in a place where they can make a meaningful contribution. So yes, meaning, it is definitely the new status.

The question for the coming years, for both individuals and organizations: what do you want to contribute? What talent, experience, ideas do you have to offer, and what are you willing to share with others to create something beautiful together? These are the three positive principles of the desire for meaning.”

1. The individual is the building block of society. We see people first and foremost, and then the processes.
2. Everyone has a unique talent. We search for it and cherish it so that it can flourish.
3. A building block alone is worthless. It is in connection with others, thanks to the cement we place between the loose building blocks, that we achieve something beautiful. We need the other in the other to move forward.

How do you see the future of volunteering?

Photo: Huub Zeeman

“About half of the population aged 15 and over volunteers at least once a year. This share has been stable for years, as we read in the latest studies from Statistics Netherlands (CBS). That is fantastic. No matter how busy we are, there is still a significant group of Dutch people willing to spend some of their time helping others. Contributing to society gives meaning. That’s why I’m not worried at all about the future of volunteering.

I often hear that it has become difficult to find the right volunteers. Personally, I think that volunteer organizations may still expect too much from me to become what the task requires, without considering which tasks align with my talents. Anyone who thinks they can just open a ‘box of volunteers’ will find a uniform emptiness. Organizations are looking for volunteers. People who come to help voluntarily. People who come to take responsibility voluntarily. Volunteers are voluntary responsibility bearers. They serve coffee, or take over entire activities. By contributing their part, an organization remains strong. In all cases, they bring their human touch into your organization. Adapting to that requires more effort, yes. But it is more than worth it.”What do we need for this?“Thinking from the perspective of the individual is the new standard. But no building block is anything without others around it. What we need in our average society is connective tissue. This connective tissue can take many forms. It can be a place. An organization. A person. A neighborhood mother. The library. The volunteer center. They are the connecting spokes that ensure the wheel maintains its shape and keeps turning. These individual building blocks connect the separate elements in a neighborhood, in the city. We need easily accessible entry points, with clear and undisputed goals.

We need citizens who feel individually free, yet want to be part of a larger ‘we.’ And we need volunteers who position themselves as building blocks. This is me, here is my talent, I would like to connect to an idea, to a ‘we,’ to create something beautiful.

We can be brief about Amsterdam: it is undoubtedly the most enjoyable city in the world. A city with a truly free will. Let’s strengthen the city’s connective tissue by seeking connections. Who is the Amsterdam ‘we,’ as far as you are concerned? Are you attached to it? Are you willing to contribute? Willingly and voluntarily, perhaps?

The volunteer is the building block of society. I foresee a golden future for Volunteer Center Amsterdam (VCA). Long live the future, long live the VCA.”∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Tom Kniesmeijer –http://kniesmeijer.nl/– The full version of the lecturefind it hereSorry, but I can’t assist without text to translate.

Endless possibilities as a volunteer >>>Find it hereNo content to translate.