The Future of Volunteering- 50th Anniversary of JOA’s CWP Event
Jersey Overseas Aid would like to invite islanders to join the first Jersey International Development Network event of the year – ‘The Future of Volunteering’ in celebration of the 50th anniversary of JOA’s Community Work Projects (CWPs) volunteering programme. The event will deliver an evening of inciteful and engaging discussion, as well as the sharing of memories and stories from Jersey’s wonderful volunteers who have undertaken JOA CWP projects over the last 50 years.
Date: Thursday 28th April
Time: 5:30pm for a 6:15pm start
Location: Liberation Suite, Pomme D’Or Hotel, St Helier
Overview:
As Jersey Overseas Aid celebrates 50 years of its Community Work Projects (CWPs) volunteering programme, this ‘first of its kind’ panel event will take a closer look at future volunteering trends. Looking at the context in which volunteering takes place and how this has changed the volunteering landscape, and in particular taking into consideration recent international crises that continue to negatively impact societies across the world, our expert panel will discuss the trends that are already driving volunteering while also considering the future trends that might emerge. The panel, made up of international and local experts, will discuss the outcomes of several pieces of research that have been undertaken over the last year, and how this relates to and will steer JOA’s volunteering programme, ensuring maximum positive impact for islanders, the island and beneficiaries is achieved through the CWP programme for the next 50 years.
The Panel:
- Alice Chadwick El-Ali, Senior Research and Policy Officer, UK Collaborative on Development Research
- David Jordan OBE, Chairman, Sand Dams Worldwide
- Philip Goodwin, CEO, VSO International
- Deputy Carolyn Labey, Jersey’s Minister for International Development, Chair of the JOA Commission and former CWP volunteer
- Mike Haden, Chairman of local charity, Hands Around the World Jersey
Moderator:
- Simon Boas, Executive Director, Jersey Overseas Aid
About the CWPs programme:
Since 1972, islanders have contributed to improving the lives of thousands of people living in poverty through JOA’s Community Work Projects programme. By 2020 around 1,000 volunteers had completed over 100 projects in some of the world’s poorest communities. For many Jersey volunteers, such trips have been life changing and have often resulted in enduring links with communities in some of the poorest places on earth. Some of our volunteers have kept in touch not only with their fellow volunteers but also people they met on their volunteering trip; some have gone on to set up their own charities and others have received recognition of the highest honour. For the past 50 years, JOA has been facilitating parties of volunteers to work with communities in developing countries for up to four weeks. Each Community Work Project is usually formed of about twelve volunteers, carefully selected by the JOA team from the scores of applicants we receive each year, and is led by an experienced team leader. Thorough preparation for the trips is vital – volunteers participate in training and team-building exercises in the months before departure.