does volunteerism equal patriotism?
05:50, 16 August 2005
.. Posted in Volunteerism and Volunteer Management.. Link
Today, on CYBERVPM, an online discussion group for volunteer managers, I asked the following: Is there a danger of tieing volunteerism so very closely with being a good patriot/citizen? At the recent national conference by the Points of Light Foundation and the Corporation for National Service, volunteerism -- not just service through CNS but all types of unpaid, volunteer service -- was referred to by many speakers, again and again, as a patriotic act, as something a person does to support and promote their country's values, to be a good citizen, etc. But what does this alignment say to:
- people who volunteer for causes specifically to change official public policy or counter government action
- people who volunteer in watch-dog groups (animal shelters, the courts, environmental groups, etc.) to make sure government officials/staff are acting in a particular way
- etc.
