Inspired Service Here & Abroad

At a town hall meeting in France last month, President Obama urged the audience to find ways to engage in public service, he said: "The world has so many challenges now. There are so many opportunities. Jump in. Get involved. It does mean sometimes you'll get criticized, and sometimes you'll fail and you'll be disappointed. But you'll have a great adventure, and at some point in your life you'll be able to look back and say, 'I made a difference.'" (Washington Post, 4/4/09)

This struck me as I was in the midst of attending a series of local and regional sister city events and meetings. At each one - something strikes me: Why do you do this?

Of course, volunteerism across many sectors is enjoying a tremendous surge. The call to service is not new. Whether it’s “Ask Not” or it’s the National Service Act signed into law a few weeks ago. Serving our country or community is fundamental to the country’s psyche today as it was the fabric of our nation’s communities at our founding. The same inherit motivation is not found in many (most) places abroad. (Note: this is not to say volunteerism or commitment to service does not exist abroad.)

But, we’ve been doing this for 53 years – that’s a lot of people opening up their homes to host a visitor from abroad, spending their own money to fly to Africa to work on a water project, contributing funds to sponsor a student to study in the U.S., or time to coordinate an exchange of business executives.

Volunteer management, or more specifically how we motivate, activate, recruit, retain, and inspire our local volunteers, is a challenge many organizations wrestle with, but I have developed a great deal of respect for the sister cities citizen diplomat volunteer corps. These folks give more than: a little time, a little money, or a little talent – it’s an inspired vigor for engaging people who usually speak another language, may hold political or religious views that counter your own, or may hold a station in life that completely flummoxes you. This isn’t for the faint of heart or for individuals who live in a monotone life.

So I return to my core question, why do you do this? The answer I receive is simple: to make a difference. “The difference” manifests itself personally through their stories, experiences, and relationships around the world.