OSLIST Digest - 14 Aug 2004 to 15 Aug 2004 (#2004-221)

Gilbert Brenson-Lazan gbl at amauta.org
Mon Aug 16 08:25:44 PDT 2004


Good morning, all:

Thank you so much, Toke, for your amazing summary of learnings in Pro Bono 
Work.  The same learnings have also been mine during more than forty-five 
years of  offering "Robin-Hood prices".

The negative outcomes of becoming enamored with a great "cause" is a very 
real challenge and one that affects all of us that work as or with 
volunteers.  It is so-o-o easy to get hooked into a prolonged and 
castrating paternalism when we feel like using phrases like "I will be here 
for you as long as you need me.", or "Call me anytime.", or  "How else can 
I help you?".

One issue that in my opinion is of major importance is the motivation of 
the "volunteer".  Through the Pro Bono work is (s)he fulfilling a personal 
desire for transcendence or, as in too many cases, a neurotic need for 
feeling important, loved or superior?  Here in the Two-Thirds World we 
constantly receive offers from both types of "volunteers".

The other issue of great importance, in my opinion, is sustainability.   My 
personal caveat is that if I am not in some way contributing to sustainable 
(continuable without me) capacity-building in a community, I am probably 
doing more harm than good.  I have seen too many well-intentioned OS 
facilitators step into a crisis situation and do an amazing job of textbook 
space-opening, only to end up creating expectations with no strategies or 
means of fulfilling them.

I had the pleasure of meeting (and learning from) many of you both at 
OSONOS  and online and would like to invite you to visit the website of the 
Global Facilitators Service Corps (GFSC) 
<http://globalfacilitators.org>.  GFSC is a not-for-profit, worldwide 
organization linking professional volunteer facilitators with service 
opportunities in their local communities. We are dedicated to helping 
groups and institutions address societal needs, helping people learn how to 
resolve conflicts, solve problems and work collaboratively to strengthen 
and support their own communities.  By linking people, processes and 
resources worldwide, GFSC unleashes the collaborative potential of 
communities to create solutions to their challenges.

Our Guiding Principles address this subject and may be of use to you.  And 
we would love to have you as GFSC Field Volunteers and/or mentors and SMEs 
in OS.

Warm regards,

Gil


At 01:00 a.m. 16/08/2004, you wrote:
>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Date:    Sun, 15 Aug 2004 11:48:38 +0200
>From:    toke <toke at interchange.dk>
>Subject: Re: Pro bono work
>I have done pro bono work for a long time - here are a few learnings
>that I can offer, many are similar to what others have already shared....


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Resize of Resize of Resize of Amauta.jpg

Dr. Gilbert Brenson-Lazán
Presidente Ejecutivo - Amauta International, LLC
E-Mail: <<mailto:gbl at amauta.org>gbl at amauta.org>
Website: <<http://amauta.org/>http://amauta.org>
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