Every year on December 5th, the world observes International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development, a day established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1985. This day serves as a platform for governments, civil society organisations, media, academia, and the private sector to highlight the invaluable contributions of volunteers in addressing both global and local challenges. Volunteers often operate behind the scenes, yet they are typically the first responders to pressing issues such as climate change, social injustices, and conflicts.
My personal journey into volunteerism
My journey into volunteerism began in 2007 when I joined the Let's Do It movement, just as preparations for the first national cleanup campaign were beginning. At that time, I was a young student balancing a full-time job, hobbies, and relationships—much like many others my age. One day, I attended a youth entrepreneurship conference where I was inspired by the stories of people sharing their volunteer experiences. They shared how they had learnt new skills from their voluntary experiences, as they could try out different tasks in their volunteer roles. They had also gained new like-minded friends, and I heard about the magical vibe and family feeling that accompanied these experiences.
Motivated by these stories, I shared my desire to volunteer with my boyfriend (who later became my husband), who worked at Skype back then. Shortly afterwards, he informed me about an opportunity to join a group aiming to clean up the whole of Estonia in just one day. Without hesitation, I reached out to the project leader at the time who welcomed me into the core team, where I took on responsibilities such as documenting meetings and managing internal communications alongside another volunteer.
Over the next six months, I gained invaluable skills and new friends that solidified my passion for volunteerism. When the Let's Do It team decided to organise a think-tank day the following year, my involvement in it felt like a natural progression.
The dual impact of volunteerism
Volunteerism offers profound personal benefits alongside its societal impacts. On an individual level, volunteering allows people to explore new experiences and utilise their professional skills where they are most needed. The intrinsic reward of helping others fosters a deep sense of fulfilment that comes from giving without expecting anything in return. Additionally, volunteering expands social networks by connecting individuals with like-minded peers, opening doors to new job opportunities and new projects both personally and professionally.
On a societal level, volunteers and active citizens are often the first to notice when something in their community or society needs attention and quick action. For instance, during the onset of the war in Ukraine, civil society in Estonia mobilised quickly to collect donations for refugees long before the government decided how, and to what extent, to support Ukraine. Similarly, when corruption is suspected within local governance relating to waste management or other service contracts, it is often engaged citizens who bring these issues to light. This is the power of a strong civil society—citizens mobilise quickly to solve social, environmental, and even economic issues both locally and globally, while also noticing injustice, corruption, and unreasonable decisions made by decision-makers.
The role of civil society
A collaborative relationship between civil society and government can yield significant benefits. For example, Estonia's first national cleanup day not only saved the government €22.5 million but also addressed illegal dumping issues across the country. However, civil society also plays a crucial role as a guardian of democracy—acting as a conscience for government actions.
Mutual trust is essential for fostering healthy citizen-government relationships. Governments that trust and support their civil society by providing a good legal environment and allowing citizens to freely form associations thereby create a healthy civic space in which people can work on the issues that matter most to them. Governments that tolerate criticism from civil society know that opposition helps to open new perspectives on issues, and public discussion helps to make the best decisions. In an open society, there is also free media, online content is uncensored, and citizens can access government information easily.
In return, citizens who trust their government take an active role in noticing and tackling problems on a local, national, and global level. This gives the government confidence that it can delegate and leave certain environmental, social, and other issues to civil society to solve. Additionally, people who trust their government are more willing to pay taxes, participate in public and political discussions, and engage in the law-making process.
Challenges facing civic space
Despite these positive dynamics, less than half of the world's population lives in open societies today. According to the CIVICUS Monitor report tracking civic space conditions since 2018, civic freedoms are declining globally. As of December 2023, 30.6% of countries are classified as closed, 40.3% are repressed, and 14.8% have obstructed civic space. This alarming trend means that people in 118 out of 198 countries and territories are experiencing enormous restrictions on fundamental freedoms. People in these countries are unable to exercise their rights to associate, assemble peacefully, and freely express views and opinions. In many cases, public gatherings are prohibited, activists are arrested, and the media is controlled. Only 2.1% of the world's countries are open, and 12.1% have narrowed civic space.
International Volunteer Day serves as a poignant reminder of the critical role that volunteers play in our communities. It also emphasises the importance of a strong civil society where active citizenship can flourish. At Let's Do It World, we strive towards a shared vision of a clean and healthy world through global collaboration across borders. Each person who has participated in World Cleanup Day has contributed not only to volunteerism but also to fortifying civil society worldwide. Together, we are building a more resilient civic space that empowers individuals to make meaningful contributions towards solving pressing global issues.
.svg){kind=logo}