SYSTEMATIC and strict training was vital for the 160,000 volunteers for the 2011 Shenzhen Universiade because their services would determine how visitors like the city, Australian volunteering expert David Brettell said during an interview before a forum yesterday.

Volunteering consultant to the 2008 Beijing Olympics and director of the volunteer program of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Brettell was among more than 200 experts invited by the Universiade Executive Office to attend the International Forum of Volunteer Service Development at Wuzhou Guest House yesterday.

“China has great potential to turn the volunteering mechanism into a huge success at the Universiade because the experience of the overwhelmingly successful 2008 Beijing Olympics is closer to hand,” Brettell said.

It was essential that the city select the most enthusiastic and committed volunteers from a significantly large candidate pool and offer them comprehensive training in skills, knowledge, attitude and behavior, he said.

To avoid misleading instructions being given to volunteers, Brettell suggested the organizing committee arrange the 160,000 volunteers into small teams of 10 to 20 people and meet team leaders on a regular basis so that team members’ opinion can be heard.

To Brettell’s knowledge, many volunteers tended to underestimate the power they would have and underestimate themselves because “I’m just a volunteer” was often heard.

“It’s not the truth and volunteers will be one of the most important treasures that the 2011 Universiade has, so they should be able to exert themselves in helping others while enjoying themselves,” he said.

As most of the volunteers would be university students, the volunteering expert said students needed to invest a lot of time in their volunteer jobs and learn as much as they can, but they should still not lose focus on their studies.

Brettell says the Shenzhen Daily, the only English-language newspaper in the city, plays a vital role in publicizing the event and what volunteers are doing.

The forum was also told that the Shenzhen Volunteer Association would work with the executive office and nine cities in the Pearl River Delta region to promote the development of volunteer services.

Other guests, including Fiammetta Mancini, partnerships coordinator at the UNDP-UNV and Beijing Volunteer Association, and Lynne Mackaness, deputy director of Warwickshire Association of Youth Clubs, gave keynote speeches at the forum, marking the celebration of the 20th anniversary of Shenzhen’s volunteer work.

Shenzhen was the first city on the mainland to start volunteer work in 1989 and had registered the association in 1990. At the moment, there are more than 180,000 volunteers involved in social work, environmental protection, education and medical services among other things.

Jane Lai, Wang Yuanyuan

SYSTEMATIC and strict training was vital for the 160,000 volunteers for the 2011 Shenzhen Universiade because their services would determine how visitors like the city, Australian volunteering expert David Brettell said during an interview before a forum yesterday.

Volunteering consultant to the 2008 Beijing Olympics and director of the volunteer program of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Brettell was among more than 200 experts invited by the Universiade Executive Office to attend the International Forum of Volunteer Service Development at Wuzhou Guest House yesterday.

“China has great potential to turn the volunteering mechanism into a huge success at the Universiade because the experience of the overwhelmingly successful 2008 Beijing Olympics is closer to hand,” Brettell said.

It was essential that the city select the most enthusiastic and committed volunteers from a significantly large candidate pool and offer them comprehensive training in skills, knowledge, attitude and behavior, he said.

To avoid misleading instructions being given to volunteers, Brettell suggested the organizing committee arrange the 160,000 volunteers into small teams of 10 to 20 people and meet team leaders on a regular basis so that team members’ opinion can be heard.

To Brettell’s knowledge, many volunteers tended to underestimate the power they would have and underestimate themselves because “I’m just a volunteer” was often heard.

“It’s not the truth and volunteers will be one of the most important treasures that the 2011 Universiade has, so they should be able to exert themselves in helping others while enjoying themselves,” he said.

As most of the volunteers would be university students, the volunteering expert said students needed to invest a lot of time in their volunteer jobs and learn as much as they can, but they should still not lose focus on their studies.

Brettell says the Shenzhen Daily, the only English-language newspaper in the city, plays a vital role in publicizing the event and what volunteers are doing.

The forum was also told that the Shenzhen Volunteer Association would work with the executive office and nine cities in the Pearl River Delta region to promote the development of volunteer services.

Other guests, including Fiammetta Mancini, partnerships coordinator at the UNDP-UNV and Beijing Volunteer Association, and Lynne Mackaness, deputy director of Warwickshire Association of Youth Clubs, gave keynote speeches at the forum, marking the celebration of the 20th anniversary of Shenzhen’s volunteer work.

Shenzhen was the first city on the mainland to start volunteer work in 1989 and had registered the association in 1990. At the moment, there are more than 180,000 volunteers involved in social work, environmental protection, education and medical services among other things.

Jane Lai, Wang Yuanyuan

SYSTEMATIC and strict training was vital for the 160,000 volunteers for the 2011 Shenzhen Universiade because their services would determine how visitors like the city, Australian volunteering expert David Brettell said during an interview before a forum yesterday.

Volunteering consultant to the 2008 Beijing Olympics and director of the volunteer program of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Brettell was among more than 200 experts invited by the Universiade Executive Office to attend the International Forum of Volunteer Service Development at Wuzhou Guest House yesterday.

“China has great potential to turn the volunteering mechanism into a huge success at the Universiade because the experience of the overwhelmingly successful 2008 Beijing Olympics is closer to hand,” Brettell said.

It was essential that the city select the most enthusiastic and committed volunteers from a significantly large candidate pool and offer them comprehensive training in skills, knowledge, attitude and behavior, he said.

To avoid misleading instructions being given to volunteers, Brettell suggested the organizing committee arrange the 160,000 volunteers into small teams of 10 to 20 people and meet team leaders on a regular basis so that team members’ opinion can be heard.

To Brettell’s knowledge, many volunteers tended to underestimate the power they would have and underestimate themselves because “I’m just a volunteer” was often heard.

“It’s not the truth and volunteers will be one of the most important treasures that the 2011 Universiade has, so they should be able to exert themselves in helping others while enjoying themselves,” he said.

As most of the volunteers would be university students, the volunteering expert said students needed to invest a lot of time in their volunteer jobs and learn as much as they can, but they should still not lose focus on their studies.

Brettell says the Shenzhen Daily, the only English-language newspaper in the city, plays a vital role in publicizing the event and what volunteers are doing.

The forum was also told that the Shenzhen Volunteer Association would work with the executive office and nine cities in the Pearl River Delta region to promote the development of volunteer services.

Other guests, including Fiammetta Mancini, partnerships coordinator at the UNDP-UNV and Beijing Volunteer Association, and Lynne Mackaness, deputy director of Warwickshire Association of Youth Clubs, gave keynote speeches at the forum, marking the celebration of the 20th anniversary of Shenzhen’s volunteer work.

Shenzhen was the first city on the mainland to start volunteer work in 1989 and had registered the association in 1990. At the moment, there are more than 180,000 volunteers involved in social work, environmental protection, education and medical services among other things.

Jane Lai, Wang Yuanyuan

 

Source： Shenzhen Daily  Editor： 薛建华