Leveraging Volunteers

Q: Our organization is preparing for our neighborhood spring cleanup. We would like it to be an intergenerational event, allowing seniors, adults, and youth to interact and work together. However, the seniors that came last year tended to remain on the sidelines and did not join into the mix. We encouraged the seniors to participate, but they seemed reluctant, often saying "that's for the kids." How can we engage seniors in creative new ways? How can we include seniors who may be limited by their physical disabilities? The purpose of the spring cleanup is not only to beautify the grounds around our organization, but to build community and strengthen relationships across generations. What steps should we take to make sure that happens?

A: Here are a few key points to remember:

• Make a conscious effort to engage the wide range of skills and gifts of people that will be coming to the spring cleanup.
• Provide space for people to share their talents at the cleanup, and assign specific tasks. For example, ask a senior:
  • who likes to garden to teach children how to plant seeds
  • who loves to bake to not only bring a cake but to serve it and share the recipe
  • to supervise a team of "spring cleaners" and join in if able
• Help break down the stereotypes of seniors by recognizing the importance of engaging them in both traditional and nontraditional activities. At the same time, be cognizant of the fact that people of all ages have different physical abilities.
• Do some community-relationship building preparation work prior to the event (if possible) or at the event. A few suggestions include:
  • Asset or gift inventories
  • Group interviews or discussions
  • Activities that are fun and help uncover unique assets

An example of a good intergenerational ice breaker is the game, “Two Truths and a Lie.” The purpose of the icebreaker is to have all the participants (both seniors and youth) come up with two true statements about their lives (interests, hobbies) and one lie. This activity is fun and engaging, has built-in surprises, and hopefully breaks down the stereotypes associated with different age groups.

• Be creative when promoting the spring cleanup, because it is more than just cleaning up… it’s an event. If there are different work or learning stations, promote them. If you need food contributions, potluck style, ask for specific items. Create a flyer that lists different opportunities for involvement, asking people to check a box to indicate what they are interested in doing such as registration, supervision, cleanup, serving lunch, or teaching a gardening lesson. If you plan it well, there is room for everyone!

Q: How can our program get started identifying the assets within our community?

A: You can use a "skills survey" or "capacity inventory" to uncover these latent skills when thinking about a proposed project.

Q: What are the first assets our program should seek out?

A: Begin with the "primary building blocks" or assets located inside the neighborhood or largely under neighborhood control; these are usually individuals with talents and gifts, oftentimes overlooked or marginalized. "Secondary building blocks" are assets located within the community but largely controlled by outsiders—such as public institutions and social services agencies. Finally, look to "potential building blocks, " which are resources originating outside the neighborhood and controlled by outsiders, such as public information.

Q: Are there asset development organizations already in place to help us?

A: Some community organizations are already central to the lives of many older city neighborhoods; these are multi-issue corporations. Additionally, groups that are dedicated to community economic development have often already done the work of assembling business assets available in the neighborhood.

Q: If there are no organizations in place, how should we approach community planning?

A: Capacity-oriented community planning can take many different forms. But all of them will share at least the following characteristics:

• The neighborhood planning process will aim to involve as many representatives of internally located and controlled assets as possible in the discussion and decisions. In fact, the map of neighborhood assets provides an initial list of potential participants in the planning effort.
• The neighborhood planning process will incorporate some version of a community capacity inventory in its initial stages.
• The neighborhood planning process will develop community building strategies, which take full advantage of the interests and strengths of the participants, and will aim toward building the power to define and control the future of the neighborhood.

Q: It seems that a key asset for any community change is hope. How have you assessed levels of hope, or encouraged sources of hope, and how do you even think about this abstract but essential quality? Any suggestions for references would be welcome, along with stories that illustrate the role of hope in building healthy communities.

A: People experience hope in community and other volunteer relations when:

• Our own assets are affirmed and appreciated by others.
• Our assets are connected with other people's assets to get things done together that we could not get done on our own.
• We give each other permission to act on our interests and passions as part of the larger good.
• We give up control over each other to experience success in the larger community.
• We experience a whole that is larger than the sum of its parts.

Stories of other people's success by themselves do not generate hope. We may feel that another person's success comes at our expense. What generates hope is what I call the "open-sum dynamic," the idea in action that "my gain is your gain is our gain."

Stories of success help generate hope when we can see new perspectives and alternatives for building on our own assets from the thoughts and ideas of others.

Recommended Reading: Snow, Luther K. The Organization of Hope: A Workbook for Rural Asset-Based Community Development. Grand Rapids, Minnesota: The Asset-Based Community Development Institute, 2006.