There is a long tradition in Volunteer Engagement of focusing on the things we want, the things we feel we don’t have. Whether it’s more power, resources or respect, we give an inordinate amount of our time, dialogue and effort as a profession to the things we perceive we lack. This got us wondering, as we lead up to International Volunteer Manager’s Day on November 5: “What would change if we got what we wanted?”
When faced with challenging world problems, volunteers’ resilience and resourcefulness have historically come to the fore. Consider the volunteer response to global heating and the damaging effects of climate change, which can seem overwhelming. Since scientists reported in 2019 that trees reduce carbon dioxide in the air – and that 900 million hectares more of them planted in the right places could cut the amount of CO2 by two-thirds – volunteers have responded with renewed commitment to planting trees.
In this Along the Web, writer Arnie Wickens explores how tree-planting projects and reforestation programmes have acquired renewed purpose and significance. Granted, tree-planting projects are not necessarily new, nor are they the only climate change action that volunteers will embrace. However, they are highly effective for and uniquely suited to engaging volunteers from every segment imaginable – from each and every age group, large corporations to small businesses, individuals to families, and to social and friendship groups of all kinds.