[NLA] Volunteers and credentials

[Debbie Yoho]

Andrea asks:

"Both you and Nancy see volunteers as crucial.  Because you couldn't afford 
paid staff?  Or because the volunteers give something different?"

Most emphatically because they give something different.  First, from the
standpoint of the learner:

 In a specialized program that is centered on one-to-one, and has the
learner's self-esteem and motivation as a primary goal, an unpaid volunteer
is indeed different.  First, the volunteer is a representative of the
community, living evidence of care and concern we should all have for one
another regardless of status or background, concern that has no strings
attached and that is motivated solely by belief in the worth of that
individual.  That is not to say that paid staff may not have similiar
motivation and care.  But I have met many paid staff doing many types of
work, including adult education, who express not just a lack of care but
downright disrespect, and passionate motivation to advance something other
than the learner's individual agenda.  I have never had a volunteer tell me
"That's not my job" or "I'm not being paid enough to do that", or "I am the
expert and I know best." That is not to say that all volunteers are
motivated by altruism; some are definitely not.  But in my experience, most
are.  

Second, from the standpoint of advancing the field:

As a representative of the community, the volunteer is in a unique position
to advocate for and with adult learners.  This is a no-brainer when it
comes to fundraising and political activity.  The funders and
decision-makers listen differently to  community voices expressing a
community need, than they do to employees whose jobs are involved. K-12
leaders know they can get a lot more action from a school board if parents
speak out than if the staff does.  Whether or not this should be the
dynamic is beside the point; it is the reality.

Volunteer program leadership is also different, again in its link to the
peculiar local needs of the community, especially in this age of such
diversity. Where private funds are involved, volunteer leadership acts as
an accountability factor.

Finally, I would be disingenuous not to acknowledge the issue of cost
savings.  I do not believe the American taxpayer in this capitalist nation
will ever be motivated by any means to pay the entire bill for quality
services to 44 million adults.  With adults as well as children, "it takes
the whole village", not just the public sector. Volunteers are links to all
kinds of collaborations and partnerships.   

Andrea also asks:

"Where do credentials come in here?  (Except as an impossible requirement
for 
volunteers.)"

Credentials are not an impossible requirement for volunteers.  In fact,
credentials should be a definite requirement for volunteers.  With some
encouragement (if there is real interest on this list to explore this
thread further) I'd be happy to share what our volunteers can and can't do,
what their training consists of, how they are monitored and evaluated, etc.

In summary, the emphasis in my answer to you, Andrea, is on the word
DIFFERENT.  The volunteer role and the paid professional role are
DIFFERENT, not interchangeable. Both are critical.

If Texas is moving in the direction of removing the volunteer factor from
adult education, I predict this will be regretted and won't last.  Besides,
it can't be stopped anyway.  All a caring volunteer has to do is sit down
with someone and share their time.  Volunteer literacy is well established
worldwide.  But imagine what could be accomplished if the US AELS system
were built on the best of all the resources available, including the
volunteer. 

The issue of credentials should not be framed by asking WHO should have
credentials.  It is implicit that credentials are important.  The question
is WHAT credentials to do WHAT task?


Deborah W. Yoho, MAT, EdS
Co-moderator, NIFL-Health  and
Executive Director
Greater Columbia Literacy Council
921 Woodrow Street, Columbia, SC  29205
803-765-2555   Fax  803-779-8417   dwyoho at earthlink.net



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