Grad Jon Marino Speaks on Volunteerism at Global Conference

Recent SESP graduate Jonathan Marino (BS06) spoke at an international conference on civic participation in Glasgow, Scotland. He and Weinberg alumnus Nathaniel Whittemore were invited to present at the Civicus World Assembly from June 21 to 25 because of the success of the International Youth Volunteerism Summit they co-founded this year at Northwestern.

Their panel at the Civicus World Assembly, called "New Strategies for Promoting Adult and Youth Volunteerism," focused on strategies for volunteering more effectively around the globe.

With the rise in youth volunteerism, civil society organizations are curious about how to integrate youth volunteers into their organization, Marino says. He and Whittemore will be sharing "lessons learned on what youth can do." They advise the following strategies for youth volunteers:

Provide opportunities for learning. "Understand that they're learning and need structure," he says.
Start from assets. Primarily, Marino notes, "Young people have a passion-based mindset."
Focus on skill development. "Understand the hard skills that we can quickly be effective with," notes Marino, such as web site development.

"We're telling the story of the Summit," he says. The International Youth Volunteerism Summit that Marino and Whittemore co-directed brought 75 students from 30 universities and 20 countries to campus in February. The Summit's goal was to maximize the potential of young people engaged in volunteerism projects around the globe.

Marino describes a trend toward more volunteering among young people, especially across borders. However, he is also well aware of the challenges since young people often lack skills.

The School of Education and Social Policy is sponsoring Marino's participation in the Civicus World Assembly, where approximately 1,000 delegates are in attendance. Civicus, an international alliance dedicated to citizen participation and human rights, hosts a World Assembly every other year. While it is unique for college students to be invited to participate, "One of the themes of the conference is empowering youth," Marino notes.

Next year Marino will have a fellowship with the Chicago Public Schools Office of Service Learning, where he will be creating programs for high school students to do service learning. He also plans to continue the Volunteerism Summit. One of his goals, he says, is to explore how people can "incubate a program in college and carry it on as young alumni."

Caption: Nathaniel Whittemore (left) and Jon Marino spoke at the Civicus World Assembly June 21 to 25.

By Marilyn Sherman with photo by Mark Swindle

Last Modified: 8/14/09