MUNICIPAL PROGRAM OF INTERNACIONAL VOLUNTEERING
THE PROGRAM
The municipal international volunteering program aims to provide foreigners living in Belo Horizonte with the opportunity to get to know the public policy implemented by the municipality of Belo Horizonte. The volunteers participate in the everyday life of the areas of the direct administration of the city, where they can acquire and exchange new experiences and knowledge. Furthermore, they contribute to the process of internationalization of the city of Belo Horizonte.
AGOSTO 2011 | O Município de Belo Horizonte instituiu a Política Municipal do Voluntariado por meio da Lei Municipal de nº10.234. LEI Nº 10.234, DE 1º DE AGOSTO DE 2011
CONTEXT
Institui, no âmbito do Município de Belo Horizonte, a Política Municipal do Voluntariado e exercício de cidadania e dá outras providências. O Povo do Município de Belo Horizonte, por seus representantes, decreta e eu sanciono a seguinte Lei: Art. 1º - Fica instituída a Política Municipal do Voluntariado e exercício de cidadania, destinada a preparar cidadãos e instituições para a prática do voluntariado e exercício de consciência cívica. Art. 2º - São objetivos da Política Municipal do Voluntariado e exercício de cidadania: I - capacitar os cidadãos, gestores, lideranças locais e entidades do Terceiro Setor que acolhem voluntários ou desenvolve atividades de voluntariado; II - articular os poderes do Estado, entidades do Terceiro Setor, empresários e sociedade civil para a realização das políticas públicas voltadas para o voluntariado; III - garantir a participação das secretarias do Município e demais órgãos do Município na prática do voluntariado. Art. 3º - São diretrizes da Política Municipal do Voluntariado e exercício de cidadania: I - a prática do voluntariado como exercício de cidadania; II - o fortalecimento das entidades do terceiro setor; III - o incentivo para as empresas e órgãos públicos em ações de voluntariado.
Art. 4º - Para o cumprimento dos objetivos da Política Municipal do Voluntariado e exercício de cidadania, caberá ao Município, por meio da Secretaria Municipal Adjunta de Direitos de Cidadania - SMADC -, tendo em vista que essa Secretaria possui, como um dos seus eixos, a Educação Política em Direitos Humanos e Cidadania, as seguintes atribuições: I - desenvolver cursos e mecanismos de preparação de voluntários e entidades; II - realizar parcerias com universidades, instituições de ensino e conselhos de classe; III - realizar conferências, seminários, fóruns e debates sobre o assunto. Parágrafo único - A forma de cumprimento dos objetivos da Política Municipal do Voluntariado e exercício da cidadania será definida entre os órgãos executores da política e os órgãos governamentais de cada área específica, a iniciativa privada e o terceiro setor. Art. 5º - As despesas decorrentes da execução desta Lei correrão por conta de dotações orçamentárias próprias, suplementadas, se necessário. Art. 6º - O Poder Executivo regulamentará esta Lei, no que couber, no prazo de 90 (noventa) dias, contado da data de sua publicação. Art. 7º - Esta Lei entra em vigor na data de sua publicação. Belo Horizonte, 1º de agosto de 2011
GENERAL AIMS
AIMS
The program offers voluntary practical trainings to foreigners in the municipal public agencies of administration by forming partnerships between the municipality of Belo Horizonte and institutions of higher education, organizations of the private sector and of the national and international civil society. SPECIFIC AIMS Enable an exchange of experiences and ideas between the students and the institutions; Develop partnerships abroad to corroborate the process of internationalization of the city; Promote the scientific production based on practical experiences and previously acquired professional knowledge and skills.
Cultural exchange and exchange of knowledge between the foreign volunteers and the municipal employees;
EXPECTED RESULTS
Development of the volunteers´ skills and specific competences, according to the different professional areas and the acquired knowledge, creating, simultaneously, gains for the municipality and the partner institutions of education; Development, support and production of academic publications in view of bringing the academy and the public municipal administration nearer; Establishment of national and international partnerships with institutions of academic education, of the private sector and with organizations of the civil population; Disclosure of the public policies of Belo Horizonte in foreign countries and inclusion of the city in the international circuit of volunteering managed by international institutions such as the United Nations and transnational non-governmental organizations .
TIMELINE
PHASE I Opening of the application process to the partner universities. The announcement happens via e-mail and also in welcoming events to exchange students organized by the universities. PHASE II Collection of the applications Selection of the curriculums, interviews and selection of the candidates. PHASE III Articulation between the municipal agencies for the inclusion of the volunteer in the team of collaborators: (1) Identification of the voluntary work supervisors. Every volunteer´s work will be directed by a supervisor who always will be a municipal civil servant of the municipality of Belo Horizonte. (2) Signature of the voluntary service adhesion terms
TIMELINE
PHASE IV Beginning of the activities The volunteer is integrated into a project in one sector of the public administration. Thereby, one promotes his capacity of information absorption and the control of what he intends to execute. During the execution of the work, the volunteer will produce a academic article at most 10 pages about the project/ area in which he is involved. PHASE V Presentation of the results A workshop will be organized at the end of every semester to offer to the volunteers the opportunity to present their experiences to the population and employees of the municipality. PHASE VI Delivery of the certificates After finishing the voluntary service the participants will receive the title “Ambassador of Belo Horizonte� with the objective of stimulate the exchange of experiences and public practices. The volunteers will become key points in the interaction between Belo Horizonte and their original cities. They can present their experiences to the municipality of their cities, helping in the creation of an informal network among the cities and establishing an exchange of practices in public policy.
ADHESION TERM
METHODOLOGY
The voluntary service starts with the signature of the “Adhesion Term of the Voluntary Service” which has to include the rights and duties of the volunteer and the municipality. Furthermore, it should include a working plan, a timetable of the working hours and the duration of the practical training – all these details are individual. This adhesion term doesn´t have a labour character and is protected by the municipal law nº 10.234 of the 1st of August of 2011 and in the case of exchange students of an academic educational institution are as well protected by the federal law nº 8.859 of the 23rd of March of 1994 that “disposes of the practical trainings of students of academic educational establishments and of second-degree professional education, basic education for adults and other precautions.” The requirements for the signature of the term of adhesion are the following ones: possession of a visa valid for a stay in Brazil during the time of the execution of the voluntary work and a current life insurance policy.
WORKING PLAN AND DURATION
METHODOLOGY Working plan
The working hours of the volunteer service may vary between 12 and 20 hours per week, and the predicted duration varies between 3 and 6 months. The activities of the volunteer service have to reconcile the student´s schedule of his academic activities with the working hours of the practical training to fulfil the conditions. During university vacation time, the working time of the volunteer service can be accorded between the volunteer and the supervisor.
The determination of the schedule for the volunteer service is flexible and the volunteer has the total liberty to choose it concerted with his supervisor.
WORKING PLAN
METHODOLOGY Working plan
The volunteer´s working plan is elaborated by the supervisor and has to agree with the duties that the volunteer assumes in the area of the specific project in which he is involved. The working plan considers as well the working hours and the duration of the volunteer service. This will be contained and agreed in the term of adhesion. Furthermore, the working plan contains the description of the activities that have to be developed very well, and it contains the locations where the activities take place. The working plan possesses a pedagogical character and has to be developed in the way that the volunteer knows the historical and the actual practical training and that he gets an idea of the future of the project in which he is involved.
FINAL ARTICLE
METHODOLOGY Final article
The academic articles will be written during the period of the volunteer service with the help of the coordinator and under the management of one teacher or of one postgraduate or doctor student, who is also a volunteer. The articles should not exceed 10 pages and are going to be sent to the partner universities, the articles are going to be published in the internet. Other possibilities of publication can be considered as well, for example in special editions of magazines or in newspapers through the formation of partnerships.
PILOT VERSION
Between September and December 2011 a pilot version of the volunteer service project was realized. 7 foreign volunteers participated in this first version and had the opportunity to participate in the administration of the public policy in the whole city. The sectors of the City Hall that were involved were the following: the municipal secretaries of education, health, environment and social policies; the secretary of women´s rights and the committee for climatic change and eco-efficiency. Furthermore, the municipal secretaries of international relations and human resources.
PILOT VERSION Evaluation
An analytical questionnaire was proposed to the involved supervisors to evaluate the process, to understand the challenges and to diagnose the positive and negative aspects. The results of the research indicated that: 60 % evaluated the inclusion process of the foreign volunteers as very good. 100% evaluated the program as positive. 100% said that they felt very comfortable with coordinating a foreign volunteer.
PILOT VERSION Evidences
“When I heard about the idea of becoming part of the Volunteering, I thought that it would be really cool, a very good experience for my education. I met great people and I am grateful for everything. I think that everybody who has this opportunity should take it.” María Daniela, Argentine, Law student UFMG
“As foreigners we do have restrictions in gaining work experiences or practical training. This is why the International Volunteering Program came as an ideal mechanism to get to know the practical part of how to interact with the city and to get to know what is going on in the city in my area of studies.” Luis Alejandro, Venezuelan, Master in International Relations - PUC-Minas
COLLABORATIONS
The “Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais” (UFMG) is one of the most prestigious universities in Brazil. It is the biggest university in the state of Minas Gerais, and has campi in the city of Belo Horizonte and in Montes Claros. It develops programs and projects of education in the levels of graduation and post-graduation, research and extension, offering activities in presence and in distance in eight areas of knowledge.
The “Pontifíca Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais” (PUC Minas) is a private and catholic Brazilian institution of superior education, that is situated in Belo Horizonte. The university, founded in 1958, is the biggest catholic university in the world and one of the most prestigious Brazilian universities, as well present in the ranking of the best LatinAmerican universities “QS World University Rankings”.
SUPPORT
PROGRAMA MUNICIPAL DE VOLUNTARIADO INTERNACIONAL SECRETARIA MUNICIPAL ADJUNTA DE RELAÇÕES INTERNACIONAIS SECRETARIA MUNICIPAL ADJUNTA DE RECURSOS HUMANOS Av. Álvares Cabral, nº 200, 11º andar – Centro CEP: 30170-000, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil Prefeitura de Belo Horizonte aainter@pbh.gov.br Telefone: +55 (31) 3246-0027 Fax: +55 (31) 3246-0033