UN Volunteer Management Tools

VOLUNTEER TOOLKIT

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A buddy scheme for UN Volunteers

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Foreword A buddy scheme for UN Volunteers (use is optional): is a practical guidance to help UN Volunteers rapidly integrate into their volunteer assignment by putting UN Volunteers in contact with each other. The tool is part of a Volunteer Toolkit, which contains eight (8) volunteer management tools: The Volunteer Toolkit has been developed to support the implementation of UNV Programme Strategy 2011- 2013, more specifically to enhance the effectiveness of volunteer management and the skills of UN Volunteers to become good advocates of Volunteerism for Peace and Development.

The Volunteer Toolkit is to be disseminated and/or made available to UN Volunteers over the course of their volunteer assignment. The objective is to ensure that UN Volunteers (POs, other international UN Volunteers, and national UN Volunteers) can benefit from each tool at the relevant stage of their assignment: Pre-assignment; Support during assignment and End of Assignment.

Front Cover: A national UN Volunteer engages with a woman from a local community. Referred to as Yanapiris (‘people who help others’) in the local languages (mainly Aymara and Quechua), indigenous UN Volunteers work to advance the MDGs in the Department of Oruro, Bolivia. With a deep knowledge of the region’s sociopolitical context, they are able to adapt MDG messaging to the indigenous philosophy and culture. (Nicolas Josserand, 2010)

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Introduction On 15 November 2007, the development of a proposal for a buddy system was approved. This buddy system will structure and support incoming UN Volunteers during the initial transition into their volunteer assignments. The buddy system relies on peer-to-peer sharing of information.

Buddy systems are extremely useful for people who have expatriated from their home locations or who are operating in new organizational cultures. The need of a “buddy” might be especially helpful for those who, for different reasons, find it difficult to seek advice. Buddy systems promote improved adjustment to the work and social aspects of an assignment.

Proper cultural induction is important, as it will maximize the effectiveness of the UN Volunteers and ensure that each volunteer is the best advocate for volunteerism for peace and development and UNV.

1. Objectives The buddy programme links currently serving or former UN Volunteers with in coming UN Volunteers. The overall objective of the programme is to ensure that UN Volunteers receive culturally appropriate and timely support to help them integrate rapidly and smoothly into their assignments. The buddy programme is designed for both international and national UN Volunteers. This programme is applicable to every UN Volunteer, and it is further recommended that it appears in every standard Description of Assignment (DoA) 2. Timeframe The formal buddy process lasts for the first month of a new UN Volunteer’s assignment. During this month, the buddies meet or communicate at least once a week and, ideally, the first meeting should take place before the new UN Volunteer arrives at his/her duty station.

After the first month, the buddy process may continue on an informal basis.

3. Commitments of UNV Field Units The Field Units are responsible for finding a buddy for the in - coming UN Volunteer before the volunteer arrives at his/her duty

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station. A questionnaire, in which the in coming UN Volunteer indicates the type of buddy he/she would prefer, provides the Field Unit with the information required to identify a suitable buddy for the new volunteer. The UNV Field Unit contacts a currently serving or former UN Volunteer residing in the country who matches the requirements, asking if they would be interested in serving as buddies. Once the match has been made and the two buddies are put in contact, no further action is required by the Field Unit. Only in cases where there has been a mismatch should the Field Unit takes action to find an alternative, more suitable buddy.

The Field Unit is not responsible for the content of the information that the buddies share. There should be no costs linked to the buddy system except for communication costs which should be borne by the Field Unit or the host agency.

4. Matching questionnaire The questionnaire is generated by UNV: the in-coming UN Volunteer will automatically receive the questionnaire when the travel date is entered into the system. In the questionnaire, the incoming volunteer is asked to indicate his/her preferences for a buddy. The response is

automatically sent to the Field Unit for them to make a suitable match.

5. Profile of the buddy Each currently serving or former UN Volunteer is a potential buddy to someone else. The preferences of the in-coming UN Volunteer will determine who will be the suggested buddy in each case.

In the questionnaire generated by UNV it is possible to indicate preferences for a buddy with regard to: ■ the person (age, gender, nationality) ■ the status (marital status, currently

serving or former UN Volunteer) ■ the type of assignment (national or

international UN Volunteer, host organization, first mission or experienced UN Volunteer)

The questionnaire informs the incoming UN Volunteer that the Field Units will do their utmost to fulfill his/her preferences, but explains that the buddy matching process also depends on the availability of potential buddies.

In-coming UN Volunteers can choose to ‘opt out’ of the buddy programme, thereby avoiding the issue of PO/PMs setting it up for incoming volunteers that do not feel it

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is relevant. UN Volunteers returning to the country, national UN Volunteers or UN Volunteers with previous UNV experience may feel that the buddy programme is not relevant. The form therefore has a ‘I do not want a buddy assigned’ tick box.

All Description of Assignments for UN Volunteers explicitly mention that UN Volunteers are expected to assist with the UNV buddy programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers.

6. Ways of implementation There are three different options as to how the buddy programme can be implemented. It is up to every UNV Field Unit to choose the one that is most relevant in their context. It is also possible to combine different options and/or come up with an entirely new way to implement the scheme.

■ Face-to-Face Buddying: If possible, all

in-coming UN Volunteers should have the opportunity to meet their buddies face-to-face. As the buddy may well be working in a similar field, the pair could meet at the buddy’s site/workplace or at another appropriate place.

Arrangements for meetings should be made by the buddy team, and should follow the principle of least -cost and easiest arrangements. Costs of any

formal meetings must be pre-approved by the UNV Field Unit or the host agency. The buddy programme can also involve informal or social activities, with costs for these being borne entirely by the buddies.

■ E-Buddying is a buddy relationship by

email and telephone which is offered to UN Volunteers who serve in remote locations and where face -to-face meetings are impossible due to financial or time constraints. Even in this situation though, the buddy partners would ideally meet at least once, e.g. when the volunteers are both passing through the capital.

■ An Online Buddy Forum could be set-

up at the country level and would either complement or substitute Face-to-Face Buddying. This forum would be open to questions of a buddy nature and would be moderated by an online facilitator appointed by the Field Unit for a period of six months.

The on-line facilitator could be a serving or former UN Volunteer, or an online volunteer. This option could be particularly applicable in contexts where there are many UN Volunteers and constant new arrivals, as in assignments with Special Operations.

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7. Budget Within most buddy programmes, activities are completely voluntary and associated costs are therefore borne by the participants. Still, some administrative costs might occur (like telephone expenses) depending to the option that is put in place.

8. Appropriate behavior The buddy relationship is expected to follow the same rules as usual work relations among staff members.

Confidentiality and trust are important attributes as well as inter cultural sensitivity. This applies to communication between the buddy partners as well as to the way they approach the cultural context in the country of assignment.

9. Evaluation and monitoring After the formal ending of the buddy relationship, each UN Volunteer will evaluate the buddy programmer and how it supported them. This will be done via the volunteer reporting system (VRS).

Questions relating to the buddy programme will be included in the UN Volunteer’s Initial VRS report. The Volunteer Learning Manager at UNV headquarters will be responsible for monitoring this information.

This is a living document that will change as your needs change. If you have comments and additions that you feel can make it more useful, please send your feedback to volunteer_tools@unv.org.It is hoped that the exercises and topics discussed will help to make your transition a successful one. We look forward to hearing from you in the future.

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UNV is administered by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)