Saturday May 14th, 9 o’clock. Three, two, one: GLOW 2005 has started. About 300 voices from the HQ and the field shut up when the “Master of Ceremony” asks for everyone’s attention.
People sitting at different tables look around curiously. Old friends, new faces and everyone trying to guess his/her neighbour’s nationality or duty station from national dresses.
After a few minutes devoted to inform about the rules of the event, the agenda is presented in order to relate issue to be discussed with participants’ expectations and GLOW main goals. As usual in these events a question raises spontaneously: how will we deal with all these interesting matters in such a short period? No time to waste on this; let’s start and see how to best achieve our objectives.
Home teams’ facilitators help each participant to feel comfortable in his/her group. First of all, we have to focus on what we expect from this event and how to contribute best to its success. Two main tools for that: our rich diversity and a real will of sharing experiences, feelings and ideas.
Ad’s opening speech helps us to make a focus on where UNV is nowadays and which path has been leading us there, particularly since such a turning point for us as IYV 2001. “Volunteerism for Development”… A “V4D” logo turning around represents the pivot of the organization. HQ sections, Country Office Teams and Support Units represent the structure to make UNV respond to our mandate. Seven key corporate goals help us to resume our commitment towards MDGs’ achievement, throughout the promotion of volunteerism and its comparative advantage in working with people to “Move forward together”… Again and again we repeat ourselves that thanks to people’s volunteer commitment we can achieve big results. How will UNV play this role of engine and facilitator of this mobilization?
A good starting point is to understand where we are now, as an organization. The Share Fair, opened by the Mayor of Bad Honnef with the participation of a few partners, help us to develop an overview of our activities. What do we realize in the field, how do we make it, how do HQ help the organization and our volunteers to better deliver their services? Full of pictures, colours, food, gadgets, documents, newsletters and smiling people dressed up for showing all sides of UNV.
After having this wide overview of UNV, facilitators help us to resume our vision of the organization today in an image and a slogan. Looking around the teams’ tables, you can realize that UNV moves thanks to both people’s commitment and creativity!
Yet, both commitment and creativity need to be re-filled and the barbecue help us to do that, accompanied by highly talented people singing, dancing and showing the enthusiasm and the joy of being part of this GLOW.
And for all those who didn’t get to walk the stage and have their one minute’s celebrity, the dance floor is open… This GLOW Team really thought about everything!
Day one is off, while day two starts and the GLOW moves forward.
By Francesco Galtieri
UNV Programme Officer
UNDP Burkina Faso
