CAPSTRANS CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS 2005

• HUMAN SECURITY AND DEVELOPMENT IN MARGINAL COMMUNITIES: A NATIONAL WORKSHOP ON VOLUNTEERING ABROAD IN THE ASIA PACIFIC
  24-25 November 2005

Sponsored by the Asia Pacific Futures Research Network (APFRN)
and the
Centre for Asia Pacific Social Transformation Studies (CAPSTRANS)

University of Wollongong
24-25 November 2005

PROGRAM - click here [pdf 20kb]

INTRODUCTION

This two day workshop was guided by three underlying questions:

• What issues do volunteer agencies, the Australian government and host communities believe will enhance the role of volunteer abroad programs now and into the future?
• In terms of training, what skills, competencies and knowledge do Australian volunteers need in order to be prepared for future overseas placements in Asia Pacific countries?
• How do Australian volunteers in Asia Pacific communities contribute to regional stability through community capacity building?

Brendan Joyce in Bougainville

What will be happening at the Workshop?

Invited scholars, professionals and postgraduates presented brief papers, followed by a round table discussion, on key issues related to poverty alleviation, economic restructuring and the relationship to volunteering and working in Asia Pacific communities. In addition as part of this national workshop, invited doctoral students worked with a mentor to prepare their papers for a peer-reviewed publication.

Jenni Murphy in Kiribati

THEMES

Papers and contributions focused on the following areas:

• Policy shifts in the area of volunteering including the tension associated between altruism and economic rationalist policies
• Poverty alleviation
• The dilemmas of professionalism in volunteering
• Local knowledge issues
• The politics of aid and development
• Social and cultural impact of volunteers and fieldworkers
• Roles of faith, values and personal commitment and volunteering
• Ethical issues in overseas fieldwork
• The idea of “best practice” in volunteering
• Volunteering in the new world order
• Health, safety and personal security of volunteers and aid workers

Jenny Kondylas in Tonga

ORGANISERS

Dr Tim Scrase (Deputy Director, CAPSTRANS) and Senior Lecturer in Sociology, University of Wollongong)

Dr Ruchira Ganguly-Scrase (Senior Lecturer in Sociology, University of Wollongong and a CAPSTRANS Research Associate)

Assoc Prof Peter Kell (Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education, University of Wollongong and CAPSTRANS Research Associate)

Louise Maher in Timor Leste

Annette Joyce in Timor Leste

Patrick Campbell in The Solomons

All photographs are courtesy of Palms Australia