Kydyrbekova Aizada 1

05.12.2017

Live to volunteer

Self-satisfaction and moral duty are the key elements of volunteering. Volunteering is
the life changing experience which opens up peoples mind to completely new horizons.
By helping to improve someones life, at the very first step, person makes a change
within himself. Todays, there exit hundreds of volunteering programs across the world
which even creates an opportunity for people to easily get engaged in. They created
platform for open minded and globally oriented people where they can actively engage
in volunteering. Volunteering Organizations constitute unattainable part of todays
interconnected world. Internet and Multinational Corporations (MNCs) are heart of
globalization but it is unfair to ignore the role of individuals. Each year, well-known
volunteering programs such as, Peace Corps and Welt warts are sending thousands of
volunteers to all over the world. Each of them representing their own culture and
language to host countries, at the same time they are experiencing new culture which
might be completely new for them. In this way they are building unseen bridge between
different states.

The Peace Corps is American Volunteering program with more than 50 years old
history. The central issue they deal with is to select and support around 9,000
volunteers, who will lately serve in different developing countries. The program provides
them with language and various skill trainings and sends them to work on grassroots
projects for a period of two years. The agencys mission is to promote world peace and
friendship, through three core goals: to help the people of interested countries, to help
promote a better understanding of Americans and other peoples on the part of
Americans1.

Very recently, Seth Fearey, who worked as a Country Director for the Peace Corps in
Kyrgyzstan, was invited to the Global Citizenship class at AUCA to give a speech. Being a
volunteer from his youth, he experienced various interesting things across the world.
And he shared with his experience, by giving recommendations to students at the same
time. He says, someone feels like they are citizens of entire world rather than belonging
to a single country. He feels himself comfortable in this international world. For him
volunteering was a cornerstone much of his creativity, excitement. In his final words he
recommends to volunteer more because the world needs more people like them 2.

Volunteers have great capacities to make small changes in developing or under

developed countries. For example, David Malana, who was also Peace Corps volunteer
for 4 years, was ascribed to Talas region as an English teacher in high-school. He made
several projects jointly with school teachers in order to improve the quality of English
courses in village schools. As a result, the high percentage of his students was successful
in their academic path. Currently, they are students of most prestigious universities in
1
Center for Global Development: The Peace Corps in a smaller world: A new model for
the next 50 years, March 2011, pp. 2-3
2
YouTube: Seth Fearey about AUCA, December 5 ,2017
 Kydyrbekova Aizada 2

Kyrgyzstan and already have been in U.S. by Flex program. Only teaching English in
small village he made a huge difference. In his interviews, he says that he loves
Kyrgyzstan, its people, culture and the language 3.

Volunteering organizations give chance to people to travel and then people start to
understand the real meaning of being a volunteer. Firstly, they are only concerned about
their self-satisfaction and secondly, they think beyond the concept of global citizenship.
People live throughout their lives fulfilling meaning of their lives. The central concept
they need to discharge is moral duties. For instance, B. Parekh states that all human
beings have moral duties and obligations in general. People have duties to help each
other when they are trapped by bad luck, face obstacles or lack some resources in their
lives. In this scenario, people have moral duties to share their sufferings and sadness. It
is accepted to be matter of justice rather than charity 4. Volunteers benefiting at double
extend traveling around globe on one hand, helping people on the other hand.

In conclusion, volunteering is one step of becoming a global citizen. Even though people
interested in traveling, it must be the factor which motivates to become a volunteer.
Entering new country, accepting its cultures, people and language is a point where
model of global citizen and concept of volunteering intersects.

References

1. Center for Global Development: The Peace Corps in a smaller world: A new
model for the next 50 years, March 2011, pp. 2-3

3
YouTube: A Talk with a Real One - Mr. Shailobek, June 1, 2017
4
Bhikhu Parekh: Cosmopolitanism and Global Citizenship, Vol. 29, No. 1, Jan., 2003,
pp, 6-7
 Kydyrbekova Aizada 3

https://ecourse.auca.kg/pluginfile.php/134000/mod_resource/content/1/Peace
%20Corps.pdf

2. YouTube: Seth Fearey about AUCA, December 5 ,2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmpAvmhIe_g

3. YouTube: A Talk with a Real One - Mr. Shailobek, June 1, 2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUBlJsoXycM

4. Bhikhu Parekh: Cosmopolitanism and Global Citizenship, Vol. 29, No. 1, Jan.,
2003, pp, 6-7

https://ecourse.auca.kg/pluginfile.php/130751/mod_resource/content/3/4%20Par
ekh%2C%20B.%20Cosmopolitanism%20and%20Global%20Citizenship%2C
%20Review%20of%20Intl%20Studies.pdf