The Student Volunteer Programme of the University of Colima arose as a way of linking the university community to organised society (civil associations, foundations, NGOs, public and private corporations) in order to promote charitable work. The Programme was born from the combination of the environment the university found itself in and its willingness to engage with it.
The precedents for the Voluntary Students Programme come from the experiences of the Latin American Network of University Volunteers of UNITeS. At the request of the UN Volunteers Programme, the Network has been coordinated by the University of Colima since it was formed in 2004.
The Programme began in September 2006 with the dual purpose of promoting volunteering among university students and supporting the projects of civil society organisations, federal, state and municipal governments, NGOs and other institutions that encourage social development and a culture of cooperation and participation. The viability, sustainability and relevance of the projects are analysed by an evaluation and monitoring board (made up of student volunteers) and students are later invited to take part in and become associated with volunteer work.
Although the Mexican state of Colima is one of the richest states of the nation, it has major pockets of poverty and marginalisation. Given this situation, the different levels of government (federal, state and municipal) are having problems financing projects and programmes aimed at these sectors of the population.
The University of Colima, as a public institution, has a responsibility to its immediate social environment. The university cannot directly provide social services or carry out third sector activities, but it can help in these activities through the student volunteer service. Students, as professionals-in-training, can apply technical and specialised knowledge to charitable work. They can thus complement their education by acquiring practical knowledge and skills to support their theoretical training.
Since it was founded in 1940, one of the University of Colima's (UdeC) objectives has been to maintain permanent ties with the community. It has a commitment to always work closely with the community, and has developed various partnership programmes over the years to achieve this goal. The main precedents for the Voluntary Students Programme (EVUC) are the United Nations Information Technology Services programme (UNITeS), coordinated by the University of Colima, and the Leadership with a Human Approach Programme (PROLIDEH).
Furthermore, programmes that connect universities to society also help repay the community for its contributions to public higher education. The Student Volunteer Programme of the University of Colima arose as a way of linking the university community to organised society (civil associations, foundations, NGOs, public and private corporations) in order to promote charitable work. The Programme was born from the combination of the environment the university found itself in and its willingness to engage with it.
The precedents for the Voluntary Students Programme come from the experiences of the Latin American Network of University Volunteers of UNITeS. At the request of the UN Volunteers Programme, the Network has been coordinated by the University of Colima since it was formed in 2004.
The Programme began in September 2006 with the dual purpose of promoting volunteering among university students and supporting the projects of civil society organisations, federal, state and municipal governments, NGOs and other institutions that encourage social development and a culture of cooperation and participation. The viability, sustainability and relevance of the projects are analysed by an evaluation and monitoring board (made up of student volunteers) and students are later invited to take part in and become associated with volunteer work.
To contribute to the fulfilment of the Millennium Development Goals.
To raise awareness within the university community and civil society organisations of the new culture of social cooperation and participation.
To fight poverty and social marginalisation by means of volunteer work.
To help student volunteers gain a well-rounded education by applying their theoretical knowledge for the practical benefit of society.
The EVUC is based on the working model of UNITeS, a United Nations programme that aims to bridge the digital divide by promoting voluntary work among university students who take part in training and awareness activities related to new information technology. Another direct precedent for the EVUC programme is the Leadership with a Human Approach Programme . For ten years, this programme has been providing university students with the necessary tools to develop their leadership skills, so, once the EVUC programme was set up, it was considered that PROLIDEH graduates should join the programme as volunteers.
Within the first few months after the introduction of the programme, certain priorities were defined in order to ensure its consolidation in the medium term. The first activities carried out were:
1. Planning and preparation of the student volunteer project. 2. The official presentation of the Student Volunteer Programme project to the Governing Council. 3. The request for equipped facilities for the programme. 4. The integration of the United Nations Information Technology Service (UNITeS) into the Student Volunteer Programme. 5. The design and implementation of the website (http://www.ucol.mx/evuc/). 6. Information-gathering meetings with university officials and directors. 7. Meetings with civil society organisation leaders.
One of the main activities of the programme is to manage and coordinate the efforts of student volunteers and civil society organisations. In order to develop this priority line, a protocol of action was established to orient all volunteer projects.
Initially, volunteer projects are presented by civil society organisations, federal, state and municipal governments, NGOs and other institutions. All of these institutions must be organisations that foster social development and the culture of cooperation and participation that this project aims to consolidate. The viability, sustainability and relevance of the project are analysed by an evaluation and monitoring board composed of student volunteers.
Once the project is accepted, it is then classified according to the degree of specialisation required of the volunteers by the civil society organisation. IFor programmes not requiring specific professional training, secondary school students are recommended, while for projects with a professional or technical specificity undergraduates enrolled on appropriate courses are involved.
Once the needs of the project have been established, the student selection and organisation process can begin. Each school or faculty has a board of volunteers made up of students who have previously taken part in volunteer activities. The programme’s central coordination body distributes a call for applications to the university community, detailing the characteristics, profile and skills that a student hoping to take part in the project must have.
The organisation chartof EVUC comprises a central coordination body made up of three main areas: attention to students, projects, and information technology. Representatives from these three areas, together with the coordination group, make up the evaluation and monitoring board, which analyses the proposals referring to projects and volunteer initiatives of the participants in the programme.
Some of the public associations and entities taking part in EVUC are:
The youth rehabilitation centre of the city of Colima.
The civil association supporting the children of Colima.
'El Albatros', a centre for special children .
The Colima Ostomy Association (a private charitable institution).
The municipality of Minatitlán (programme for a healthy municipality).
TATO, the Mexican autism foundation.
The child care homes of the Villa Alvarez, Colima and Cuachutémoc municipalities.
'La Armonía', a residential home for the elderly .
The association “Un Paso Hacia la Recuperación” (a private charitable institution).
The student volunteer programme is one of the university’s bodies which participates in the UNITeS programme. UNITeS (United Nations Information Technology Service) is a United Nations programme aimed at overcoming digital exclusion by promoting volunteer work among university students who participate in training and awareness-raising activities in the field of new information technologies The University of Colima has formed part of the programme since 2004 and is one of the 11 members of the regional network of Latin American universities. The University of Colima currently coordinates the regional network.
Though the EVUC programme has been set up as part of the University, it aims to be continually in contact with existing experiences in other universities. The EVUC programme is one of the University bodies taking part in the UNITeS programme. Furthermore, following the same principle of ties between the programme and the local community, the volunteer programme provides students from the PROLIDEH programme with the opportunity to put their leadership skills into practice, in a real situation, for the benefit of the community.
The main results from the first few months of the programme are:
133 students participate as volunteers in 22 projects. Seven of these are general projects, with no specific profile assigned, and 15 are specific projects, with an associated professional profile.
The participation of ten student volunteers on a course about volunteering and cooperation culture, held in San José (Costa Rica).
The introduction to the values of volunteering (altruism, cooperation, solidarity, respect, leadership, service, unity, democracy) of 19,536 students from the University of Colima.
The creation of the Leaders Volunteer Network of the University of Colima, which to date has a total of 2,386 students pre-enrolled.
The creation of the Councils of Volunteer Leaders, made up of students from the University’s schools and faculties.
The connections made with 18 civil society organisations.
The presentation of projects by ten civil society organisations.
The introduction of a culture of social cooperation and participation in the university environment, which in the medium term should represent a learning opportunity for the institution.
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