Mark Lamar is Associate Professor of Professional Practice & Executive Director of the Office of Practicum Learning at Rutgers School of Social Work. They explain the significance of International Volunteer Day and ways social workers and allied professionals can observe it today and beyond.
Tell us a bit about your journey to social work.
Thank you for asking me to discuss International Volunteer Day and social work.
I am a proud graduate of Rutgers School of Social Work’s MSW program and was well prepared here for a long career as a clinical social worker and eventually, an executive director of a large nonprofit agency in central New Jersey.
I have taught in the MSW program at Rutgers since 1997, first as a lecturer and then full time as executive director of practicum learning and a faculty member.
What is the significance of International Volunteer Day for you?
In 1985, the UN General Assembly mandated this day to serve as an international observance of volunteerism. The emphasis upon volunteering really got a lift when this happened, and each year we consider and celebrate efforts worldwide being carried out to achieve human wellbeing.
How can the social work community recognize and commemorate International Volunteer Day?
I would suggest that we ask ourselves a few things: have we ever volunteered? What was that experience like? Did I achieve my goals?
We need to reflect, too, upon how we felt personally. Whom did I meet, what was their life, their world like, and how did we work together?
What can the social work profession or social workers do to continue to support the importance for individuals for International Volunteer Day beyond December 5th?
The act and effort of lending ourselves, along with our time, resources, and gifts, has been shown to improve our wellbeing. Promoting this message can have an impact on volunteer recruitment and participation. Volunteers can see themselves as change agents and feel positively about this experience.
I have volunteered, long term, at the Puerto Rican Community Day Care Center in Trenton, Mercer County United Way, and most recently, Moms Demand Action, which is a citizen group working to get sensible firearms legislation passed.
These involvements aligned well with my professional interests in cultural and community diversity, child and family wellbeing, nonprofit fundraising and marketing, and public health policy. I was able to contribute my passion, time, and money, alongside countless other volunteers, toward these critical human causes, and together we advanced the missions of each organization.
This story was created in partnership with Rutgers School of Social Work's Inclusion, Intersectionality, Diversity, Equity, and Advancement (IIDEA) Committee.
