12 Words, A Way Of Life And Stepping Up Together.
Coming up with your organisation’s mission statement can be the hardest thing you’ll ever do. But when you nail it, it’s a thing of beauty.
How about this one:
We exist to save lives, create great Australians and build better communities.
I’m writing this in the first week after the Christmas break and thinking how easily it could be the Rural Fire Services’ statement.
Every conversation I’ve had since my return to work has been about the amazing volunteers in every community who have selflessly put their lives on the line. Volunteering is the back bone of Australia, and a major part of building strong communities. Australia is always in the top half dozen countries when we try to quantify the extent of volunteerism. And at times like these we really see how crucial volunteers are to supporting communities in crisis.
But this mission statement is actually that of another iconic organisation, such is the strength and depth of organisations famous for their volunteers. It’s from Surf Live Saving NSW. Twelve words. But it distils exactly what they – and many other organisations - do.
Surf Life Saving is not only iconic, but is one of Australia’s largest volunteer organisations whose contribution to the community is, frankly, extraordinary. So, when I was offered the opportunity of speaking to Mike Anderson, their Community Education Project Officer, I jumped it at.
There’s lots of great takeaways from our podcast conversation – please do have a listen: Apple Podcasts , Spotify
But as you probably know by now, my thing is looking at the lived experience and comparing and contrasting it with existing research.
And in these articles, adding in some extra information not available in the podcast.
So let’s pick up with some more information on volunteers.
Here’s a thought:
If community is the car, then volunteering is the fuel. Volunteers keep communities running - whether it’s a school working bee, putting your hand up to coach the basketball team, or, of course, fighting bushfires alongside career firefighters.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics reports that over 30 percent of Aussies volunteer with not-for-profit organisations. They worked out that in 2014 alone, over 743 million hours of volunteering had been contributed to the community. And that doesn’t even include all that informal volunteering we do in our everyday lives - like helping out a neighbour or caring for loved ones. If volunteering was paid at a nominal rate of $25 an hour it would total more than $18 billion.
In last year's State of the World's volunteerism report, the United Nations described volunteering as "the thread that binds communities and makes them strong". Global estimates from the United Nations place the number of volunteers around the world at 970 million. If people who volunteer all lived in one country, it would be the third biggest population in the world! A study from Johns Hopkins University calculated that, based on the hours contributed by volunteers around the world, that’s roughly equivalent to over 110 million full-time workers. And again, that’s not including all the informal and unstructured volunteering we do everyday! Estimates place the value of volunteer work at US$1.3 trillion – that’s 2.4 per cent of the global economy!
So, a great way to check the strength of your community is to look at just how much time and energy people are willing to put into it - even when it’s 5am and the ocean is freezing! And most importantly, as Mike says, it’s vital that you look after your volunteers, because they can’t be the fuel if their own tank is empty!
Iconic institutions like Surf Life Saving and Rural Fire Services are significant contributors to social capital as they benefit not only those directly involved, but the whole community.
Political scientist Robert D. Putnam breaks down social capital into three features; norms, networks and trust. When it comes to networks, the concepts of bonding and bridging can help us to understand the value of those connections between Surf Life Saving members and other community groups.
While bonding occurs within a group or community, bridging takes place between different groups or communities. Putnam describes bonding capital as useful for “getting by” while bridging capital is essential for “getting ahead”. This is because bridging provides opportunities to access resources that aren’t available in the immediate community.
Social capital theory can help us to understand why it’s important for Surf Life Saving to engage with people who don’t live anywhere near a beach and those from communities who, historically, haven’t had much to do with the beach or the organisation. SLS are building important relationships within and between communities to make sure that everyone who goes to the beach feels not only safe, but that they belong.
But making SLS inclusive and accessible to diverse communities requires effective communication.
For those of us who grew up here, or are regulars at the beach, we instantly recognise the red and yellow flags, uniforms and signage. It’s an utterly unmistakeable brand. But even something so fundamental can be the source of confusion.
For example – we take for granted that the red and yellow flags mean ‘swim here’, whereas to others it could give the impression of a private club swimming area to stay away from!
We know that colours have a huge impact on how we feel, and research has shown colours trigger particular psychological, physical and biological responses in humans. Specific colours can mean different things to different people.
But why is this important to be aware of what your symbol is saying? Well, developmental molecular biologist Dr John Medina tells is that whilst people only remember 10 per cent of what they hear after 3 days, they can remember up to 65 per cent if the information is paired with an image. Our brains are hardwired to process images which means that images, signs and symbols are really useful in communication. And so when it comes to beach safety, its important that your symbols communicate as effectively as possible to everyone.
Diversity was another key theme in my conversation with Mike. In response to a report in 2006 which observed a concerning “lack of diversity” in the organisation, Surf Life Saving have been taking steps to give everyone a chance to participate and give back. SLS has recognised that, as a key influence in the broader Australian community, they have a role to play in promoting social harmony and promoting a culture that ‘the beach is there to share’
That’s how they are going to deliver on their mission statement:
We exist to save lives, create great Australians and build better communities
I’ve been studying and building communities both personally and professionally for more than a decade. But the last few weeks have broadened my understanding of how absolutely vital strong communities are – they help us save lives, create great Australians and build better communities. Sound familiar? It feels like something in Australia has shifted. It’s too soon to evaluate it, but it might be that our faith in the leadership that we are supposed to be looking to in times of crisis has lessened, and our faith in the members of our community who step up and show true service has strengthened. This is not an academic thought, but something I think many reading this will identify with. The raw and emotional events unfolding around us and the deep impact on so many, leaves me worried about the future but positive about our ability to step up as a community, together.
There are many complex problems that will not be solved by individuals. But the source of hope is the strength of community members and their willingness to put the collective need ahead of their own, bonding and bridging their way to a better life for all.
Thanks for all you do for the country, Surf Life Saving, Rural Fire Services and every single volunteer giving back to community.
This is all information I’m using on a daily basis to help build the communities within UNSW, because #belonging is better.
And of course, don’t forget to support your local community organisations in any way you can.
Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts , Spotify
