OECD – 200 –
Winners without medals: The legacy of volunteers
Summary
1336seconds video
This edition of the OECD podcast discusses the role and impact of volunteering in major international events, specifically the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games held in Paris. Guests Max Jablonowski from Business at OECD and Betty Ann Bryce, who works on rural policy at OECD, share their experiences volunteering at the games. They emphasize that volunteers are crucial, contributing both to the success of the events and their personal growth. The discussion covers memorable moments from the Games, the skills gained from volunteering, and the importance of volunteers in such events. The podcast highlights the challenges and rewards of volunteering and notes a rebound in volunteering rates in some OECD countries. The discussion also touches on policy aspects, suggesting that major events like the Olympics can inspire lasting changes in volunteering rates. The OECD has released a report on how volunteering can aid local development, and the podcast concludes with a call for governments to better facilitate and promote volunteerism.
Full Script
Welcome to this edition of OECD podcast where we’re delighted to be joined by Max Jablonowski from Business at OECD and Betty Ann Bryce who works on Rural Policy also at the OECD. Today we’re going to dive into the world of the Olympics and Paralympic Games, one of the world’s biggest international sporting events. The 2024 Games took place here in Paris, the city that also hosts the OECD and both of today’s guests had the opportunity to volunteer at the 2024 Games. It’s certainly true that these huge sporting events wouldn’t be possible without volunteers, in fact they are truly the unsung heroes who contribute so much in so many ways. In fact about one quarter of the population declared having volunteered formally, that’s to say through an organisation in the past month across the OECD, but despite its importance volunteering has been under pressure in recent times. Today we’re going to discuss how volunteers contribute to people, places and firms and how their experiences shape both the events and the volunteers themselves. So huge thanks to Max and Betty Ann today for joining us on OECD podcast. Thank you so much, welcome. Thank you for having us. So most people are familiar with the Olympic and Paralympic Games as one of the biggest sporting events in the world, but few of us have actually had a first hand experience of the Games. So let’s start with you Max, if you can tell us a little bit about your experience at the 2024 Games and what you think made the Games stand out or how they were unique in comparison to other Games. Thanks Jane, I think it was personally quite special holding the Olympics in Paris and around the country being in so many different and significant places. For example the beach volleyball setting right in front of the Eiffel Tower is really quite iconic and also the opening ceremony being held along the Seine was really quite special, especially being a sporting fan, seeing the hand over the flame between Zinedine Zidane and Rafa Nadal was truly quite special. I think for me what I completely agree with Max and I will add what made it really interesting was the reuse of the venues. I think in the past I had the privilege of volunteering at a different Olympic game and I liked the fact that they were reusing and thinking about how to make multiple and diverse use of different venues. Of course that comes with some benefits and maybe some challenges, especially if you’re trying to move from one to another but I think overall that plus the diverse countries made it an amazing experience. Great and then Max and Betty, what would you say was your most memorable moment of the Paris 24 Games? Where to start? I mean I think again as a sporting fan I particularly enjoyed tennis so seeing Djokovic finally win that gold was truly quite special but if you turn to the volunteering I think having to see the athletes being able to celebrate in person, especially because I’ve volunteered with the Paralympians, I think that was truly special for them to celebrate their achievements but also what they’ve been through. I think for me it was the I particularly volunteered because I’m Jamaican so I had a vested interest in seeing the Jamaicans participate in person so it was great to see the flags, to see the countries, to see just how devoted and engaged everyone was and to see the different sports. I myself discovered new sports that I never thought that I would be so fascinated by and I was just taken with how much it was loved and how interactive the experience was. That’s brilliant. Volunteers are very much the unsung heroes that these huge global events really rely on and I guess we’ve seen and unfortunately the world, we’ve seen declining rates of volunteering in these past years. In fact the OECD has noticed a rebound of sorts in certain OECD countries and economies. But let’s get some of your insights. Max maybe to you first, what inspired you to volunteer in the first place? So even before that I volunteered at the Paralympics in 2024. I had the opportunity to volunteer for a Fulham Football Club Foundation back when I was at school due to an initiative in the UK called the Duke of Edinburgh Awards which enables young people to get involved in certain activities and their passions and one of the options is volunteering. And then I used to actually play for Fulham Football Club Foundation each weekend. I was getting too old for their groups and they actually turned around and said hey why don’t you come and do volunteering for us and that enabled me to go along and help younger kids develop their skills at football through coaching and that actually helped me later in life continue volunteering which is why I wanted to come back and do it this year, last year even at the Olympics. For me it’s pretty much just the diversity in meeting people. I thought it was a great opportunity to meet, when would you meet so many different people from so many different countries and when would you be able to engage in so many different ways and learn more about people and even though you were volunteering and you’re working I myself was at Stade de France so I had the privilege of seeing so many, one of the largest venues so you’re seeing so many different folks come in, their faces are painted, they’re all engaged, the emotions are there, the level of energy is so high that you’re just, it was infectious and it was really really why I wanted to be there and I had so many different roles so on the court, behind in the back office so you’re seeing so many different things going on and you’re just learning so much. And Betty Anne was this your first time volunteering? You heard our Max as being involved there in the UK, was this a first for you? No this was my second time actually at the Olympics, I had the privilege of doing the 96 games in Atlanta, Georgia but I was super young so I don’t think that I really really embraced it or really understood it. What stood out to me of course was how different it was, maybe the Olympic Village was where I spent most of my time, whereas this time around I was really in the games, I was even actually with the athletes after they finished and won for testing so it was just such an interesting opportunity and I did compare it in my head but like I said I was pretty young so. For sure and Max would you do it again, are you intending to volunteer going forward? Yeah absolutely, if I’m given the option I think what Betty Anne was saying is really important especially being given different perspectives and outlooks, especially not only being a spectator you’re observing everything behind the scenes and how you can sort of help those athletes but also encourage them, I mean especially at the Paralympics, they have so many different stories and perspectives that you can learn from and seeing the amount of support that a country gives to Paralympians is truly incredible so if I had the option of doing that again it would be definitely a no brainer, whatever the event. I would do it again and I would actually recommend that everyone do it at least once, I think you should bear in mind that it is work, it’s as much exciting, it’s a privilege but it’s work, I was a bouncer at times, I was an escort at times, I was serving at times and I was helping to find things so I think you have to be flexible, you have to be willing to work long hours but you have to know that it pays off in the end and I would always recommend it. To add on to that it’s certainly a piece of character building, I say as Betty Anne said it’s definitely worth doing it if you haven’t considered doing so, it will bring the life out of you but it will also make you very tired having had to do it at weekends and after work as well but you will have the best time and it’s worth learning from others and different experiences, it will definitely help you make you more resilient later down the road. Brilliant, yeah that’s a huge encouragement, I think what we could do is turn to more of the policy aspects and angles at this point having heard about your experiences and how rich they were, let’s turn to skills in fact, I mean on top of contributing to a wider economic and social good, volunteering comes with heaps of other benefits so on a personal level volunteering can increase self esteem, wider networks and give people these valuable skills so maybe Betty Anne what kinds of benefits or skills did you gain from participating as a volunteer? I think it’s hard to be a volunteer and be an introvert, I think that’s what I will say and I say this as someone who considers myself an introvert but when you’re trying to help someone who’s lost or you’re trying to show people to their seats or maybe delicately encourage them to sit in the assigned seat as opposed to the seat they would love to sit in, it really takes means that you have to learn diplomacy, you have to communicate in a way that is friendly, have show some authority but at the same time be friendly and that forces you to kind of how much of that is in your emotional balance, maybe that’s not how you are and then also there’s a, I like to say a lot of track and field, I was running, you have to be willing to run from left to right and to just be moving around so the skills that you think you need are not the skills that you have on the job, it’s really more also putting your pride aside, being a bit humble because maybe you are serving, maybe you are bringing folks some drinks, maybe you are helping an elderly person, it’s really about being flexible and adapting to the moment and then learning to communicate with different cultures in a way that maybe you wouldn’t think about. You also have to be I think quite self motivating and a self starter, those are the core things I think is to get into sort of this sort of volunteering, you have to be proactive as well and you have to be most importantly aware having volunteered during the Paralympics Accessibility was a huge, huge thing that you have to look out for given so many different needs of individuals and that can make it a lot harder, especially when you are dealing with all other aspects as you said, making sure people get somewhere, you know, being open to do all sorts of tasks but yeah, Accessibility and Awareness was a huge thing that I was able to experience this year has made me more self aware I’d say. Yes so indeed I think what you are talking about is a lot of soft skills that don’t necessarily come from formal training or programs but I imagine that at the Olympics you had some kind of training from the authorities and those people that were running it? Yeah for sure, I mean we had some form of training from Paralympics GB, we had a formal induction day where we were given training on sort of everything from fire safety to the different types of accreditation as to where people need to go, we were also given some basic first aid training, the different levels of people that you’d have access to as well as the different leadership as to who to get and an emergency so yeah it was really quite eye-opening as to the number of people involved in dealing with running such a huge event especially at a venue such as the Paralympics GB house which as well was where all the broadcast surfaces were based and which is where the athletes came back to celebrate their achievements or their sorrows as well and it’s also where family were involved in coming to visit the athlete so you had to be perceptive to all different types of people and agendas. I think from our side we also receive training but what I will say is that it’s a DOECD I’m sure Max will agree we all do conferences and there’s no matter how much you prepare everything that can go wrong will and I think when you have a venue as big as Stade de France that happens and I think there’s only so much training you can have and then you have 30,000 people so what I will say is that we did they did they did the best they could to prepare us but there are moments where we just had to kind of work off the cuff and adapt and that happened a lot going back to Max’s point we had a lot of persons who needed support getting from the gate to where they were sitting in Stade de France and we weren’t necessarily always well equipped to do that so we had to improvise. Do you see these skills and this experiencing like influencing your future professional or personal endeavours in life? Yeah for sure I think it certainly boosted confidence which at times can be quite low especially working in such a high-pressured environment so to be able to experience volunteering with so many different individuals really brings something to you but it also brings you a lot of resilience I think certainly having when volunteering at the Paralympics you have to be very strong for these athletes not only when they achieve but also when they don’t achieve what they wanted and because they’ve been through so much as well you really have to be open-minded be considerate and I think those are transferable skills which will help me also professionally but also personally. I think for me too skills stood out diplomacy I say this because I had the privilege of maybe working out the front at the VIP sections with reporters as well but it’s at the France and so there was always the need to get in front of to be to be seen we worked near where the medals were being given out so of course you are always delicately asking folks to sit here don’t be here also having VIPs and also delicately telling them even though they’re VIP their VIP pass doesn’t work here and at the same time sensitivity because when we were in the testing section and people were happy and not so happy with the results but still have to sit for a long time to be tested you have to be encouraging you have to be supportive and you have to just recognize and their feelings and responding kind so I think those two will serve me well because we continue to do events with different people and it really was eye-opening from that in that respect. That’s great let’s really dig into OCD work now I mean one of our core interests at the OCD regarding the hosting of large-scale international event stems from their legacy we know that these events if done well can have a strong infrastructural legacy but I guess beyond the bricks and mortar strengthening the volunteering infrastructure at the local and national level can help rejuvenate volunteering and maximize its contribution to local development so I mean we mentioned at the start that volunteering rates have been declining in certain places and rebounding in other places but it’s important to consider whether the Paris Games from 2024 might inspire a lasting change in volunteering so maybe Betty Ann from your experience do you think that the Games from 2024 will make a difference or whether similar events could provide a boost to volunteering? I definitely think it will and could provide a boost of volunteering I think that what we sometimes take for granted is that people don’t think that they can be a part of something and the Olympics something of that scale and knowing that anyone could be a part of it is important whether you’re from a rural area, urban area, whatever your background you can be a part of something that’s significant and I think how you communicate that going forward could encourage others to participate. We talk a lot at OCD about participatory governance and co-design and having voices at all levels have a role in government and this is just a small sign of how you can in a moment where we need to build trust or rebuild trust in institutions having people of different walks of life be involved in something so significant is something they’ll always remember and share with their families and think about bringing back or participating even more. So there’s no doubt that your experience could offer valuable lessons on promoting volunteerism going forward but maybe just to finish up with do you have any insights on what governments should learn from your experience or what they could take away and how they could promote volunteering going forward Max? Yeah for sure. During the Paralympics the UK government were actually very good in announcing further funding initiatives during Paralympics GB so we were able, the Paralympics GB house were able to host the Secretary of State for Sport or DTMS Lisa Nandi where they announced further funding and I think governments need to take the opportunity to work with global event providers to provide opportunities for all including for upskilling I think it’s usually important it will give a positive outlook on not only the government also the organisations but even better providing opportunities for people. For me I think it’s important to demonstrate the benefits. I think sometimes there is an exclusivity to certain things and then it becomes only those folks can participate and only and they some folks who want to do it don’t see the value that they could bring to them so I think governments should really think about how to take advantage of the diversity of folks that were participating and use them to be the intermediaries to show that from different walks of life from different genders you can play a role and this is how you can use this experience in the future so someone who is going to have to take time out of their busy day to do it can say this is the value that it’s going to bring not just to me but this is how I could use it and that’s very important because maybe some folks have the time but some folks don’t have the time even if they want to so we need to reach both. Yeah absolutely so thanks so much to Max and to Betty Ann for your great insights and absolutely governments and authorities can take away lots from your involvement in volunteering so you know we’ve heard how volunteering has both personal and societal benefits indeed volunteering has direct positive impacts on the volunteers themselves in terms of physical and mental health, civic mindfulness as well and I guess interpersonal trust as we heard lots of examples of that and both for volunteers and communities that can be a tool to indeed address loneliness. The OECD in fact recently released a report on leasing the potential of volunteering for local development which provides an international comparison of trends and tools. It does a deep dive into local and national approaches such as developing these strategies at the different levels and enabling legal frameworks as well it looks into how to improve the volunteering market which can help to rejuvenate volunteering so thanks for listening today for more information you can go to the OECD website and search for volunteering to access that report and you might also check out the OECD local development forum under events for more information around legacy and large scale international events so please do join us again soon for more OECD podcasts. To listen to other OECD podcasts find us on iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcast and SoundCloud.com slash OECD.
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