Institute for Voluntary Action Research in association with the Voluntary Action History Society

Abstract

This seminar is about the past and the future - the national and the international. The presenters will explore some of the parallels with the past, and assess some of the lessons for the future from the experience of the UK voluntary sector and NGOs working internationally.
 
Georgina Brewis
What are the implications for the UK non-profit sector from a historical study of voluntary action in Britain and India before 1914? The presentation will begin by identifying a number of potential parallels between the historical situation and voluntary organisations and volunteering in Britain today. It will then focus on one historical case-study, considering how voluntary social service by young people in Britain and India was framed by concerns around citizenship and nation building in the period before the First World War.
Georgina Brewis has recently completed her PhD at the University of East London and is currently Senior Research Officer at the Institute for Volunteering Research. Her research interests lie in the historical and contemporary study of voluntary action in Britain and empire. She is the Publicity Secretary of the Voluntary Action History Society.
 
John Hailey
What are the lessons that the UK non-profit sector can learn from the way NGOs work internationally? This presentation attempts to address this question by examining some of the different processes and practices that International NGOs and their local partners have adopted to handle the challenges have faced over the last twenty years. Some of the practical lessons from this experience will be analysed. The presentation will conclude with an assessment of the ways such International NGOs may have to change to cope with the future challenges they face and an analysis of their relevance for those working in charities and not-for-profit organisations in the UK.
Dr John Hailey is a Visiting Professor at City University’s Cass Business School where he is the Director of a new MSc in NGO Management. He is also an independent consultant with a particular interest in the management and strategy issues facing NGOs and has worked in over fifty different countries.