In this week’s SoroptiVoice blog, Herta Kaschitz, Governor of the Soroptimist International Austrian Union, writes about a discussion of the role of service clubs held at the Austrian Parliament. Herta has been a Soroptimist for 23 years, for 13 years in New York City (USA) and now at SI Wien-Belvere (Austria). As a lawyer, she worked for 27 years for the United Nations on issues dealing with the advancement of women.
On 24 January, 2013 the President of the Austrian National Assembly, Barbara Prammer, welcomed close to 600 persons in one of the assembly halls of the Austrian Parliament in Vienna to take part in a panel discussion about the work and importance of service clubs for our society. Participants came from the following service clubs: Rotary International, Kiwanis International, Lions International, Zonta International, Soroptimist International, Round Table, Ladies’ Circle, and Club 41. The driving forces in organizing this event were the past-president of the Austrian Union of Soroptimist International, Gertaud Pichler, and the Austrian presidents of Rotary International and Lions International.
The Austrian Federal Minister for Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection, Rudolf Hundstorfer, pointed out in his keynote address that some 3.3 million people were active in service clubs in Austria, dealing with issues such as health, youth, aging, or issues of social integration. Helping others is the predominant theme. Other speakers included the Secretary-General of the Austrian Red Cross, Werner Kerschbaum, the Executive Director of the Austrian Social Integration Fund, Franz Wolf-Maier, a university professor from the Institute for Educational and Pedagogical Studies in Graz, Cornelia Wustmann, and a psychologist from the Austrian Institute for Motivation Research, Helene Karmasin. The panel was moderated by the reknowned Austrian journalist Anneliese Rohrer.
Speakers agreed that the main motivation of members of service organizations was to improve the quality of life of others, and to do that kind of work on a voluntary basis without remuneration. The idea of a project exchange was suggested. The main incentives for people to participate in the work of service organizations are enthusiasm for an idea, vision, compassion, outrage, joy, a feeling of happiness, and the desire to be responsible citizens rather than making a profit.
Adults should not shy away from engaging youth in their activities. The percentage of young people in volunteer work was just as high as that of adults. Speakers agreed that volunteers lived longer and that civil society was functioning well only in a well-functioning State. It was also important to engage more migrants in volunteer work. There is an enormous potential for a volunteer work force; but it requires motivation and engagement in project work. Following the panel discussion, ample opportunity was provided for networking in the marble reception hall of the Parliament building.
Picture: Networking after the discussion at the Austrian Parliamentm, (left to right) Herta Kaschitz, Barbara Prammer, Gertraud Pichler; 2nd row: Brigitte Zinnagl, Heidi Konrad