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l f:.1·:.!. lI I 'I I ·! NEW SLOT FOR THE VOLUNTEER A Talk With Joyce Black and Dr. Timothy Costello Waiting for a bus or subway th~t · role in city government. To find out and what the Board of Estimate does, never comes, sending a child ·off to a if similar bureaus could be used to adbut the subtle kinds of things: Why school that doesn't open, or trying to does it take so long to get things done? . vantage in Detroit, Chicago, Los Ankeep warm in an apartment that has Why can't you always solve a problem geles, or even in Waterloo, Iowa, we in the most ration~! way? Sometimes no heat is all part of everyday life in met with Dr. Costello and Mrs. Black there are community blocks and politiNew York City. But, a new form of in the Deputy Mayor's office, and we cal considerations that are quite legitigovernment, which New Yorkers have asked them: come to· think of as " the Lindsay mate but keep you from doing things Why do you11se volunteers in New York's style," has emerged. By efficiently in what my wife would say is the city government? common-sense way. using an almost untapped resource Dr. Costello: I think there is a simple known as "volunteer power," the naDo volunteers need any special skills? answer and a. subtle answer. The simtion's largest and most problem~prone Dr. Costello: Volunteerism is a very, ple answer is that we need to render city is surviving the urban crisis. perhaps ten times as many service.s as very sensitive activity requiring proBack in 1965, when the Federal govwe're able to with the amount of civil

ernment first launched its "war on

fessional skills. One of the skills re- . quired is learning to build a demand service people w~ have. Beyond that, poverty," New York City's Economic for volunteer help that doesn't outdo Opportunity Committee (the local advolunteers bring something that you your-supply, and that doesn't produce ministrative anti-poverty agency) cannot get from the person whose serfound itself inundated with offers a demand in agencies where volunteers / vices you're buying. They bring spirit, of help from numerous individuals and don' t belong and won't be properly I a sense of dedication, freedom from used. The desirable thing would be to organizations. Mrs. Ruth Hagy Brod, j being captured by procedures, motivathen an EOC staff member, was asked have a Director of Volunteers in every 1 tion and willingness to wor_ k - someto channel these offers into neighboragency of city government who would I times under conditions where you hood anti-poverty agencies. report to us on what the agency is l couldn't pay someone else to work. The complexities of the city made looking for. We're flooded with deI don't know if this concept is origMrs. Brod'3 task a monumentally commands from agencies, many of which inal with me, but for a little while, for '.·plicated one and an advisory comwe don't want to meet because they're a long while maybe, many people felt mittee of community leaders was soon not suitable, and many of which we that New York was such a big, sophis'.f ormed to assist her in conducting a can't meet because we just haven't got ticated, cosmopolitan town, that it was study of the patterns and potentials of an adequate s~pply of volunteers. nobody's home town. But that's not /volunteerism in New York City. The the way people feel now. They're beHow does the VCC work with city · result of their study was this: Antiagencies? ginning to feel that it ·is their home poverty agencies were unable to absorb town ; they want to be involved in it; Mrs. Black: We tried to divide the any significant number of volunteers, they want to do something for it. This Council's activities into two sectors, but there was a great potential for is true of big business and it's also true with program development in _b oth the them in almost every d~£i!!~ent of of the people living in Staten Island, public- sector and in the private, nonci_!¥__$0Vemment. Out of this study, the Queens, or Manhattan. They want to profit sector - better known as the VE!.u,n~ C:02@.~at~ _g Co1:1_~~!1.- the say "I'm doing something for my city." volunteer sector. If an agency desires - f!!_~ cent~al vo~n~er bureau_to_be coMrs. Black: We hope this kind of proour advice in developing volunteer si:onsored by city__ g!)verz.:,.men,t..ill.d..th_e gram will be duplicated in other cities programs, we 'a re available, and we voluntary sector - was born. for similar reasons. Once you're in· - rn December 1966, the VCC was also will seek them out if we feel that volved with a city in the public s·ector, officiaily inaugurated by Mayor Lindthere should be a use of volunteers you understand many things that you say. Deputy Mayor Timothy Costello there. We've been very fortunate in never understood before, and you can was named Chairman, and Mrs. Hiram New York because we do have an uninterpret th em to the community in a D. Black (AJLA's Director of Region derstanding administration and a Depmuch· better way. · III) was named Co-Chairman. Mrs. uty Mayor who took us under his Brod was appointed Director. Dr. Costello: Maybe the point that wing. The Council h as to fi t into a slot During the first two years of its is being made is a lesson in civics. I \ 1 in the city; this type of program -just operation, the VCC h as played a vital don't mean just where City Hall is, 11 c°an't--be off bii"its ""'o~w=n~.- -- - - l 14 �I Dr. Costello: That's right, you simply What docs the VCC do? th Mrs. Black: It does two things. It re· can't graft it on to something at is not receptive to it. It won't work. The . emits volunteers interviews them and

'CC is kind of a prototype; we're try-( ) ) re~h~~tot~i!ditiqnal ;;;-no~t~a~

m~ to :~courage c~llege st~dents _a nd '---' ditio~~l ·settii'-i~, d;pencling on what umvers1hes to contribute their services, k.m d o f service · th ey wan t t o d o an d , but this won't work unless you ve got -. . __ w h a t th e1r · h ours are. Bu t 1·t a1so 1s · a receptivity in the top level of admini-' d I t k " d f · 1 r;z_ program- eve opmen m o agency. • • strahon all the way down. the ~ D.___ - M · ay b e th e term ;,-mar~ . lme. r. C_os t-e1·-1o: riage maker" ought to come into this Does the VCC suggest projects or placement for volunteers in other agencies? picture, too, because Ruth Brod and the Dr. Costello: Yes . It creates them. people around her are frequently matchmakers. There might be some You've got a creative gro~p of volu'~group who have ideas for something to teers who suggest things either because they have an idea or because I do, but they haven't got the resources. somebody comes in and says: "Look, _, 1 They may not have a .bus to provide this is what I can do; is there any place I transportation, they may not have the I can do it?" That's how VCC promoney to . underwrite something, or grams begin. You look for some place they may not have access to somewhere the volunteer can do what he thing. So Mrs. Brod finds somebody wants to do. That's pretty much what who has what the group needs and happened with Riker's Island_ am I puts them together. For example, in correct, Joyce? Operation Suburbia, she put the famMrs. Black: Yes. When men are reilies in ghettos .and the families in leased from prison _ from Riker' s suburban areas together, and she put Island - very often they come out the coffee house people (See Junior without anything: withouf a family, League Magazine, Sep t.I O ct. '68) towithout funds, without a heavy winter gether with some people who had coat. Ruth Brod was telling me the money. The Council is always trying other day that she had to get a winter to spin programs off. _j__ _ coat for one of the men. He couldn't Mrs. Black: We act as a ~atalyst. And I think this is a word that we should get a job either, because no one wants use more and more because volunteer to give a job to a newly-released pris, organizations are not going in where oner. In a sense, the volunteer involved they're not wanted. Not only do we with these men is going to be involved have to be asked to participate J:mt we in the buddy system. Each prisoner, also work with the people in the innerwhen he is released, is now being met city by not inflicting or imposing any by one of our staff people and taken of our thinking upon them. This is to a place where he is employed or certainly the way of the future, and trained by a union. We also find a it's the way they want it. place for him to live, and give him pocket money obtained from private Many city agencies are· ' troubled with sources to supplement him until he gets quick changeover of personnel, money difficulties, and a host of other problems. his welfare check, which isn't for two Does this make it more difficult for you weeks after. he is released. to find volunteers to work with them? Dr. Costello: This is exactly where vol-: unteerism comes in. There is no com-i ivlrs. Black: Not really. We do not put bination of services that the city can 1 volunteers into a situation wher·e there I is no one to supervise and train them. provide which would do all of these The Council doesn' t actually train volthings: that is, reach out and obtain a unteers; the t_raining is. done in the job, worry about whether the man has individual agencies.· If we went into a coat or carfare, worry about where , t~ n~g, wi?d have to have a couple he is going to sleep or eat. Because 1 of hundred people on the staff. W e these men sometidies fail - they don't give them only a ~11 .o rientation to report for duty, or they goof off - the volunteers go back and talk them into .' the fiel~ _of volunteerjsm: . trying again. There's no service like _.Dr. Costello: Som~times the word "volthat. You simply can't buy that kind of unteer" applies to a group of people service anywhere. who are part of the target population 16 ... _ _ ~-I. i:' ...--. ,' ·~: ' I ·-, ./: ,, themselves. That is, they have an idea, and they want to do something. So you don't send white middle-class people into that neighborhood to help those people. They are already there, they just need a little support, a little money, a little access, a little building, a little equipment, or whatever, to continue their own volunt~ry efforts in their community. And that's · a new kind·of volunteerism. I know Ruth was very upset one day when I suggested that maybe you couldn't ask poor people to volunteer; they are too busy. And she said, "You can't deny them the opportunity to be part of a volunteer program. Now you may have to provide carfare occasionally, or a little baby-sitting money, but you've got to give them the chance to give something as well as to take something." Have any of your volunteers had problems in the inner-city areas? Mrs. Black: We haven't had trouble because we simply don't send anybody unless they're truly wanted and 9 sked for. Of course, the other thing is that if. we were sending some volunteer for a specific reason - into part of the Haryou complex, for example we would most likely send a black person in who probably would be acc-epted. This is a complex situation. Dr. Costello: No p sychiatrist would ever attempt to treat a patient unless II �all over the place: in the Rent and Rehabilitation Department; in the Po~ lice Department, in the M ayor's Action Center - everyplace. _ ,r~ What do you see for the future? In what direction do you see the Council moving? -t Mrs. Black: One of our goals is to have ' .

'r it move into other. cities. Our first phase of operation is over - th~p_h_ase · - in the publi~ sector.- Now--;-·t1:1.e second / --phase is to more fully develop prog) am.s in ~ hich the volun_'.eer sector ' '---/4.nd t ti[""puolic;__sector. cooper_<!te. I see ·· -· · the -VCC moving more and more in / the direction of coop erative prog~~s. r' I also see it moving into more programs in the inner-city and into areas where no one has ever before thought of using volunteers. In the future, we want a main office in the heart of the city at City Hall, the patient wanted help, and I think and then we plan to d·ecentralize. We'll the same rock-bottom principle applies keep our central off.ice, but we also to volunteer assistance - you don't hope to have Borough offices. Our impose it on anyone who hasn't asked most recent proposal asks for fund s to for it. That is not to say that yoi:t don't establish the Borough. oJfices on a mocultivate the demand . You don't sit with a fubile ~'nit going bile basis, back in your ivory tower and wait for around recruiting and int ervie~ ng . people to come. It wouldn't happen We feel° thatthis .. would be less· exlike that. Nor would we send anybody pensive than opening an office in each down to Harlem and say, "Here are Borough. We've got a lot "of people in some people; they' re eager; they talk Queens 0 ho don't want to volunteer English. Can't you use them?" No in Brooklyn or in Manhattan and vice good, it wouldn't happen that way. versa. We need Borough offices .in Does the Council do a lot of work with order to reach all the people who really any of the new-line poverty agencies such want to volunteer. Maybe next year as the Urban Coalition? we can tell you that we have decenMrs. Black: We h ave been working tralized. Or maybe in a couple of years . with Urban Coalition, and Mrs . Brod Do you feel that the Council has become ha.s been developing volunteer proa fairly needed component in dty govern~ grams with them. Because it's just ment? (You probably can't call it essential getting off the ground, the Urban Coabecause volunteers are certainly not an lition hasn't been as involved with essential component.) volunteers as they wished to be, or Dr. Costello: If y ou talk about good hope to be in the future. _Eventu ally government in the largest sense - inthey want to have a pretty strong volving people, and reducing the guilt volunteer program, and they've recentthat people feel, giving them the ly hired a D~ :_ctor of Volunteers. chance to contribute. things that you WJiat about MEND or UPACA or any of can' t buy - then -it's essential. N ow the grass roots community organizations? if you're talking abou t the minimum society, where you just get a minimum Mrs. Black : Yes, we h a"e worked with of services, and minimum involvement t he comm uni t y organ i zati on s from citizens, then of course it's not UPACA is one. But don't forget we are essential. But in terms of good spi rit, also working within th e city in public people for departments . When we started, we morale, and the capacity getting to know the other side cif life only had volunteers in the hospitals and in the schools . Now we have them both sides - then I think volunteerism ,~ \ .;;: 6 of is essential for the health of society. No doubt about it. Would it be safe to say that you think volunteers are becoming a more important part of society? Dr. Costello, I certainly do. I've been reading Herman Kahn's book, The Year 2,000, and he says that increasingly we are not only developing primary occupations and secondary occupations, but also tertiary occupations. Woman's prime role is becoming less central to her life, and less capable of satisfying her full range of interests. Mgst of us are going to have to find volunteer activities in order to fulfill all the capacities and needs we have. It's going to become Increasingly important, not only in terms of what the city needs, but in terms of what the individual needs. People are getting less personal satisfaction than they used to because they're becoming mechanized or automated; the human element is taken out of them. You have that kind of a job; so you earn your living that way. But you really satisfy yourself on what you plan to do on a voluntary basis, because you've got some command of what is going to take place there. Do ·you think the role of the volunteer in government will be increasing - not just in New York City, but in other cities, and possibly on the national level? Dr. Costello: We distinguish ourselves from the. national level because certainly it' s hard to bring volunteers from all over the country to Washington. And the · Federal government · doesn' t get represented in any dramatic way at the city level. I think the cities are the places where you can r eally do ~ - I -~-;uld °"s-ay that ihvecanget other cities to do what we've been doing, and if we can continue to build relationships between different segments of society by h aving volunteers from these various groups work together, then we've made a mighty contribution. You can legislate integration. You can kind of force it by housing. But the real integration comes wh en people ch oose to work together on a problem and solve common goals. And, this is something th at can be accomplished by volunteerism alone. Barbara Bo nat and Christine Rodriguez 17 I �