SI MONTHLY NEWS June 2006 Comments
From SI Exco News
Project of Growth in Servas
Brief description to be considered by those who find in it
elements or concepts that could be considered
important.
* General Considerations:
This Project is the result of the analysis and observation
of more than twenty years both as a Servas Host and
Traveller.
I analyzed –and still do it- either hosts and travelers from my country and in other ones whenever I had the chance to travel myself. I could notice that the phenomenon of the meeting between Host and Traveller usually is, in a high degree, excellent.
Normally, the basic process of the application of the general rules expected by Servas takes place.
But, at the same time, I could see, in most cases, serious problems of harmony, communication and participation for the necessary integral growth of Servas.
‘We, in our city, are so confronted and so separated that whenever we run across each other we do not greet ourselves, and we never hold meetings. This is very sad’. These are the comments of a foreign Servas person that I received at home.
There is a serious problem which starts from the very beginning and concretely it arises form the interviews.
During the interviews each candidate to Host, Day Host or Traveller should clearly learn about the ‘obligation’ to give an answer whenever his/her Coordinator calls for meetings or to take part in some event. The interviewer should not only lay stress on it but he/she should make sure that the candidate has thoroughly understood this concept. Besides, he/she should provide the candidate with the name of the coordinator of his/her area.
‘Peace building begins in the attitude adopted by each individual with either in front of or together with the other’; which part of his/her best this person is willing to give to the others. And this is the point that we have to work on whether we wish to be called Peace Builders ‘since nobody can give what he/she does not possess’.
If the Servas groups leave behind their individual selfishness and meanness in order to work together as a ‘team’, then the results referred to integral growth really work, since we are already growing as a ‘team’.
This item deserves a deep and detailed explanation separately because it is necessary to create a plan with targets to achieve.
Thus, growth in a whole gets much easier with common targets with common basis, the only task left is to select and to adequate the most effective strategies to let new members to join Servas.
Although it is true that not all human beings can identify themselves with Servas, I believe that the ones that are already Servas are interested in discovering in the other that side willing to be his/her best as a Servas member.
The point is not to understand or to see Servas as a means and not as a purpose itself. I must not take advantage of Servas but I must give Servas an answer of participation and commitment beyond respect for its outlines.
This is another item which deserves a detailed and deep explanation with its pertaining action plan. The 90% of the Servas all over the world with whom I talked about these matters through twenty years told me that ABSOLUTELY NOTHING had been carried out on the issues mentioned above...
That not even during their interviews anybody had told them about this neither in scheduled or occasional meetings. Nobody meditates about growth. It seems that growth would depend upon Chance and not on a scheduled action plan intended to be carried out.
But intention restrains when there is no trust in those who lead the organization either to a national or international level.
This trust depends on many factors:
. Fluent communication in one of the principal ones
. Permanent updated information is another
. Seriousness and transparency in procedures
. Enthusiasm and motivation
. Acknowledgement, encouragement and support etc.
So to say, this is another subject that deserves a separate development in another opportunity whether this presentation is taken into account by the pertinent officers.
I decided in my life from the moment I joined Servas in 1984 to dedicate it the seriousness and participation that such an important Organization like this deserves . I think that Servas should be a reliable individual responsible for all its actions...
I have an absolute willingness to find the time to promote meetings. Meetings that could enable us to form strong teams capable of making action plans in order to accomplish an integral growth of Servas wherever it may be needed...
That’s why, if those who have the responsibility to evaluate this project believe that it could be of any benefit to our Organization, I OFFER MYSELF to make a similar project for Latin America or where the International Board may considered it necessary and convenient. When the project for the National Meeting in Córdoba of all the areas of the country was launched, it was made with the idea of asking area representatives from other countries to come also. But the National Secretary suggested to leave this invitations for other event.
Julio Audino Rodríguez, Servas Regional Co-ordinator
Córdoba – Argentina
