Servas Trends

From SI Exco News

Servas trends refer to changes in the "Big Picture" of Servas. (The truly big picture is described in Seeds of Servas. Bob's picture is magical, and important.)

• This picture, below, is mechanical, prepared for budget and strategic management, so as to grow the Seeds of Servas.

• The analyses are not quite complete, but we think you will find useful as background to preparation of the Budget. You will see in these materials:

   * Steady growth in some areas
   * Strong growth in others
   * Slippage in some
   * No ignition in some heavily populated areas of the world -- for reasons of democracy? poverty? lack of local community appeal?
  *       o Overall, Servas hosts have not increased in 10 years; travelers declined to 2002 and have since increased.
  *       o There is no information listed on Work, Study programmes of Servas, nor of "group travel", and "group events".
  *      o Several member groups have become silent since 2003 (information incomplete), but some have grown enormously.
  *      o Quality indicators are listed; find examples where has quality has improved?
  * What is the reason for huge differences in Servas successes around the world?
  * What can EXCO or other leaders do, consistent with direction of the GA, to promote more successes
  *     o In what way should the Budget be revised, to implement direction
  *    o What editing is required to support ICT, Interviewers and News/Outreach to equip the Big Picture?

Sheer Numbers

• Voluntary groups are not businesses. They thrive on involvement of volunteers, community connections, visibility, celebration of success. Numbers make for good talk, but they are far from the whole truth of the voluntary group.

• Trend data are collected from annual reports to General Secretary, Host List Coordinator, and also from Stamps List Reports of Treasurer.

• Statistics show sharp decline and rebound because of temporary absence from regular reporting of large Member Groups USA, Germany, and France.
• Also, a global interruption in travel occurred with the global economic recession at the same time as terrorist attacks in NYC in 2001.

• Numbers

• 1) Growth -- both hosts and travelers have grown in numbers over the five year period. Italy, following its reorganization and Korea (not shown), have grown most.

• Travelers: Growth in stamps issued in the following Countries: Australia, Belgium-Lux, France, Italy, and New Zealand -- all areas of economic growth -- and as well growth in the smaller member-groups of Austria, Netherlands, Poland and Spain.

• 2) No Growth, no Decline: Data indicate there has been no change, or almost no change, in the number of travelers in the following countries, over a five-year period: Britain, Canada, German, Sweden, USA.

• 3) Decline -- Numbers of travelers significantly declined in the following member groups: Denmark, Hungary, Japan, Norway.

• You can see the charts here:*

[1]

• Small Member Groups Half the total of all hosts are European (about 6000); about one-quarter are in North America, and Australia/New Zealand.

This centralization of Servas is slightly more true now than 10 years ago, since the decline in Servas of some Caribbean member groups, and a few others.

• There are only 300 hosts in all Africa (200 in French Africa and 100 each in the Anglophone and Arab-speaking Africas); Member groups remain small relative to the general populations in Asia (only 1500 in all of Asia outside of Korea), Eastern Europe, Caribbean, and Small Island States of Pacific.
• SI Revenues which had declined earlier, rose again from Year 2000 Year one on chart to 2004 with some decline in 2005 (year 6)[2]
• Here are totals plus the chart of income for SI *[3]

Quality

• In Paris, November 2004, the Servas International Executive Committee met and reviewed recommendations from some national secretaries and founders on the need for transparency, ethical leadership, oaths of office, the rights of hosts and travelers, and principles of team-building.

• It set out seven Servas quality indicators as important directions for Servas. These could be used to help evaluate Servas leadership performance.

Checklist: Performance of Servas International

• …a federation of national Servas groups, encompassing an international network of hosts and travelers. The purpose of the network is to help build world peace, goodwill and understanding by providing opportunities for personal contacts among people of different cultures, backgrounds and nationalities. (adapted from Servas Statutes)

• (One): Servas Leaders help lead, support and engage Servas National Groups, e.g.:

• • leading with sound facts, reasoned principles, strategic vision and collective memory
• • fostering diversity, respect and constructive teamwork in and among national and international committees
• • managing current budget and in-trust resources legally and consistently with established financial guidelines
• • preventing and resolving local problems through wisdom, compassion and commitment to the common good
  • • upholding Statutes democratically; and respecting and responding to directives by the General Assembly
• • celebrating outstanding achievements towards Servas’s purposes

• (Two): Servas Leaders help promote the global Servas system and inclusiveness at the local level, adapting universal Servas values and best practices,
• arranging annual Officer and Committee Reports
• regular elections
• using local languages and cultures
• recognizing and celebrating team achievments

• (Three): Servas Leaders engage in global dialogues and demonstration projects with members of local communities and other individuals in the country or region, on issues important to the region, related to Servas purposes (number of events, size and impact)?

• (Four): Servas Leaders build capacity of Servas National groups to contriube to the global purposes of peace, goodwill and understanding among individuals, among hosts-and-travelers, and within the community locally and among individual members of justice seeking groups represented at the UN?(give specific examples)

• (Five): Servas Leaders forge partnership projects which advance its defined purposes (number, amounts committed)?

• (Six): Servas National Groups communicate with each other and world-wide, with government and the public in a given country or Area (quality of global and local website, frequency of updates sent to the SI website or Listservs, etc)?

(Seven): Servas Leaders grow and showcase new engagements and affiliations with new Servas National Groups and increase contacts among travelers and hosts and others (number per year and trend)?