In-country mentorships will empower service leaders as social entrepreneurs who are uniquely positioned to mobilize resources and volunteers if given the right tools. Mentees will be given the task of doubling the impact of volunteerism in their community over the course of the one-year assignment. Alumni will act as mentors to future protégés, growing the international network in the "pay it forward" model.
GSLI will oversee and nurture these relationships, providing key resources to meet their greatest needs and introducing them to strategic partners who will help move their organizations and projects forward.
GSLI will partner with strategic U.S. and international volunteerism leaders to provide network members toolkits with innovative solutions for issues such as volunteer recruitment, management, and retention. Shared virtually through the technology platform, these resources will continue to be updated as new needs are identified in the field.
In partnership with American embassies, GSLI will host Global Service Leaders Summits to promote service and volunteerism abroad. The summit will be an action-forcing event that generates actionable ideas of social entrepreneurship and volunteerism. Built around local issues and needs, GSLI will identify a cross-section of leaders from the American public, private, and NGO communities; each embassy would identify similar leaders in their region. The summit will launch with an “awareness-building” service project to set the tone for the event. Two summits will take place annually; the first Summit is planned for December 12-13, 2011 in Madrid, Spain.
GSLI members will organize simultaneous service projects and international awareness campaigns, highlighting emerging trends in volunteerism. For the 2011 United Nations' annual "International Day of Service," the network will develop service projects targeting marginalized communities in 100 countries. Volunteer recruitment will target at-risk youth, elderly, disabled, indigenous, and other populations who have limited access to these opportunities, yet are able to take a lead in their own community. A trial-run "International Day of Service" has been scheduled for May 7, 2011 for service projects in 50 countries.
