Be aware of sharing personal information and photo shots
Behavior between volunteers
Information management as one of the
manager’s tasks
One of the enjoyments of participating in
volunteer activities is getting to know other
volunteers who they meet for the first time
through activities. In some cases, it develops
into friendship and boyfriend/girlfriend
relationships. However, not all of them feel the
same way. Volunteer coordinators and leaders
have to pay attention to manage the
volun teer s ’ per sonal cont act s and
information.
Take pictures after consent
One volunteer coordinator found a male
volunteer who acted weirdly during briefing
time in the mornings. He said he would like to
take pictures of a briefing, but actually he was
secretly taking pictures of a particular female
volunteer with his mobile phone. The
coordinator soon warned him because he was
taking these pictures without her consent, but
was worried if there were other volunteers
who were breaching the correct code of
conduct during activities.
For purpose of searching a marriage
partner?
Most of the volunteers wanted to do
something useful, but there were some people
who acted inconsiderately in such an
extraordinary environment. There was a
person who asked many other-sex peers for
their phone numbers and email addresses,
and was thought to be there “for marriage
purposes”.
P r e v e n t i n g h a r a s s m e n t a n d i t s
counter-measure
Volunteer leaders have not only to coordinate
actual work but also to make the working
environment comfortable for volunteers. The
leader is expected to respond quickly to any
strange actions of volunteers and to avoid
trouble between them. Any acts, which are
considered to be harassment in daily life, such
as asking for relationships with other
volunteers, repeatedly asking for dates, and
slandering him/her when the offer is turned
down, are not tolerated among volunteers, or
between volunteers and affected people.
When someone comes to consult about a
trouble, it is a coordinator’s role to listen to
each party, and to take a severe attitude
against the harassment act. If harassment
acts or stalking behaviour continue even after
warnings, it is better to respond without delay
b y c h a n g i n g v o l u n t e e r s c h e d u l i n g
arrangements or temporarily removing that
person from the situation.