The Volunteer Community Surveyor Program
The Volunteer Community Surveyor Program (VCSP) is an innovative volunteer programme that intends to be a powerful driver for both social impact and professional development. The VCSP leverages on the skills, experience, talents and education of young surveyors and matches these competences with the needs of GLTN, particularly in GLTN’s county-level implementation plans and programmes. The VCSP is run by the FIG Young Surveyors Network, in partnership with the Global Land Tool Network (GLTN) which is facilitated by UN-Habitat. VCSP is a global initiative that started in late 2017 when the FIG Young Surveyors Network worked with the GLTN and FIG to deploy 13 Volunteer Community Surveyors (VCS). The focus of that Pilot was to work with GLTN’s NGO partners to implement the Social Tenure Domain Model, which is a pro-poor land information tool. It bridges the gap between formally registered land and customary/informal land rights. Please enjoy this video where Eva Maria Unger, Chair of YSN from 2014-2018 and initiator, tells about the pilot project and hear the experience from the volunteers themselves – here.
We are now scaling up, sustainably for the VCSP Way Forward. In the coming four years, our VCSs will be deployed to projects that improve equality in land rights across Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia-Pacific, and the Arab States. Alongside this, we are introducing e-volunteering on climate action projects around the globe for young surveyors who cannot travel as well as Wisdom Workshops for young surveyors who wish to become a Volunteer Community Surveyor. While volunteering, our young surveyors develop new soft skills which they can translate into their careers. They can also use their experience on the VCSP as leverage for working on humanitarian projects in their future because often, there is a requirement for prior experience.
Our four-year strategy includes three Wisdom Workshops, two e-Volunteering projects, and two in-Country deployment projects. The first Wisdom Workshop is likely going to be a webinar. We have included scope for increased knowledge sharing and empowerment of the regions to run their own events. Please see attached flyer.
We are at the moment assembling a group of engaged young surveyors who will be interested in bringing the VCSP Forward. Please share this email and flyer with young professionals and encourage them to express their ideas and interest in volunteering by fill in this form – here.
