Volunteering as a philosopher?

In our newest "how can we help you?" thread, Asst Prof writes:

I would enjoy a post on "volunteering as a philosopher."

I am passionate about reducing climate change (for example), but I am not sure how to jump in and use my skills as a philosopher to advance this cause.

I could of course just volunteer "as a regular person", but I am curious if any philosophers have been able to link up with charitable or activist groups and use their skills as a philosopher specifically--kind of like a doctor or lawyer doing pro bono work.

If so, any stories or advice would be a helpful inspiration to me and maybe others!

This is a great query. In fact, it's one that I would afford to hear some good stories or advice about myself. My own experience 'volunteering as a philosopher' is pretty limited.

For the past few years, I served as Education Co-Director with a local United Nations non-profit group. In that role, I organized a bunch of human rights conferences and monthly speaker series events at my university and around the Tampa Bay. The events featured scholars and activists of a variety of sorts, including representatives of refugee resettlement groups, migrant workers' organizations, even some documentary film-makers and a public viewing of the play Judgment at Nuremberg (along with an art exhibit by the Holocaust Museum of Florida). I also gave some public lectures at these conferences, drawing on my work on the philosophy of human rights.

On the whole, my work for the organization was a very rewarding experience. Students and members of the general public who attended our events often seemed to take a lot away from them--not just some philosophical understanding, but also factual understanding of the world we live in, ways they could get involved, and motivation to take positive action to make the world a better place. Consequently, if you have a United Nations non-profit in your neck of the woods, I very much recommend getting involved: it's not difficult, and the experience (in my experience) is very much what you make of it!

But this is pretty much the extent of my experience 'volunteering as a philosopher.' Do any of you have any good tips about how to get involved, and or stories of your own?

Comments

[Ana Galić]

Working on anything without getting paid is volunteering of course and since I am BA in Philosophy and Sociology, but with main focus on Philosoophy I do everything for free - lecturing about Aristotel, writing and translating texts - mine and from famous authors - and now I am a owner and president od Association Sofia - also free and prepared for publishing philosophical works. I live in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Banja Luka Town.

[Carré rouge]

During the Quebec student strike, I was in dissertation mode, and could not do as much as I wish. So the next year, I volunteered on the legal comity of the ASSÉ (national-level student union). Traditionally, it has been filled with law students, but we were a more diverse crew. We had over 3000 arrested people on our hands, and we went with a participative approach which felt natural from our perspective that was informed by social epistemology, feminist theory and anarchism. It was amazing. When offered the option, most people chose to contest, and they formed defense groups. Only a fraction got their charges sustained.

Philosophy was huge both for the organization and to approaching law (which uses similar methods), but it was essential in tying what we were doing with the student struggle. We had fantastic discussions, some of which led to conferences.

[Akponisi Ebubechukwu Rita]

I would love to volunteer as a philosopher. Just had my first degree and am willing to give back to society.