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| UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Shakira in Africa |
Goodwill Ambassadors do what ?
A
Goodwill Ambassador is a prominent individual in his/her community or
profession who serves as an "Honorary Diplomat" between entities, like
organizations, institutions, towns, cities, or nations. If you pride
yourself on being a good friend to others and someone who initiates
change you might have a future as a "
goodwill ambassador."
Common
examples of goodwill ambassadors are actors, artists, authors,
athletes, advocates, activists and other prominent or well known figures
who go on “international friendship missions” to foreign countries,
where they present gifts, provide humanitarian relief, and socialize
with their contemporaries and counterparts. Like these people, it’s your
job as a goodwill ambassador to represent one group of people to
another for the purpose of building friendly cooperative mutually
beneficial relationships that will be economically, culturally,
socially, or politically beneficial in the future to both parties and
the world.
To accomplish your mission, you typically
travel, attend social functions, participate in round-table discussions,
make public appearances, involve themselves in relief projects, do
media interviews, and lobby legislators. Normally the title is given to
those who perform work on the behalf of a group working abroad but can
be used more liberally too.
Although most goodwill
ambassadors do humanitarian work for organizations like the United
Nations, some act as “welcome wagons,” representing businesses to
prospects. In this case, it’s your job to find and ingratiate yourself
with leads by presenting prospects with token gifts, information,
resources, access to benefits, complimentary promotions, etc.
Either
way, your job is “being nice” as a means of promoting peace,
prosperity, fellowship, friendship and brotherhood as mutually
beneficial functions for society in representation to your non profit
organization, cooperative, your community, or your country.
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| UNHCR Ambassador, Angelina Jolie working with Refugees |
What are the requirements to become a goodwill ambassador?
You should have a high school degree, associates
degree, or a certificate in global citizenship or higher and share these
most basic traits:
Team Player - You're able to listen, communicate, and work with lots of different people.
Trustworthy - You are known for your personal integrity and honesty.
Socially Responsible - You're happy working in teams or with other people for the greater good.
Communications - You can read and write in your native language professionally.
There
are other skills and traits that are relevant too, especially for
international relief work. Many of the standards and guidelines for best
practices among goodwill ambassadors internationally are emulated by
groups that routinely use prominent well-known individuals or people
especially selected by their memberships including the Muscular
Dystrophy Association, the Red Cross, Transparency International, Rotary
International, Globcal International, and the many United Nations
Organizations.
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| Former Spice Girl, Victoria Beckham, Goodwill Ambassador |
How to become a professional goodwill ambassador?
There are many organizations and countries around the
world that want, need, or would fare well by having goodwill
ambassadors represent their friendship and cooperative interests, ideas
and projects abroad. So the career outlook is "very good" to
"excellent." Countries, states and cities often use members of their own
communities like annual beauty pageant winners, local heroes, former
politicians, upcoming politicians, or even mascots (fictional
characters). In 2008, Japan appointed 'Hello Kitty' as an ambassador of
goodwill and tourism, the mascot made over 100 high level appearances
with heads of state in subsequent years.
A president,
prime minister, governor, or mayor can appoint, commission, or recognize
a goodwill ambassador for a short-term (single event), for the course
of a year, several years, or for life as does the governor of the
Commonwealth of Kentucky upon awarding honorary colonel commissions to
noteworthy individual citizens and friends of the state.
Many
of these positions are often unpaid, in most cases they involve
attractive stipends, cooperative grants, perks, travel reimbursements
and other compensation with more prominent active organizations that
depend on these individuals to promote their work. Organizations like
the WWF, UNICEF, the IUCN, Conservation International and the Republic
of South Korea.
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| Yeong Chang, Goodwill Ambassador for 2018 Winter Olympics |
Are there goodwill ambassador jobs available in the world today?
Sure. Governments and organizations that have
goodwill ambassadors often need to develop and re-develop these
positions based on political change or for particular special events. So
more often than not these positions are frequently vacant or
underutilized through informal relationships with celebrities or
well-known community figures that have little time to spare. Many of
these individuals are appointed and only work during a single annual
event and maintain their status inactively during the rest of the year.
Community
organizations, leaders and even individual ambassadors can be
postulated at any time for a mission, event or project in this
representation. Those who want to represent entities as goodwill
ambassadors often use the official position or title to raise their own
discretionary funds through others including friends, community leaders
and even banks that collaborate at a local level to help them succeed in
representing their common community interests.
How
good, effective and pro-active a goodwill ambassador or a community's
international cooperation department usually depends upon the individual
ambassador's personal resources, community support, commitment to the
cause, and time available. Being a goodwill ambassador can be a full or
part time job or it can be a prestigious honor that is coveted and used
infrequently, this all depends on you.
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| Nicholas Cage, Goodwill Ambassador for UNODC |
Want some help to become a goodwill ambassador?
There is an international organization that has been
exclusively developed for cause advocates and community activists that
takes being a goodwill ambassador to a fine art and career profession.
They assist in development and placement of ambassadors in careers to
create goodwill on a global scale.
Globcal International
helps individuals become ambassadors and it assists organizations,
states, cities, small communities and tribal peoples in the development
of cooperative programs using goodwill ambassadors. As of July 2014 they
begin the operation of an extension service in the form of a resource
center for goodwill ambassadors and their potential employers through a
number of on-line social network platforms and maintains a cooperative
fellowship that comes together through their joint member programs.
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| Dorothy Lockheart, Goodwill Ambassador for New Brunswick |
Qualify and join the club?
In
essence the organization serves to propel the professional development
of these illustrious determined people who join or are selected by the
commissioners of their organization as lifetime members of their union.
Their fellowship is cooperative and serves as a confederation or
assembly forum for goodwill ambassadors all over the world. Members gain
access to interactive courses, certification programs, a special
library collection, discourse, database of officials and the media as
well as other special benefits, services and privileges both practical
and virtually for those who engage the social media.
Globcal
provides registered members with introduction services with heads of
state or community leaders, provide diplomatic visas, credentials,
travel documents, letters patent, and embassy services in 100 countries
through an extensive network of day offices and ambassadors who are
cooperative members that assist their fellows and global citizen
travelers at airports with transportation, emergency lodging, tourism,
work assignments, and customs. They are certainly professionalizing and
making the horizon richer and more prosperous for their members by
promoting work opportunities.
You can qualify yourself as an
international goodwill ambassador now through Globcal if you have used
the title professionally and honorably anytime during your lifetime.
Depending on how much experience and work you have done you may also
have your name or biography listed in Globcal International's "Global
Citizenship Registry" in Stockholm, Sweden. (
a new project they have under development )
Those
who do qualify to become registered are listed, their names are
presented and made available to NGO directors, monarchs, presidents,
prime ministers and mayors from around the world as qualified honorary
citizens with their direct contact information, to fill the hundreds of
opportunities that exist with already known goodwill ambassadors and
global citizens. Globcal International provides their certification,
training, education, and registration services to members and
non-members alike.
Article by Ambassador
Col. David Wright. Ambassador Wright is a blog author and goodwill
ambassador working with indigenous peoples in the Amazon. The colonel is
a founder and an active commissioner working with Globcal
International. Fell free to share his articles under creative commons
credit attribute and share-alike licensing.
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