TakingITGlobal - Panorama

Published on: Apr 14, 2008

Topic:

Type: Opinions

https://www.tigweb.org/express/panorama/article.html?ContentID=19881

At the age of twenty, I took a gap-year before attending University to pursue my dream of creating a non-profit organization to inform, educate and empower young people to change the world. With little or no funding, many said it would be impossible but the existence and achievements of Young People We Care (YPWC), through the efforts of the volunteer staff of YPWC, prove otherwise. At YPWC all our leisure time is dedicated to volunteering activities.

YPWC and I have worked towards many important goals that assist in the development of the abilities of young people. I have been involved in soliciting funds to buy school uniforms for Ghanaians, items necessary for enrollment in basic education.

In October of 2006 and of 2007 YPWC hosted the UN Millennium campaign, “Stand Up,” in Ghana and Bangladesh, assisting in the education and development of thousands of youth, and encouraging them to work towards the fulfillment of the Millennium Development Goals by petitioning leaders and by becoming active at the local level.

An exciting event, forthcoming, is the Global Youth Service Day to be hosted by YPWC-Capacity Development Institute in Ghana, where the focus will be placed upon capacity building workshops in order to increase the confidence and the number of opportunities for youth before they enter the marketplace. Young people will also have the chance at this service-day event to be part of the climate change discussion and implement a local project through a tree planting activity.

Some studies in North America show that young volunteers are more likely to do well in school and to vote (World Youth Report, 2005). Volunteering for solidarity is demonstrated among most youth organizations. Young people are able to meet and share ideas and have fun without considering race and colour. This has created cross-boundary opportunities and the sharing of ideas or best practices for development.

Volunteering is central to human development because not all materials or resources can be gotten from the limited and unequal distribution of financial and natural resources. It is important that the world recognizes the importance of volunteering through the sharing of skills to help in human development and by giving recognition to the volunteer efforts of youth at all levels.

The momentum generated during the 2001 International Year of Volunteers should be sustained as volunteerism has the potential to engage lots of youth in activities that will help in the achievement of the MDGs (Millenium Development Goals). Writing from an African background prompts me to mention that there is a need to bridge the digital divide so that youth in Africa can be part of the new styles of transitional activism where ICT functions as both an enabler and a metaphor.

My experience with Civil Society Organizations like YPWC has led me to believe that a lot can be achieved through volunteerism. However, I must emphasize that volunteering is not necessarily undertaken by people who are poor, but is rather expensive on the part of the volunteer. This fact was echoed by the Director of VSO, Ghana during the 2007 celebration of the efforts of volunteers in Ghana.

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by Michael Boampong
Published on: Apr 14, 2008
Topic:
Type: Opinions
https://www.tigweb.org/express/panorama/article.html?ContentID=19881


At the age of twenty, I took a gap-year before attending University to pursue my dream of creating a non-profit organization to inform, educate and empower young people to change the world. With little or no funding, many said it would be impossible but the existence and achievements of Young People We Care (YPWC), through the efforts of the volunteer staff of YPWC, prove otherwise. At YPWC all our leisure time is dedicated to volunteering activities. YPWC and I have worked towards many important goals that assist in the development of the abilities of young people. I have been involved in soliciting funds to buy school uniforms for Ghanaians, items necessary for enrollment in basic education. In October of 2006 and of 2007 YPWC hosted the UN Millennium campaign, “Stand Up,” in Ghana and Bangladesh, assisting in the education and development of thousands of youth, and encouraging them to work towards the fulfillment of the Millennium Development Goals by petitioning leaders and by becoming active at the local level. An exciting event, forthcoming, is the Global Youth Service Day to be hosted by YPWC-Capacity Development Institute in Ghana, where the focus will be placed upon capacity building workshops in order to increase the confidence and the number of opportunities for youth before they enter the marketplace. Young people will also have the chance at this service-day event to be part of the climate change discussion and implement a local project through a tree planting activity. Some studies in North America show that young volunteers are more likely to do well in school and to vote (World Youth Report, 2005). Volunteering for solidarity is demonstrated among most youth organizations. Young people are able to meet and share ideas and have fun without considering race and colour. This has created cross-boundary opportunities and the sharing of ideas or best practices for development. Volunteering is central to human development because not all materials or resources can be gotten from the limited and unequal distribution of financial and natural resources. It is important that the world recognizes the importance of volunteering through the sharing of skills to help in human development and by giving recognition to the volunteer efforts of youth at all levels. The momentum generated during the 2001 International Year of Volunteers should be sustained as volunteerism has the potential to engage lots of youth in activities that will help in the achievement of the MDGs (Millenium Development Goals). Writing from an African background prompts me to mention that there is a need to bridge the digital divide so that youth in Africa can be part of the new styles of transitional activism where ICT functions as both an enabler and a metaphor. My experience with Civil Society Organizations like YPWC has led me to believe that a lot can be achieved through volunteerism. However, I must emphasize that volunteering is not necessarily undertaken by people who are poor, but is rather expensive on the part of the volunteer. This fact was echoed by the Director of VSO, Ghana during the 2007 celebration of the efforts of volunteers in Ghana. « return.