YOUTH VOLUNTEERS PROGRAMME
Youth Without Borders Ghana Youth Volunteers Programme
YWB-YVP is a national development program that recruits and works with youth volunteers, to work in all 10 regions across the Country.
YWB-YVP promotes volunteering to deepen the status of young people in Ghana as key participants in the delivery of Ghana’s human development targets and goals. It brings people together to share skills, knowledge, creativity and learning to build a more integrated Country and by implication strengthen Ghana’s relevance in the globalized world.
Objectives of the YWB-YVP
– Engage Ghanaian Youth in the Country’s development through meaningful youth participation by providing Service for their Communities;
– Provide opportunities to Young Ghanaians to serve and gain crucial professional experience, soft skills, social competence, national exposure and leadership skills;
– Promote shared values and Nationalism among the upcoming generation.
The Power of Service
Assisting development: Imagine, a young woman or man volunteering in a community applying her/his skills and knowledge (teaching mathematics and English in a rural high school, or assisting in a local health center) for one year has delivered an average of 2,160 hours of service to the community. It is therefore needless to say the impact an army of youth volunteers can create within a foreseeable time.
For a long time, Inter-African missions have mainly been limited to sending of peace keeping troops to areas risking war or civil unrest. African soldiers have made a tremendous impact in securing peace and security for fellow brothers and sisters in their respective countries. YWB-YVP seeks to replicate this momentum to a civilian setting, whereby Ghanaian Youth can yet once again be deployed to provide their services in assisting development and attaining the common destiny of a prosperous and peaceful country.
Empowering Youth: Volunteerism is not an easy task and demands qualities of a leader to attain once mission in a different region or community. YWB-YVP devotes itself to producing a generation of Ghanaian leaders, willing to serve their country and its people, knowledgeable of Ghanaian dynamics, and courageous to take charge and challenge themselves on a daring adventure of building themselves and their country through service.
Promoting Nationalism and Responsible Citizenry: Upon the independence of Ghana, our heroic leaders including Kwame Nkrumah, J.B Dankwah, Edward Akufo-Addo, Emmanuel Obetsebi-Lamptey, William Ofori Atta, Ebenezer Arko-Adje and among others, had one common dream for the country – A Strong and United Country! Volunteers travelling to a local community in a Region outside of their own would not only be volunteering their service, but also be able to learn and exchange from their host community. This would create a life changing experience and perception returned volunteers would have about other communities and their country at large.
Areas of Focus
On the field, YWB Youth Volunteers would serve primarily in the following fields:
Education
Health and HIV/ AIDS
Peace and Security
Information and Communications Technology
Business and Youth Entrepreneurship
Agriculture and Environment
Typical Environment of Service
YWB-YVP volunteers are deployed strictly in non for profit settings where their impact and contributions can fill the gap for much needed skilled man power. This would typically be:
Rural Community Schools
Hospitals and Health Centers
Post Conflict Setting
International Organizations
Non-Governmental Organisations(NGOs)
Government Offices/ Ministries
Civil Society Organisations
How It Works
– Aspiring volunteers who fulfill all requirements would fill out online application form and upload their CV.
– Organizations wishing to deploy youth volunteers are required to fill out the online request form . Alternatively, organizations can send their request to info@ywbghana.org
– Screening: Volunteer Applications and Volunteer Requests would now be screened for completeness through a vigorous and transparent process. Candidates whose application was not convincing, would be eliminated and notified. Volunteers are permitted to reapply a second time.
– Matching: Applications of nominated volunteer candidates are matched with available vacancies according to the criteria specified by the requesting organization or YWB-GH.
– Selection: Qualify volunteers would be selected and notified based on the vacancy available.
– Volunteer Training: Prior to their deployment volunteers would be trained for a period of 2 to 3 days by the YWB-YVP unit to enhance volunteers professional, interpersonal and life skills. The training aims to prepare volunteers for their community of deployment and/or enhance their capacity.
– Deployment: selected volunteers would now sign an agreement with their host organization(if applicable) and YWB-GH which shall guide the terms of deployment.
– Progress Assessment: volunteers are expected to provide regular reports on their activities and address challenges to the YWB-YVP unit.
