Report of Youth Path’s Foremost Working Volunteer Official Meeting

8/14/2019 Report of Youth Paths Foremost Working Volunteer Official Meeting

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YOUTH

PATH

FOREMOST WORKING

VOLUNTEER

OFFICIAL MEETING - REPORTAugust 4, 2009

UNDP Civil Society ResourceCentre, Conference Room

Accra - Ghana


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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThe Foremost Working Volunteer Official Meeting would not have been possible without

the venue and office resources provided by the UNDP Civil Society Resource Centre. Special

thanks to Evans Gyampoh, Michael Boampong (National Service Personel), and the team of

able personnel at the UNDP Civil Society Resource Centre. I am also indebted to Ransfoard

Nii Darku France for his unwavering financial support.

Seemingly infinite reserves of experience and insight form our Special Guests provided

inspiration and guidance for the Meeting. They include Mrs. Doris Appeadu-Mensah,

Abraham Eyiku Essiem, Elsie Appau, and Kwasi Selassie Fianu.

But for the active support and participation of the various stakeholders, including the active

participation of youth themselves and auxiliary support systems provided by Christian

Gbewordo, Georgina Patria Lutterodtand John Tisei, the Meeting would not have been a

success. Thanks for the unfailing support.

To all who offered brilliant advice and inspiration throughout the process, I say thank you!

Youth Path looks forward to your support and working with you in upcoming events.

Cyril Nii-Offei France

Youth Path

August 2009

The preparation of the Report

was coordinated and compiled by

Mr. Cyril Nii-Offei France.


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TABLE OF CONTENTSPages

Acknowledgements..1

1. Report Summary...32. Chairpersons Opening Remarks.53. Presentations

Youth Paths Vision, Mission, and Organizational Structure...5

What We Have and Can Give as Young People.6

Youth-Led Organization, its Relevance and Overcoming its Challenges as Young People..6

Youth Volunteerism and its Benefits.10

4. Outcomes and Next Steps.115. Appendix12


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REPORT SUMMARYThe Foremost Working Volunteer Official Meeting was hosted to give potential volunteers

and the general public (youth) the opportunity to appreciate the concept of youth-led

development and to rally their unique skills and passions to ensure a better world for

present and future generations.

Youth Paths official meeting took place at the UNDP Civil Society Resource Centre

Conference Room in Accra. The conference room was filled to capacity, the overall number

of representation was fifteen (15), five (5) were men and nine (9) women, mostly young

people from diverse backgrounds. At about 9:15am most participants were seated and the

meeting lasted for about three hours. The methodology was a composition of a balanced

mixture of formal and non-formal presentations, including energizers and interactions.

During the presentations, the chairperson, National Coordinator for Cross Roads

International, Mrs. Doris Appeadu-Mensah stressed on the need for young people to use

their talents, skills, unique experience, and passion towards the development of their

society and nation. She also welcomed the bold initiative of Youth Path and all participants.

Highlighting the vision, objectives, and structure of Youth Path, the Executive

Coordinator of Youth Path Cyril Nii-Offei France said the Organization operates on the

principles of Youth-Led Development. In that, young people design, implement and foster

sustainability of their community projects.

Miss Elsie Appau, Project Assistant, joint UN Task Team on HIV/AIDS and Gender

UNIFEM, focusing on what we have and can give as young people, Miss. Appau sparked up

the participants with a thought provoking question what will the world say of your

intelligence? Advising participants, Miss. Appau cautioned young people to stay away from

internet fraud (Sakawa) and other social vices and rather maximize time and put to good

use their unique abilities. She also emphasized on the need for young people to take

responsibility for their future.

Senior Project Assistant, PPAGs Young & Wise Center, Mr. Kwasi Selassie Fianu

touched on the challenges of youth-led organizations and its relevance. In his presentation,

he stressed on the need for a well coordinated commitment and investment from young

leaders and youth organizations in order to achieve sustainable youth leadership.


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Mr. Abraham Eyiku Essiem, Writer, Farmer, and Student (University of Ghana)

doubling as the M.C. and a guest presenter started the programme with a welcome address

and introduction of chairperson. According to Mr. Essiem, youth volunteerism provides the

youth with opportunities to render selfless service to their communities on a voluntary basis

to contribute to the socio-economic and sustainable development of the country. This he

said during his presentation on the topic youth volunteerism and its benefits.

Participants present pledged their support for youth-led development and eighty

percent (80%) of the volunteer applications received were from participants in attendance,

expressing interest to volunteer with Youth Path.


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CHAIRPERSONS OPENING REMARKSIn a commencing statement, Mrs. Doris Appeadu-Mensah, National Coordinator Cross Road

International remarked; it is great to be young, to be young and active in the affairs of

development and the well being of others. The world will be a better place if all the youth

will rally their unique experiences, skills and passion towards the development of our

society and nation. She therefore, welcomed the bold initiative of Youth Path and all

participants.

PRESENTATIONYouth Paths Vision, Mission and Organizational StructureHighlighting the vision and objectives of Youth Path, the Executive Coordinator of Youth

Path, Mr. Cyril Nii-Offei France said Youth Path is a dynamic youth-led, nonpartisan,

nonprofit organization formed to mobilize young people to put their energy, zeal and

passion to productivity. Dear to the organization are the uncompromising values of

integrity, creativity, diversity, and excellence. The working spirit of Youth Pats team is to

learn, share, and develop practical methodologies and strategies for promoting youth-led

development. In Youth Path, young people define their own developmental goals and

objectives through piloting of innovative projects on employment, environment,

governance, sharing of best practices, promoting entrepreneurship and employment for

young people.

Youth Path serves all especially young people, regardless of social class, gender, race,

ethnicity or religion. Youth Paths definition of youth is on the backdrop of the African Youth

Charter all persons between the ages of fifteen to thirty-five years (15-35) inclusive.

However, Youth Path reaches out to young people to incubate, inform, inspire, empower,

highlight their concerns and help them get involved in the developmental processes by

taking action to improve or address concerns in their communities. Youth Path is governed

by a Governing Council and Coordinating Team, the governing council comprises the Board

Chairperson, Board Members, and the Executive Coordinator. The Coordinating Team

comprises the Executive Coordinator, Projects & Programmes Coordinator, Finance &


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Administrative Coordinator, Volunteer Coordinator, Relations Coordinator, and Research &

Development Coordinator.

PRESENTATIONWhat We Have and Can Give as Young PeopleMiss Elsie Appau, Project Assistant, Joint UN Task Team on HIV/AIDS and Gender, UNIFEM-

Ghana and a youth Activist, in a much more interactive method of presentation elaborated

on what we have and can give as young people. Explaining who a youth is, she defined a

youth as any person between the ages of fifteen and thirty years, who is ready to learn new

things and apply it in their daily lives at all times.

She also defined the word youth in the context of the UN as any individual aged 15 -

24 and in the African Union Youth Charter as persons aged 15 35. The Youth are the

hope of life, the future lies with the youth. Before a nation can develop well, its youth must

be vibrant in developmental issues. A healthy people means a healthy nation, the youth is

full of physical and mental energy which when channeled towards the right direction, our

societies, country and world will be a better place to duel in by the next five to ten years.

What will the world say of your intelligence? if you do not make use of your

YOUTHFULLNESS. Miss Appau wrapped up by saying the youth is the future of our country,

and as young people we have a lot of opportunities. What are we doing to exploit these

opportunities? What does life require of me in the next ten years? are questions all young

people need to ask themselves, Miss Appau quizzed.

PRESENTATIONYouth-Led Organizations, its Relevance and Overcoming itsChallenges as Young People

Mr. Kwasi Selassie Fianu, Senior Project Assistant, PPAGs Young & Wise Center, speaking

at the meeting, he touched on the challenges of youth-led organizations and its relevance

and overcoming the challenges. He said Youth Led organizations go through a lot of

confrontations, most of which if not addressed early leads to dissolution. Youth-Led

organizations are non-governmental organizations fully managed and coordinated by young


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people who work on a variety of issues from the youth perspective. Youth-Led organizations

are locally, regionally, and internationally visible and relevant. They foster good governance,

peace and security through programmes and policies focused on young people. Young

people have critical roles to play in leading initiatives and developing policies. Also, they

allow young people to exercise their right to participation, improving their status and

wellbeing around the world.

Young people have a better understanding of their challenges, strengths, and

opportunities that affect them, however, youth led organizations are in a unique position

to develop and implement initiatives that addresses the issues of diverse realities of young

people. Some of these challenges include;

Ageing out - For youth organizations to remain truly youth-led, there is a processcalled aging out, where members and staff are in constant transition out of the

organization when they reach a certain age. The age at which staff and members

age-out depends on the organization and its cultural context. In some youth

organizations, young people age-out when they turn 25 while in others they may

age-out when they turn 30. As a result, youth organizations are in a constant state of

transition. With aging out comes new young members and staff, new knowledge,

ideas and skills, but it also means a potential loss of organizational history,

knowledge, skills, contacts and more.

High mobility - In addition to the frequent turn-over rates among staff and membersdue to aging out, the high mobility of young people is a challenge. Young people

often have to move on because of school, work or family. For youth-led

organizations, this means additional turnover as members and staff move on before

aging-out.

Constant orientation, training, and re-training - While new leadership is a positivething for youth-led organizations to stay true to their structure, it also creates a

constant need to orient, train and retrain members and staff.

Lack of or limited core Funding etc - Youth-led organizations face extreme difficultysecuring funds for core operating costs, including the funds necessary to run an

office, compensate staff and cover other overhead expenses. This is especially true

for youth organizations that may have limited experience and lack a financial history.


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While all organizations face these challenges, the low retention of staff and

leadership that youth-led organizations experience makes this a particularly difficult

hurdle.

Not just volunteers - young people are often seen as volunteers--individuals who willwork for free just for the chance to participate. While volunteering is a great thing

and an integral part of many organizations, we must beware of acting as if all young

people ought to be volunteers. The work of young people needs to be valued and

recognized, and part of this means monetary remuneration. Without remuneration,

young people often seek employment in other fields, which diminishes their capacity

to become meaningfully involved.

Leadership opportunities for a select few: Often meeting organizers invite the sameyoung individuals because they are only familiar with a few young leaders. Due to

this, gaps of knowledge can develop within organizations and amongst young

colleagues as a few select individuals gain skills and contacts. In addition, if the same

individuals continuously represent young people in different proceedings, the

important diversities among young people are over-simplified and misrepresented.

Youth-led organizations are part of all constituencies and this diversity should be

recognized.

Moving past tokenism: Often, when the youth are invited to meetings, conferencesor tasked to give input on policies and programmes, it is simply because it looks

good to have a youth representative or because a guideline exists on including

young people. However, often no actual feedback from youth participants is

expected, welcomed or integrated into the outcomes of the process. This is

especially true when a commitment to meaningful youth leadership is lacking or not

well understood by other stakeholders. While many in the international community

believe that elders always know best, this is not always the case, especially when

dealing with issues that directly affect young people.

In the sphere of recommendations for youth-led organizations, Mr. Selassie Fianu

emphasized on the following:

1. Youth-led organizations must develop a clear mission and develop a strategic planfor the organization, which should identify a niche and guide priorities for the short


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and long term. Like any organization, it is important for youth-led organizations to

support their own core development through strategic planning. Such planning is

important to keep the organizations work focused, effective and realistic.

2. Establish a process, plan and budget for ongoing recruitment of younger staff andmembers in anticipation of aging out. Given the need for youth-led organizations to

frequently replace members who leave due to life changes or those who age out,

anticipating and planning for re-recruitment of younger members and staff is

fundamental. Building recruitment efforts into the work of those currently working

for the organization can help ensure a more sustained influx of new young people.

Posting regular announcements for membership with rolling admission can also be

helpful in attracting new young people over time.

3. Plan and implement ongoing orientation and training for new staff and members. Asolder members age out and new staff and members are recruited, the outgoing staff

and members should orient the new staff and members to pass on information

related to organizational history, existing commitments to funders and partner

organizations, as well as contacts. Training should also be provided in areas deemed

important by the organization, such as strengthening of knowledge on key issues and

skills important to the work of the organization. The expenses related to this need to

be budgeted for in advance.

4. Create a nomination process that maximizes access to opportunities for as manymembers as possible, as opposed to only a select few. While opportunities for youth

engagement can come at the last minute with tight deadlines, making it difficult to

gather information on a wider selection of young people to nominate, steps can be

taken to facilitate channeling opportunities to a larger number of young people. For

example, sending alerts about opportunities to a list of members or through othernetworks can broaden reach of urgent opportunities for youth engagement and

leadership. Also, creating an internal database of bios and/or photos of members of

the organization can be helpful in passing on recommendations for calls for youth

participation, speakers, media work or other engagements.

5. Prepare members or staff with the necessary information and training to supporttheir meaningful participation if selected for particular opportunities or events. For

example, provide training in public speaking if selected for a presentation, in the role


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of a board member, if recruited to serve on a board of directors, or on how to talk to

a reporter if invited for an interview.

6. Create policies, plans and budget for remuneration or other forms of compensationfor young peoples efforts and time. Establish organizational policies that relate to

remuneration and budget for, as well as implement, these policies consistently. For

example, will members be paid for their time and/or will they receive a stipend to

cover transportation to meetings and food?

7. Seek out opportunities for partnerships with other youth-led and youth-servingorganizations and work in coalition to leverage efforts. When resources are limited,

partnerships are critical to advancing efforts and building on existing and

complementary initiatives.

8. Seek funding from diverse sources if at all possible, including local government,private foundations, international agencies, or individual funders. Obtaining funds,

however small, from diverse entities provides more organizational flexibility as well

as financial security.

PRESENTATIONYouth Volunteerism and its BenefitsMr. Abraham Eyiku Essiem concluded the presentations by speaking on the benefits of

youth volunteerism, The future of every nation is in its youth. Over half of the population

of Ghana is below the age thirty; this makes our society very vibrant and young in many

regards. Youth volunteerism simply provides the youth with opportunities to render selfless

service to their communities on a voluntary basis to contribute to the socio-economic and

sustainable development of the country. Young people today live in a world of constant

sense of anxiety, and a fear of the unknown trigger on a daily basis, a feeling of deception

and confusion. However, youth volunteerism reduces the state of youth violence and social

vices since the youth are preoccupied with their task.

Conclusively, youth volunteerism plays a key role in a nations over all development

in the sense that, it helps the youth become an asset not just for oneself but for family,

society, country, and the world at large.


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OUTCOMES AND NEXT STEPSThe main outcomes of the Foremost Working Volunteer Official Meeting were the

awareness created on youth-led development and commitment from participants to

support youth-led initiatives. Eighty percent (80%) of the participants in attendance

submitted application materials expressing interest to volunteer with Youth Path, the

remaining twenty percent (20%) were applicants not present at the meeting. The meeting

has also enriched participants with innovative and inspirational ideas, the networking

session made it possible for new friendships and partnerships to be formed.


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APPENDIX AAgenda

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

9:00 Arrival and Registration

9:30 Welcome and Introduction of Chairperson by: Mc.

Mr. Abraham Eyiku Essiem, Writer, Farmer and Student (University of

Ghana)

9:35 Chairpersons Opening Remarks:

Mrs. Doris Appeadu-Mensah, National Coordinator, Cross Roads

International,

9:45 Purpose of Gathering by:


Ghana)

9:55 Presentation on Youth Paths Vision, Mission and Org. Structure

by: Cyril Nii Offei France, Executive Coordinator, Youth Path & Student

10:10 Youth-Led Org., its Relevance and Overcoming its Challenges as Young

Peopleby: Ms. Aku Xornam Adzraku, Coordinator of PPAGs Youth Action

Movement

10:20 What We Have and Can Give as Young People by Miss. Elsie Appau,

Project Assistant, Joint UN Task Force Team on HIV/AIDS and Gender,

UNIFEM

10:30 Youth Volunteerism and its Benefits by:


Ghana)

10:40 Discussions, Q&A

10:55 Wrap Up and Next Steps

11:20 Chairpersons Closing Remarks

11:30 Refreshment & Networking


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APPENDIX BList of Participants

NAME ORGANIZATION / SCHOOL PHONE1. Susan Dedei Armah Ghana Christian University 0287 223 5092. Lily Dede Ayayee Central University College 0208 890 1623. Marietta Appeadu-Mensah Student 021 675 1814. Francis Appeadu-Mensah PRESEC Legon 021 675 1815. Bernadette Faith Cremer Student 021 675 1816. Georgina Patria Lutterodt Student 0277 653 0087. Henrietta Tettey-Ku Methodist University 0272 163 4578. Abraham Eyiku Essiem University of Ghana / Farmer 0277 817 5139. Austin Carboo Dodowa Keepfit Club 0209 155 34310.Chamberlain A. Nyemi-Tei Ghana Christian University 0272 163 45611.Winifred Fafa Agbemenya Vibe F.M. 0243 663 26412.Doris Appeadu-Mensah Youth at the Cross Roads 0208 204 89413.Cyril Nii Offei France Youth Path / GCUC 0249 415 52814.Kwasi Selassie Fianu PPAG Young & Wise Center 0244 679 59715.Elsie Appau UNIFEM Ghana 0244 875 551


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APPENDIX C Event Pictures


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Youth Path

House No. ADA-D- 018

Dzodze, Adagbledu

Ketu-North District

Volta Region Ghana

Private Mail Bag GP 18932

Accra Central

Phone: +233 (0)273 932 331

Email:[email protected]

Website: Under construction
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]

Documents

Report of Youth Path’s Foremost Working Volunteer Official Meeting