ICS- YCI and YMCA volunteers program start-up workshop launched this morning in Thies (Senegal) Thies, (Senegal) April 10th, 2014 – A start-up workshop is launched on the International Citizen Service (ICS) volunteers programme this morning. Ten participants representing Senegal YMCA (7), Togo YMCA (2) and Y Care International (1) took part in the meeting which will end on Saturday. This workshop is the opportunity for participants to discover / better understand the program as well as its objectives, expected results, requirements, values and principles.
Note that ICS program is funded by the UK government through its department for International Development (DFID) to support young UK citizens aged from 18 to 25 to work with YCI partners for 10 to 12 weeks, on one to one basis with in-country volunteers. From July 2014 to July 2015, 304 volunteers (152 British and 152 in country) will be involved. One of the criteria for UK volunteers to participate in is to raise fund during the selection process to show their contribution / commitment to the program.
YCI and its YMCA partners are part of a bigger vision that wants to bring together 14 000 young people (50% from UK and 50% from other countries) in a learning process that leads to youth leadership through volunteerism in order to develop quality and active citizens both in UK and in partner countries in the developing world.
Sophia Mikelis, ICS program Manager at YCI hopes this workshop will help participants to learn from each other and get ready for the new exciting journey. « As one of the new agency joining ICS Hub, Y Care International feels supported and find that the collaboration is working well », she added.
The program set three equal and interdependent outcomes: (1) personal and social development of young people, (2) project impact and (3) promotion of active citizen.
For the delegation from YMCA Togo this is a very exciting and useful opportunity for the national movement and is perfectly complementing the volunteerism work on the field in Atakpame and Lome notably on the PRORERE, and appropriate to attract new members for the YMCA as well.
The National General Secretary of YMCA Senegal Jean Bassene gave his appreciation saying « the ICS programme is very important for volunteers’ commitment to serve their communities and will help to promote volunteerism at branch level in the YMCAs. Local YMCA braches will demonstrate their ownership of the programme by supporting participating volunteers in implementing current and future interventions, he concluded.
The workshop planned to cover the following: presentations on YCI, ICS and YMCAs of Senegal and Togo, ICS quality principles and action plan.
ICS was launched by the UK Prime Minister in March 2011 to harness the potential, energy and commitment of young people. Its aims are to fight poverty by bringing about three tangible outcomes; project impact, volunteer personal development and active citizenship.
Franck Gafan
