SA youth to participate in the 2011 Global Youth Service Day
Thousands of young South Africans will join millions of young volunteers in more than 100 countries to celebrate the 13th annual Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) which will run from 15 to 17 April. This follows the selection of the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) by the Global Youth Service Network, as the Global Youth Service Day 2011 Country Partner for South Africa.
This will be the fourth time that the South African youth will be participating in this world’s largest annual service event, which mobilised more than 3.2 million young volunteers last year.
Launched in 1988, the GYSD, which is organised and managed by Youth Service America and the Global Youth Service Network,is an annual event held on a designated weekend in April, which celebrates the year round contributions young people are making to their communities, and to the world, through voluntary service.
It helps to focus the world’s attention on the skills and ideas youth have to improve their communities, and the development of their societies. The focus of volunteer activities ranges from international education to social and economic development, environmental sustainability, reading to the elderly to neighborhood and village clean ups. Countries participating in the GYSD all identify youth engagement as a key strategy to advance their own missions and see it as a celebration of young people’s role in building stronger and more democratic communities.
Since 2001, the GYSD service activities have illustrated the critical importance youth volunteerism represents in an effort to achieve the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals, the most comprehensive set of development targets all UN members’ states agreed to here South Africa in 2000. Through the GYSD, youth volunteers not only work towards the eight goals but also help to plant these priorities firmly in the public consciousness and on the international agenda.
South Africa was slow in coming; it only joined this global volunteer movement in 2007 and with a big bang.In that year, the National Youth Service Unit (NYSU) under the tutelage of the then Umsobomvu Youth Fund which was selected as the Country Partner, mobilised more than 20 000 young volunteers in partnership with government departments, non governmental organisations (NGOs), universities and the then National Youth Commission and the Provincial Youth Commissions.
Last year, under the banner “Proud to Serve’, young volunteers in the country, the majority of which had never contributed to their communities, rendered services ranging from health promotion, environmental awareness, infrastructure development and safety and security in their communities.
As the country partner, the NYDA is charged with the responsibility to:
- promote GYSD, including available grants and resources
- recruit and support partners and local project organisers to engage youth in service/volunteer projects that create a measurable impact in communities
- register all GYSD projects and events in South Africa on the GYSD project map
- mobilise and recognise youth volunteers on GYSD
- organise high profile service projects or celebration events
- engage local media and government officials
- report on GYSD activities in the country to the Global Council and our Regional Partner in Kenya.
As in the previous GYSDs, the participation of South African civil society organisations, tertiary institutions, government departments and the private sector will be key to the success of the South African service activities. That is why the NYDA is inviting these key stakeholders to participate in this largest service event in the world by registering their volunteer projects to be undertaken between 15 and 17 April with the NYDA.
By registering for the GYSD, the South African stakeholders involved in youth volunteering will:
- be supported by the NYDA in their service activities
- have access to GYSD planning resources and promotional materials
- receive priority consideration for Youth Service America mini-grants
- receive special promotional materials and assistance with media and
- be featured on the http://www.GYSD.org webpage and in the 2011 GYSD final report.
All registered institutions will be expected to submit reports on the GYSD activities and beneficiary information to the NYDA.
For further information, please contact:
Patrick Mphale
Tel: 011 651 7000
