THE Volunteerism Support platform of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport concluded its first Volunteer Management Systems training workshop Friday with 28 participants from the ministry, as well as

representatives from various non-governmental and community-based organisations.
The two-day workshop was aimed at helping volunteer managers and coordinators to gain a better understanding of the methods and skills involved in setting up systems that help to make the most effective use of volunteers in their respective organisations.
Making concluding remarks at the workshop, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony said that the ministry’s ultimate objective is to be able to create a national network of volunteers in order to make necessary changes within the various communities.
He acknowledged the tremendous value that NGO’s can have in reaching out to various communities and getting persons to do voluntary work.
In this regard, the minister alluded to the beneficial effects of partnerships with these NGOs in instances such as the major national events like Cricket World Cup in 2007 and CARIFESTA in 2008, both of which were held in Guyana.
According to him, the ministry could not have pulled off these activities on its own, and from that experience, they really saw the benefits that volunteers can bring in helping to manage mega events.
Dr. Anthony explained that a department to facilitate working with volunteers has been set up at the ministry, and over the last two years, strategies have been developed for working with a number of NGOs.
According to him, they are also looking to institutionalise volunteerism, by teaching young people about its importance from a young age, which he believes will result in more unselfish behaviour within communities.
He acknowledged that they haven’t mobilized the full potential of volunteerism in Guyana, and that they still have a number of things to work on.
The minister encouraged other NGOs to come on board, and also expressed hope that they will be able to provide more services to the NGO sector.
Meanwhile, speaking to the media, Projects Officer of the volunteer support platform of the ministry, Ms. Pere Deroy, said that with training these volunteers would have received, they now know how to recruit, manage and evaluate work done by volunteers.
The 28 participants included persons from organisations such as the Guyana Society for the Blind, Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (GRPA), National Commission on Disability (NCD), and the Community Based Rehabilitation Organisation (CBR).
The course content was developed from a collaborative effort between CUSO International and the Institute for Continuing and Distance Education (IDCE) of the University of Guyana.