PATRONS attending this year’s GuyExpo, being staged from October 3 to 6, will have the opportunity to visit the Volunteerism Support Platform (VSP) booth of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport.

Making the disclosure, Volunteerism and Youth Development Specialist at the ministry, Ms. Lesley Abraham said the visitors will be provided with information on the thrust in Guyana and can sign up for such activities.
She told the Guyana Chronicle they will receive general information about volunteering, why they should be interested in it and encouraged to talk about it in Guyana’s context.
Additionally, there will be facts about voluntary opportunities which exist within various organisations and the VSP will try to make connections for persons.
Abraham said, what the VSP is really trying to do is become a hub to match volunteers to organisations and collect information from persons who are interested in volunteering, like their location, interests and availability and try to match them with the opportunities.
She advised, though, that, when it comes to the actual applications and interviews, those are not done by the VSP but go through the various organisations.
Abraham pointed out that, earlier this month, the VSP distributed the second issue of its quarterly newsletter, electronically, to some 250 e-mail addresses nationally, regionally, and internationally.
She said the publication was started to share information about the VSP activities and highlight what volunteering is already doing in Guyana.
Abraham said the feedback they have been receiving has been really positive and some persons have responded to say they enjoyed reading it; they liked the layout and expressed delight at the chance to see what is happening for volunteerism in Guyana.

HARD COPIES
According to her, they are, currently, printing hard copies and hope to distribute those at their GuyExpo booth.
She said they will also be hosting a two-day volunteer management systems training workshop on October 8 and 9, with accommodation for up to 30 participants.
This course, developed with content from Cuso International (formerly VSO Guyana), is intended to help managers and volunteer coordinators gain a better understanding of the methods and skills involved in establishing systems to effectively engage volunteers in their organisation.
Those to take part will come from various organisations representing sectors such as the environment, education, disability, health and youth development and more information can be obtained by making contact with VSP on telephone number 227-7575.