The Civil Defence Commission (CDC) has expanded its Volunteer Corps (VC) with participants now representing all ten administrative regions in Guyana.

The Commission held its CDC- VC Retreat and Re- launch at the Madewini Camp Site during the period January 20 to 22, 2017. This event saw close to 100 participants in attendance, who were exposed to sessions in leadership and strategic planning, community based disaster risk management, community emergency response, first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

According to a release from the CDC, during the opening session, Director General of the CDC, Colonel (Ret’d) Chabilall Ramsarup stated that in recognising the extent of natural disasters, the CDC saw it fit to recruit volunteers who will be trained to execute its functions at the community level.

The release further noted that he urged the volunteers to use the knowledge gained to help others in times of disaster. The Director General highlighted the recent flood in Region One and along the Coast which resulted in the loss of crops and livestock as well as past droughts which have cost Guyana billions of dollars.

“The Civil Defence Commission is a very small organization and if we were to manage disasters in this huge country, we have to get volunteers, we have to get you involved,” Colonel Ramsarup was quoted as saying in the release.

Meanwhile, CDC Deputy Director General, Major Kester Craig said that the re-launching of the volunteer corps was to bring together the existing volunteers from Regions 4, 6 and 9 with the new volunteers from Regions 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8 and 10 to conduct a strategic review of the policy and past work to develop an action plan for 2017.

“The activities were also conducted to build networking and teamwork among the volunteers across the country and help inspire and motivate them to assist in the implementation of the projects and programs of the Civil defense commission”, Major Craig added.

Consultant, Audreyanna Thomas, who facilitated the Strategic Planning session with senior volunteer members, conducted an analysis of the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) of the Volunteer Corps. The findings will be compiled and handed over to the CDC for review and possible implementation.

According to the release, in reacting to the event, CDC Community Based Disaster Risk Management Officer, Anita Wilson deemed it a success stating that she is pleased with the level of participation and encouraged by the level of enthusiasm demonstrated by the volunteers who promised to go back to their communities and be leaders and agents of change for Disaster Risk Management.

“I feel like the retreat was the beginning of positive partnerships between the participants, the various administrative regions and communities represented. We hope to make it an annual event”, she said.

Leadership Ambassador, Dr. Astell Collins, during his interactive session, spoke to volunteers about the true meaning of leadership and the importance of knowing their purpose. He too urged them to become agents of change. Quoting the late Bahamian Leadership Consultant, Dr Myles Monroe he stressed that “leadership is the capacity to influence others through inspiration, motivated by passion, generated by a vision, produced by conviction and ignited by purpose.”

Among the other facilitators were CDC Preparedness and Response Manager, Major Sean Welcome, who carried out the Community Emergency Response Team session, and CDC Planning and Training Assistant, Alana Walters who executed team building sessions.

Awards

During the Retreat and Re- Launch of the Volunteer Corps, awards were distributed to volunteers for Exemplary Time Management, Excellent Congeniality, Outstanding Reactivity, Excellent Leadership, Outstanding Innovation, Exemplary Commitment and Outstanding Team work.

1. Outstanding Participation – Colwyn Allen (Region 10)
2. Excellent Leadership – Sauda Roberts (Region 2)
3. Excellent Congeniality – Dexter Fraser (Region 4)
4. Exemplary Commitment – Heston Bostwick (Region 4)
5. Outstanding Teamwork – Rawle Boyer (Region 1)
6. Outstanding Knowledge – Vincent Hopkinson (Region 7)
7. Outstanding Innovation – Onicka Jones (Region 3)
8. Exemplary Time Management – Philbert Malcolm (Region 9)
9. Excellent Gaming Skills – Marissa Parris (Region 4)
10. Outstanding Reactivity – Gliedson Buretto (Region 9)