The Centre for Volunteerism and Social Transformation, CENVAST, in collaboration with Takoradi Technical University’s Centre of Excellence for Gender, Disability and Advocacy, CEGENDA, has held a national dialogue to inspire a call to action toward the future of volunteering in Ghana.
The event, which was on the theme “Elevating the Future of Volunteering for Sustainable Development: Ghana’s Voice in the Global Call to Action,” attracted representatives from government agencies, non-governmental and civil society organizations, academia, youth groups, students, and enthusiastic individual volunteers. The gathering offered a platform for deep reflection on how Ghana can reshape the future of volunteering.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Director of CENVAST, George Dorgbetor, called on the government to back the National Youth Volunteers Programme (NYVP) with a national volunteer policy to address current challenges facing the youth and the national development agenda.
“Volunteerism is a powerful driver of national development, and by engaging young people in volunteer service, they cultivate leadership skills, gain career and life experiences, develop civic responsibility, and overall contribute to the sustainable progress of the nation. There is so much the youth and the nation can benefit from through volunteerism. It is therefore important to have a well-crafted national volunteer policy for Ghana to guide the activities of corporations, institutions, volunteer-involving organizations, and individuals engaged in volunteer work,” he urged.
On her part, the Director of TTU’s CEGENDA, Prof. Ann Dodor, who moderated the dialogue, emphasized the positive impact of volunteerism on students, staff, and other members of the university community, particularly through their voluntary support in peer education and outreach activities to promote inclusion and gender equality.
Prof. Dodor further expressed the need for more members of the university community to embrace volunteerism.
“The Gender and Advocacy Unit needs active participation of individuals who are volunteers especially students, staff, and community members who willingly offer their time, skills, or resources to support gender-related initiatives. These volunteers help in organizing events, peer education, outreach activities, and community engagements that promote gender equality,” she added.
She also highlighted that TTU, through CEGENDA, has leveraged volunteerism to carry out key advocacy initiatives such as awareness campaigns on breast cancer screening, anti-sexual harassment education, menstrual hygiene sensitization, among others.
The Dean of the Faculty of Built and Natural Environment at Takoradi Technical University, Prof. Gladys Quartey, CILT, pointed out the significance of volunteerism in national development and called for it to be mainstreamed into youth development programmes.
Students with hearing impairment from TTU, who participated in the dialogue with the support of their interpreters, emphasized the importance of inclusivity in volunteering.
Other participants urged government, private sector actors and development partners to dedicate budgets, grants and incentives to support volunteering organizations and individuals to promote their projects, as well as ensure systems that recognize, protect, and invest in volunteerism initiatives.
