The development of community is a dynamic process
involving all segments of locality, including the often-overlooked youth
population. The key element to this process is found in the creation and
maintenance of channels of interaction and communication among diverse local
groups that are otherwise directed toward their more individual interests. By
facilitating interaction and developing relationships, these diverse
individuals interact and begin to mutually understand common needs. When
relationships, consistent interaction and channels of communication can be
established and maintained, increases in local adaptive capacities materialize
and community can emerge as the ultimate achievement.
While much of the attention given to building local
capacities is often focused towards adults, youth are an increasingly visible
and active component in community development efforts. Such involvement
contributes to both the development of community and the social and
psychological development of the youth involved. To encourage youth involvement
in the community, it is vital to understand the influences, motivations,
obstacles and feedback that they receive from the community.
This ideology best fits in the International Service
Ghana policy of offering 12 weeks volunteerism placement for youth who are
available, passionate about volunteering, flexible and has the ability to work
in a cross-cultural team through the International Citizen Service (ICS)
programme regardless of skills, educational qualifications, disability and work
history of these youth.
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| Francis Bacon with ICS teammates in Tolon – Northern |
International Citizen Service (ICS) is a programme
funded by the UK Government (DFID) and run by a consortium of UK charities
working in developing countries of which Ghana is included and International
Service works in partnership with local development organisations in Northern
and Upper East Regions – Ghana to implement the ICS programme but specifically
I am currently working with my team on livelihood empowerment project (Income
Generating Project) in Tolon District- Northern Ghana in partnership with Non
Formal Education Division (NFED)-Tolon. This project is specifically designed
to empower our Income Generating Groups (IGGs) through the provision of
sustainable income source and combating poverty in the long run.
Youth typically spend a substantial amount of time in
activities extracurricular to school, including involvement in community based
organsiations, local sports teams and school-based clubs among others. All of
these, and the interaction with individuals within them, directly influence
youth involvement in es. I find this true because my passion for
community development developed from University for Development Studies where
I read my undergrad programme which places a lot of premium on community-based
research through its Third Trimester Field Practical Programme (TTFPP). This deepened when I started working with a local
based NGO (Center of Posterity Interest Organisation - COPIO) that operates in
diverse areas including; research, proposal development, health, education,
governance, livelihoods and provides business consultancy services as well. I
gained wide range of experiences since I was placed on the mainstream of the
organisation partaking in various programmes and projects.
Like any other youth, I have identified a variety of
motivators for volunteering or becoming active in community development prior
to placement with International Service. These included practical assessments
of the activities, such as; an entry to a desired job, improve on leadership
skills, develop much experience working cross-culturally, improve on monitoring
and evaluation (M&E) skills, enhance project management skills (technical,
moral and financial), and to continually assess whether livelihood (my sense of vision) would be an
efficient area of focus in the long run. Motivations can also be the result of
more practical conditions, such as a need to develop job contacts and enhance
existing skills. In geographic areas where employment opportunities are
limited, voluntary activities can offer a valuable alternative to paid
employment which seems realistic in the case of most youth especially in Ghana
with International Service and other organisations that run volunteerism
programmes.
On placement so far, I feel I have developed
personally and professionally making progress with my motivators on leadership,
multi-cultural task, M&E and have now become a member of Project Management
for Development Professionals; learning much on project management.
Despite the influences and motivations, significant
obstacles exist that inhibit and often discourage community activeness among
youth. Among the leading obstacles prevalent are lack of communication and
awareness of opportunities, turf issues among organizations competing for youth
participants, youth fears of speaking out, lack of diversity, vague project
description, skills-project mismatch, unmet expectations among others. Though I
might face some of the challenges, I am always determined and inspired by this
quote; “on this road called
life you have to take the good with the bad, smile with the sad, love what you
got, and remember what you had. Learn from your mistakes. People change. Things
wrong. But just remember the ride goes on…….”.
The youth can contribute immensely to community
development since they act as the central parts of the community development
process, have the capacity to improve local well-being hence need the opportunity
and support.
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