YPWC VIRTUAL VOLUNTEER TEAM WINS UNV ONLINE VOLUNTEERING AWARD
In the lead-up to International Volunteer Day (December 5, 2010), United Nations Online Volunteering has announced that YPWC’s Opportunities for Youth (OFY) initiative has been selected as one of the Award Winners of the UNV Online Volunteering Award. Initially intended to address the issue of illegal youth migration in Ghana and other African countries by providing information about opportunities for legal migration, the website – www.opportunitiesforyouth.org has expanded its scope to opportunities for scholarships, training, jobs and engagement for youth worldwide.
According to United Nation’s Volunteer (UNV) the Award to the YPWC team is in recognition of the team’s “dedication and commitment to volunteering for peace and development.” OFY and its collaboration with online volunteers serves as a model of “the impact citizens can have on peace and development through volunteering their skills and time over the Internet.
Congratulating the winners, UNV Executive Coordinator Flavia Pansieri emphasized their important role in achieving the MDGs. “We can meet the goals, but only if we complement essential government action with the engagement of millions of people through volunteer action”, she said.
Last year, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon affirmed the significance of volunteerism in a statement on International Volunteer Day (IVD) which falls on 5 December: “[Volunteerism] is among society’s most vital assets.”
“We congratulate the winning team. It is our hope that this Award will be a source of inspiration and motivation to others who are interested in volunteering for our common purpose of promoting youth-led development for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. Anyone who is interested in volunteering for YPWC can visit our website – www.ypwc.org for more information on how to volunteer” said YWPC Executive Director, Shantell Scott.
Every year, more than 9,000 online volunteers engage in the work of non-profit development organizations through the UNV Online Volunteering service. The UNV is the UN organization that promotes volunteerism to support peace and development worldwide.
International Volunteer Day (IVD) -December 5- is an international observance designated by the United Nations since 1985. The declared aim of this activity is to thank the volunteers for their efforts and increase public awareness on their contribution to society.
Learn more at www.unv.org and http://onlinevolunteering.org/en/org/stories/index.html
For further information, contact:
Shantell Scott, Executive Director,YPWC
E-mail: shantell.scott@ypwc.org