Wednesday 18 December 2013


Smart Youth Volunteers Foundation (SYVF)
Motto: Share your skills, inspire change

Background

What is SYVF?

Smart Youth Volunteers Foundation (SYVF) is a registered non-profit organization in Ghana dedicated to providing real opportunities for young people to get involve in voluntary work. SYVF is committed to serving the needs of children and young people between the ages of 6 and 25.
 
Why we do it?

  • To promote marine science education in schools
  • To increase the knowledge-base of young people environmental issues (climate change, pollution, conservation etc).
  • To enable young people take active part in developmental issues and community work
  • To provide opportunity for young people to fulfil their potential as empowered individuals and members of groups, communities and the society.
  • To incorporate the spirit of voluntarism in young people.
Establishment 
 
Established in January 2005 and became a registered non Governmental Organization (NGO) in August 2006.

 Location: Ga East District, Abokobi, Greater-Accra Region, Ghana.
   
Our vision:

  • To assist the youth become responsible, caring individuals and be active in their community.
  •  To challenge the youth to involved themselves consciously and actively in their own development and the development of the society.

Our Values:
  • Volunteering - in the sense of acting out of self-initiative, without seeking material reward and for the benefit of civil society, as a method and a statement for social change, whilst never competing with paid labour nor seeking to contribute to strike-breaking.
  • Respect for the Environment – and the ecosystem of which we are a part and upon which we are dependent.
  • Inclusion - to be open and inclusive to all individuals who share the aims and objectives of the movement, without regard to gender, race, colour, religion, nationality, social status or political views and any other possible grounds for discrimination.
  • Empowerment – empowering young people to understand and act to transform the social, cultural and economic structures that affect their lives at all levels.
  • Co-operation – with local communities as well as other local, national and international actors to strengthen the positive potential within civil society as a whole.
  • Participation- Promote the notion that active participation in community is central to our role as citizens and the involvement of everyone is essential.

Our mission:

-       To build a network of youth volunteers for a better community.
-       To promote the advancement of education in rural areas.
-       To facilitate active youth participation in developmental issues.
-       To promote youth-led projects, completion, awards, and recognition of young people’s positive contribution.
-       To increase collaborations among youth organizations by sharing information and resources.


 Commitment to the mission involves:

  • Providing a variety of a SOCIAL FUNCTIONS (Cultural Programme, Family and Life Skills Programme and Moral Building) through which children and young people may meet and make friends in a wholesome atmosphere.

  • Providing EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES (Environmental Science Programme, Health Programme, and Leadership    Skills Programme)

  • The development of COMMUNITY SERVICE (Citizenship Programme, Youth Co - Operative Programme and Agriculture / Horticulture Programme) through clean up exercise, tree planting and conservation activities.











































Current Activities


SYVF has now started a Community Outreach Program to involve young people in the community education.

The purpose of Community Outreach Program includes the following

  • Building a capacity of youth volunteers at the community levels.
  • Providing free tuition to children and young people living in rural and pre-urban areas.
  • To promote the advancement of education at rural and pre-urban area.

The program will follow the steps below:

Outreach program: An outreach program in rural and pre-urban communities needing support, whereby a Smart Youth Volunteer teaches English, Maths, Marine Science and Integrated Science within a flexible schedule. Through this, SYVF aims to ensure that every single child in the area covered receives education.

Community support groups: Support groups consisting of local leaders, youth leaders, students, youth volunteers and youth club members etc. They will provide support such as getting out-of-school children to study, and in encouraging parents to send their children to school. Young people will be motivated to support the education of children in their community, thereby strengthening SYVF work, and helping in attaining the goal of universal elementary education.

Expected outcome:

  • It fulfilled a latent need in the communities for quality education and
  • Also tapped into the energy and potential of hundreds of young people, who are willing to   promote educational issues in their neighborhoods.

 Planned Future Activities
   
  • Establishment of youth center (to provide counseling, seminars, etc for young people) at Abokobi.
  • Marine and coastal environmental education in schools.
  • Pollution monitoring along the coast of Accra.
  • Climate Changes issues (Ocean Acidification) education in schools.
  • Anti-Marine Litter Educational Campaign

Millennium Development Goal (MDGs)

Smart Youth Volunteers Foundation(SYVF) believes that apart from the government, the  youth volunteers in communities also has a key role to play in making the dream of universal elementary education in African and Ghana particular a reality. Our Community Outreach Program is addressing Millennium Development Goal (MDGs) 2.

Contact  information
Lailah Gifty Akita
Smart Youth Volunteers Foundation (SYVF),
P .O. Box OS 2337,
Osu –Accra. Ghana.
Email: lailah.lailah@gmail.com