ABOUT THE YVSP STRATEGY

THE YVSP STRATEGY

A Conceptual Framework For The Youth Volunteer Service Program

A Note on its Humanitarian Strategy.

Youth volunteer service program is a concept which is transformative and Humanitarian in nature. It seeks to contribute to the betterment of Uganda's vulnerable population especially the Sick (especially cancer that has affected the so many young people in the country), Orphans (due to the effects of wars in the North and Eastern art of the country), the Poor, the Homeless - Street Kids, and a wide Society of 64% of Young people who are unemployed. Uganda is a very Youthful country with over 78% of the total population being young people with age bracket between 0-35 years.

The type of support rendered to these young and disadvantaged people is through provision of health care support, provision of reconstruction and development needs like shelters, clothing, food, scholastic materials, medical supplies and other small basic needs that will maybe needed overtime. 

YVSP also provides Programs involving these young people in service delivery and learning including provision of skills that are relevant with market demands to solve the problem of unemployment. Furthermore, it aims to support individual welfare needs to brake the vicious circle of poverty and dependency syndrome. 

The YVSP Office is a structured entity. It provides various types of support to a wide diversity of disadvantaged Youths operating within the framework of Service, Learning and Health Care support.

A) International Models of Youth Service

Youth Service is a phenomenon which is enjoying resurgence worldwide. Government agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) throughout the world have initiated Youth Programs which are categorized as Youth service initiatives. The history and rationale for the Programs differ from country to country and in each case the reasons for initiating the Programs are instrumental in shaping their nature and the purpose. Increasingly, the exchange of views and information between service Programs in different parts of the world is resulting in the cross-fertilization of ideas and in greater conceptual clarity. Inherent in each conception of Youth Service is a definition of what is meant by service. Below are four conceptions of Youth Service as defined in different parts of the world.

B) Youth Service: An Experiential Education Program for Young People

An increasing trend is for Youth Volunteer Service Program to provide a transitional year or phase which gives young people access and exposure to the experience of work, and which assists them in making the transition from study to adult life and to work without forgetting the concept of Health. we encourage our young people to live an healthy life. 

A key aim of these Programs is to develop participant's work skills. Help the sick recover from chronic deceases while proving a better life for their future. The Programs recognize that many young people exiting from the school environment lack the information and skills to make a smooth transition into higher education or employment. 

The Programs further recognize that in a global context of declining employment opportunities, inadequate health care services, YVSP works hard to bridge the gape between these serious issue affecting the wider youth population. 

C) Youth Service: A Method of Fostering National Development

In developing countries Youth Service has been seen as a development tool which enables countries to meet their social service obligations and achieve their development goals by drawing on the skills, energy and resources of young people. 

In many cases we intend to deliver support in education, health, water and agriculture to communities in far-flung rural areas, which would otherwise have difficulty in accessing mainstream development initiatives.

A further issue that emerges in YVSP is we intend to overcomes ethnic, geographic or cultural differences which are a barrier to reaching out and meeting the majority of young, unprivileged and disadvantaged people.

D) Youth Service: An Alternative to Military Service

In Europe, the majority of Youth service Programs have developed out of an understanding of Youth Service as an alternative to conscripted military service. As the Programs develop and respond to changing international and intra-national political, economic and social pressures, they are moving further and further away from this narrow definition. Today there is often no relationship between the Youth Service Programs and the military.

These Programs tend to link with social service institutions and generally last for a period of at least twelve months. Programs are seen as enabling young people to do "civic duty" and many focus on "classic" service activities which include working with vulnerable groups in society such as physically or intellectually disabled people, the elderly or children.

E) Youth Service: Delivery of Opportunity to Young People

Youth service Programs have also become a means of intervening in situations of growing Youth unemployment and dissatisfaction. Quite often they intervene where education systems have failed young people, or are unable to cope with the large numbers of young people who seek access to them. This fourth category of Youth service plays a significant role in many of the Youth service Programs, regardless of their origins: it seeks to provide young people with learning and experience through service which enables them to access opportunities that would otherwise be unavailable to them.