On Friday, 11 October 2019, during the Youth Connekt Africa Summit in Kigali, the Ministry of Youth of Rwanda, alongside Imbuto Foundation, VSO International and the United Nations Volunteer (UNV) programme, will host a plenary session on Pathways to Development: Civic Engagement and Volunteerism.
This session will bring together youth from across Africa, leaders in government, development partners and relevant stakeholders to explore the role of volunteerism and civic engagement in community and national development.
More specifically, the session will engage participants in discussions around youth engagement. It will also showcase exemplary and impactful models related to youth engagement in social accountability (including young people with disabilities), and the youth volunteering and mentoring model, which involves pairing international youth volunteers for learning.
Civic engagement and volunteerism are sustainable pathways to development. The contribution and work of young people is mostly driven by volunteerism and altruistic passion to transform the planet to a better place.
Through volunteer efforts, young people across the world complement the work of their governments towards achieving the SDGs. They do so by delivering basic health care, education, water and sanitation services to under-served populations.
Beyond extending improved community services and responding in times of crises, they also build strong social capital, exchange new skills and knowledge, and improve cross-cultural understanding.
For further information, kindly contact:
Kevin Ochieng
Communications Associate, United Nations Volunteers