IZON CULTURAL HERITAGE CENTRE (ICHC) SET TO LAUNCH “IZON COMMUNITY SERVICE VOLUNTEERS INITIATIVE” ON 21ST DECEMBER, 2024.

*WHO IS A VOLUNTEER?*

A volunteer is a person who offers a service, especially helping other people, community, or state willingly and without being forced or paid to do it.

A volunteer must be someone who is passionate, reliable, team player, patient, creative, energetic, positive, willing to help, compassionate and organised. Above all, a volunteer is someone who has a deep passion for rendering humanitarian services in order to better the lot of others who need these services.

*WHAT IS COMMUNITY SERVICE?*

Wikipedia defines community service as unpaid work performed by a person or group of people for the benefit and betterment of their community contributing to a noble cause.

In simple terms, Community Service is the work that is rendered to help people in a community without any form of payment.

*WHO IS A COMMUNITY SERVICE VOLUNTEER?*

A Community Service volunteer is a person who engages in an activity or performs a free public service without any form of monetary attachment but for the sole purpose of helping humanity and rendering aid to a community, state or people.

*WHY VOLUNTEERISM IN BAYELSA?*

It is said that an idle mind is said to be the devil’s workshop! Therefore, with the current spate of massive unemployment, the tendency for crime, anti-social vices, and youth restiveness will be on the increase. Volunteerism in this context will therefore serve as a platform for engagement of mind and body towards positive values, imbibing the spirit of brotherhood and compassion for one another thereby improving the quality of life in our local communities and as well creating a more vibrant and supportive environment for everyone through providing invaluable services such as education, environmental sanitation, medical services, mentoring or coaching, vocational skill acquisition, mental health assistance, and much more.

To this end, volunteerism in Bayelsa will harmonise and motivate people from all walks of life to work towards a common goal, thereby fostering meaningful relationships, creating an atmosphere of trust, mutual understanding for peaceful coexistence as well as human and community development among various communities.

This will improve the overall quality of life. By initiating and achieving these objectives, it will help in creating cooperation, synergy, social networking, harmony and the strength and benefits of collective efforts. Therefore, when all concerned private and public stakeholders and interest groups as well as NGOs, CBOs, CSOs and the government come together to work and support these principles, the dream of a better Bayelsa and the aims of Community Development can begin to thrive and be achieved.

*ABOUT THE IZON CULTURAL HERITAGE AND CENTRE (ICHC)*

The Izon Cultural Heritage Centre (ICHC) is a sociocultural cum socio-religious Non-Governmental Organisation with the overall aim of sustaining the moral values of peace, unity, moral values, uprightness and promoting genuine means of livelihood throughout the length and breadth of the Ijaw Nation. The organisation is devoid of political patronage with a sole aim to advance Ijaw Nation through the ethos of the historical foundation of the Ijaw ethnic nationality founded and grounded on the concept of TRUTH.

The Izon Cultural Heritage Centre (ICHC) is rooted in the fundamental principles of ensuring and contributing to the people of the ethnic nationality in various areas of human capacity building, sustainable peace, youth empowerment through positive and productive engagement, environmental protection/advocacy, awareness campaigns, job creation, basic education, girl-child and women empowerment and an all-round development of the region. This will facilitate growth and the capacity for healthy competition with other ethnic nationalities in the subregion, and as well create outstanding impacts and change the negative narratives against the backdrop of years of marginalisation, deprivation and denigration of the Ijaw people in Nigeria and the world over. Tailored on this objective, ICHC is on the verge of launching a scheme known as “Izon Community Service Volunteers Initiative” that will play an integral role in promoting the social welfare, unity and development of their communities by rendering devoted public services.

*ABOUT IZON COMMUNITY SERVICE VOLUNTEER INITIATIVE*

The Izon Community Service Volunteers Initiative will comprise of many specialisations that cut across various fields and industries. The initiative will initiate a rigorous process of recruitment to absorb qualified and patriotic volunteers who are willing to serve and deliver in areas of counseling, advocacy, mentorship, training, mobilisation, agricultural extension services, peace building, partnership with public and private bodies/agencies, safety and security, enlightenment campaigns, organisation of workshops and seminars, environmental sanitation and protection, community development services, policy analysis and implementation. Also, volunteers will take the center stage of research and service in public welfare, child welfare, mental health, policy and planning against substance abuse and enforcing advocacy against drug abuse.

The ICHC is passionate about helping individuals, families, organisations and communities in bridging gaps and meeting their needs, overcoming challenges, coping with personal and societal challenges and improving their overall quality of life through the social service volunteers that will be recruited to provide public services in various areas highlighted above.

The “Izon Community Service Volunteers Initiative” will be given robust and enormous support by the Izon Cultural Heritage Centre (ICHC ) for efficiency and effective performance which will enable the organisation work closely with individuals, families and small groups and concerned stakeholders in the business of providing personalized one-to-one support and helping to navigate challenging circumstances in the society. The volunteers are expected to provide aid and support at both local and small community levels. More focus and concentration will be on neighborhoods or rural communities, towns, schools, government institutions, local organisations and other small groups. At this level, the social workers will develop and implement community-based initiatives, services and other social programs. However, ” Izon Community Service Volunteers Initiative” will also expand their services to encompass the broadest scope, focusing on large-scale systematic issues that affect sizable groups of people, communities and cultures.

The Izon Cultural Heritage Centre (ICHC) is convinced that the launching of the ” Izon Community Service Volunteers Initiative” will promote institutional and policy enforcement and changes through advocacy, organisational and programme development, community-based educational initiatives, policy analysis, development and implementation at an holistic level to address issues in Izon Nation. Nevertheless , efforts will be directed in fostering social revolution and reawakening the consciousness of the core Izon culture through public service and charity.

*AREAS OF VOLUNTEERISM*

Below are the various facets of the “Izon Community Service Volunteers Initiative” and their functions to guide aspiring volunteers on areas of capacity, interest, qualifications and background:

1. Security Volunteers: These Volunteers will partner with Government security agencies like the Police, DSS, NDLEA, Army, Navy, Air force, JTF, CJTF, NSCDC, Vigilante Groups, TANTITA and State Security agencies like the Bayelsa State Volunteers, Bayelsa State Vigilante and Community Safety Corps to help ensure peace and development as well as to provide intelligent information which will help in the prevention and arrest of criminals and their activities in the region. The benefits of peace and security to development cannot be overemphasized.

2. Environmental Volunteers: These volunteers will partner with the relevant government ministry, agencies and other organisations to aid in cleaning and sanitizing their immediate surroundings, communities and public places. They’ll also join environmental advocacy groups in promoting environmental protection policies and campaigns.

3. Cultural and Agricultural Preservation Volunteers: These set of volunteers will help to reinforce, propagate, improve and sustain the agelong indigenous traditional means of livelihood as well as the rich ethnic cultural practices of the Ijaw people in terms of active participation in food production activities through skills acquisition and agricultural extension services geared towards promoting and sustaining the Izon traditional occupations for improved food production and food security.

4. Education and Academic Volunteers: Education volunteers will work with government and other agencies to provide free and basic education to children and adults through coordinated extramural classes and evening lessons. These volunteers shall also engage in initiating and completing academic research on issues and topics that will be of immense benefit to the Ijaw community in setting up an ijaw archive of knowledge.

5. Girl Child Education Volunteers: Volunteers will mentor, guide and encourage the girl child who are less privileged to strive to reach their highest potentials in all spheres of life, and to help them have greater economic opportunity, awareness, proper orientation for self sufficiency and financial independence.

6. Anti-Social vices and Drug Rehabilitation Campaign Volunteers: This group of volunteers will register to support the NGO in specific activities in the form of orientation and sensitisation programmes aimed at curbing social vices like drug abuse, cultism and other forms of anti-social practices/behaviours capable of triggering restiveness, immorality, violence and crime.

7. Media and Publicity Volunteers: This group of volunteers shall maintain active media platforms for research and creating positive contents aimed at promoting and educating people on the activities of the NGO.

8. Community Youth and Student Leadership Volunteers: The participants will be selected for mentorship on community based youth leadership for the purpose of promotion and sustenance of the spirit, culture and practice of volunteerism amongst youths at the local communities in order synergize and work with other youth bodies in maintaining and sustaining peace and development.

9. Public Health and Humanitarian Aid Volunteers: Volunteers in this area will be professionals who voluntarily sign up to help better the life of people. They shall selflessly dedicate their time and expertise to improving the lives of individuals and communities in need. From providing medical care and humanitarian aid in remote areas to advocating for better healthcare policies and providing welfare for the less privileged and the abandoned in society.

10. Entertainment and Sports Volunteers: These Volunteers will work to contribute to the social and economic value of sport especially at the community level and by assisting in running major sporting and entertainment events to unite Izon Nation. Local wrestling, dancing and football contests and other cultural games will be included.

11. Legal Service Volunteers: These are professionals which will provide free legal services inline with the ideologies and interests of the Izon Cultural Heritage Centre (ICHC) as highlighted above.

*DETAILS OF LAUNCHING*

To officially flag up the initiative, the ICHC will be hosting a One-Day Youth orientation and awareness seminar tagged ” Youth energy for a productive Bayelsa”, the ICHC will also be launching the ” Izon Community Service Volunteers initiative” scheduled to hold as follows:

DATE: 21ST DECEMBER, 2024
VENUE: OSAJIE HALL, MATHO CRYSTAL HOTEL, TOMBIA ROUNDABOUT-IMIRINGI ROAD, YENAGOA, BAYELSA STATE.
TIME: 9AM – 2PM.

For other inquiries, call the head of project, Ebideke Atuwo – 08061121512

Signed:

Apostle Bodmas Prince Kemepadei, Chairman, Izon cultural heritage center (ICHC).