Culture Ministry, CUSO Int’l launches website

cuscoGeorgetown: The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, in collaboration with CUSO International- a non-profit development organization that works through volunteers- launched a website to highlight the work of volunteers in Guyana.

The Volunteerism Support Platform (VSP) website is www.vsp.gy and its main purpose is for information sharing.

Permanent Secretary (PS) of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, Mr Alfred King, remarked said the VSP was established to create a national link, for which a structure was developed for volunteers.

He added that research conducted in 2010 had found there was need to facilitate the platform for volunteers for national development. In 2012, the VSP was launched, and it was recognised that volunteers not only employed special skills to national development, but their time as well, for which training is a benchmark.

The PS said launching of the VSP enabled the ministry to appreciate the value of the contribution made by volunteers, and it was noted that there was need for a more structured approach in managing volunteers and their activities.

Thus, he said, a network arrangement was put in place whereby the VSP was launched, and with the website in place now, information can be shared, for which mobilisation can take place easily.

Taramattie Persaud, representing the VSP’s Advisory Committee of CUSO International, said that with the website launched, mobilisation, training and referrals have been made easy for all sectors to achieve their goals in volunteerism.

Having outlined the role of VSP, Ms Persaud explained that the role of the private sector can be enhanced in terms of providing opportunities for skills training for young people on the job, because that was an area of urgent priority.