Jamaica Association for the Deaf
The Jamaica Association for the Deaf (JAD) is a non- profit organisation established in 1938. It is guided by the philosophy that envisions “A Jamaica in which Deaf persons are empowered to fully participate in nation building”. They achieve this through the provision of education, hearing rehabilitation and human services for the advancement of Deaf and Hard of Hearing persons. The main objectives of this service contract were: the development of a volunteer programme and policy to support the long-term engagement of volunteers within the JAD system throughout 2018 and the delivery of capacity development training of 20 young people (10 deaf and 10 hard of hearing) to cultivate inclusive thinking and volunteerism for long-term personal and professional development throughout 2018.
United and Strong
The United and Strong organisation was established in 2001 in St. Lucia. It is an NGO focused on representing marginalised people and advocating for the human rights of all. For the purposes of this contract, United and Strong have teamed up with two other St. Lucia based organisations, HERStoire and Girls of a Feather, to “build up a youthful caring community through volunteerism”. Some key actions included: the building of a network of youth volunteers to serve United and Strong, HERStoire and Girls of a Feather within the six month period. They aimed to recruit and mobilize 100 volunteers.
Stibula
Stibula is a small, community based NGO that was founded in 1967. The organisation which is based in Suriname, is mainly dependent on volunteers to carry out its activities. The objective of this project was to get youth in the communities surrounding Stibula more involved. It also aimed to make volunteering loved again. This was facilitated through raising awareness of volunteering and increasing the involvement and the participation of youth in all community projects that are carried out by Stibula. Some key actions included: the overall inclusion of youth volunteers into the Stibula system and the coordination of information sessions at high schools in the communities surrounding Stibula about the benefits of volunteering.
Caribbean Network for Integrated Rural Development
The Caribbean Network for Integrated Rural Development (CNIRD) is an independent, regional non-governmental organisation founded in 1988. CNIRD was established with a view to help promote and advance the process of rural transformation in the Caribbean, especially as regards youth and women. The main objective of this service contract was to “improve the institutional capacity of NGOs by engaging and integrating young volunteers into their programmes at the community, national and regional levels”. Some key actions included: the engagement of at least twenty-five (25) student volunteers in providing project support within CNIRD to assist with the implementation of the Marine Environment Education Programme in Trinidad and Tobago and the engagement of least fifteen (15) student volunteers to develop locally relevant art and craft pieces using marine debris/recyclable material for national display.
The Caribbean Youth Environment Network
The Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN) is a regional network that was established in 2001. Its aim is to promote the engagement and full participation of young Caribbean citizens (15-30 years of age) as agents of change, ensuring that there is the participatory implementation of sustainable development activities. The goal of this service contract was to “improve the institutional capacity of NGOs by engaging and integrating young volunteers into their programmes at the community, national and regional levels.” Some key actions underpinning this goal included the delivery of a two-day workshop to train seven (7) youth volunteer coordinators working with or within the CYEN system and five (5) local youth leaders from St. Lucia; and the provision of stipends for at least thirty-five (35) youth volunteer coordinators to support the implementation of volunteer activities in the seven (7) target countries throughout the project cycle.