By Victoria Agyemang
Cape Coast, Aug. 06, GNA – The Ghana Red Cross Society (GRCS) has opened its annual youth camp in Cape Coast for 100 young volunteers selected from the Central and Western Regions.
The weeklong camp is to train them on basic first aid measures, to manage emergencies responsively and entrepreneurial skills.
The participants will serve as agents of change to their peers and to increase awareness on the need to practice first aid safely.
The youth camp is a platform for volunteered youth of the GRCS to meet and take stock while deliberating on measures to improve their services to humanity.
Mr Benjamin Acquah, the Western Regional Manager, said the camping was necessary to build the capacity of the youth towards the delivery of best first aid practices while learning new skills.
The Society, he noted had contributed a lot to the health sector in terms of education on public health, safety, and disaster management through risk prevention measures and advised them to take advantage to learn a skill to be able to train other volunteers.
Mr John Fosu, the National Treasurer of the GRCS described the role of the GRCS as “most valuable in the community.”
He advised the youth to be committed to their fundamental principles through continuous service, especially where there were afflictions.
The Treasurer pledged government’s continuous commitment to create the enabling environment for the youth to contribute positively to the development of the country.
Mr John K. Quansah, a representative from the Ghana Ambulance Service said volunteerism left a significant mark on major global achievements in human rights, justice, relief, rescue, poverty reduction and many others, deeply rooted in the activities of the United Nations and its numerous organisations.
He said the youth were identified as the most important asset in rekindling voluntarism and enhance major programmes in the Red Cross Movement and urged them to avail themselves to learn new things to enrich their marketability.
Mr Mohammed Baidoo, the Central Regional Manager of the Society, said the main objective of the camp was to build the capacity of the youth through volunteerism to foster friendship and cordial interaction among the members of the society.
He said a careful look at the challenges facing voluntary service today revealed that its philosophy, concept and approach was undergoing a transformation mainly because of the prevailing social and economic circumstances in many countries.
The Manager said volunteerism arose out of the very essence of humanity and it had played a central role in human development and stressed the need for stakeholders to understand motivations of volunteerism and act in a way to prepare them to reap more benefits in future.
GNA