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On Saturday December 3, Youth Challenge International, CUSO International, Crossroads International, and CESO are hosting an International Volunteer Day event to celebrate the impact of volunteers at home and overseas.
International Volunteer Day recognizes the millions of people around the world who give their time and talent to tackle global challenges: from volunteers working in their own communities on environmental issues and poverty reduction to those supporting global causes of peace, justice and creating sustainable livelihoods. This event will be an opportunity to reflect on and celebrate volunteerism. Our four organizations represent a diversity of approaches to international volunteering and we are expect a lively, interactive day of inter-generational sharing.
We hope that you can join us!
Program:
* 1:30pm – 2:00pm – Registration
* 2:00pm – 2:15pm – Welcome
* 2:15pm – 4:00pm – World Cafe: Sharing and Reflecting on the Volunteer Experience
* 4:00pm – 4:15pm – Break
* 4:15pm – 5:15pm – Returned Volunteer Panel Discussion: Local Change, Global Impact
* 5:15pm – 5:30pm – Closing Reflections: Valuing Volunteers
* 5:30pm – 7:30pm – Networking Reception and Entertainment (Appetizers, Cash Bar and African Dance)
The event will also feature a photo exhibit illustrating the impact of volunteers around the world.
When: Saturday December 3, 2011 at 1:30 p.m.
Where: Oakham House, Ryerson University (63 Gould St, Toronto)
How much: Free
For online registration, visit: http://bit.ly/IVD2011
Program Details:
World Cafe – Facilitated by Greg Judelman
The World Cafe is a powerful social technology for engaging people in conversations that matter, offering an effective antidote to the fast-paced fragmentation and lack of connection in today’s world. Based on the understanding that conversation is the core process that drives personal, business, and organizational life, the World Cafe is more than a method, a process, or technique – it’s a way of thinking and being together sourced in a philosophy of conversational leadership.
Greg Judelman is a facilitator, designer and innovation consultant based in Toronto. He works with the conceptualization and facilitation of collaborative design workshops and innovation processes for organizational and community transformation. From 2006-2011 he was a senior designer at the globally recognized Bruce Mau Design, where he led creative teams on identity, web, experience and strategy projects for clients ranging from not-for-profits to universities to public associations to multinational corporations. He is the co-founder of Design With Dialogue, a community of facilitators, consultants, designers and technologists focused on advancing methods for systems level change.
Returned Volunteer Panellist Profiles
Rohit Ramchandani
Prior to starting his Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Rohit worked as a Senior Health Advisor at the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) where he worked in areas including tuberculosis, malaria, as well as Canada’s work on the G8 Maternal and Child Health Initiative. He is currently a member of the Innovation and Financial Gap Working Groups of the United Nations Secretary General’s Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health and Principal at Antara Global Health Advisors. He actively volunteers as a Public Health Advisor with ColaLife, an organization working in developing countries to bring Coca-Cola, its bottlers and others together to open up Coca-Cola’s distribution channels to carry ‘social products’ such as oral rehydration salts and zinc supplements to save children’s lives. Rohit volunteered with Youth Challenge International in 2002 in Guyana, where he on a variety of grassroots community health initiatives in the Rupununi Region.
Roshelle Filart
Roshelle Filart spent almost six years as a volunteer in Africa, first as a primary school teacher in Namibia and as an Education Coordinator at the Botswana National Museum with WUSC. Roshelle was a VSO Canada volunteer in Guinea Bissau from 2003-2006, where she worked as an Education Project Manager for the Ministry of Education. Since coming back to Canada, Roshelle has remained active as a Cuso International returned volunteer and has channelled her experiences overseas and commitment to creating a more equitable world into advocacy work as co-leader of the Toronto chapter of RESULTS Canada, a national grassroots organization whose volunteers raise awareness and support for global efforts to end extreme poverty by reaching out to policymakers, politicians, media and community groups.
Michael R. Garrett
Mike Garrett is Chair of the Ontario Clean Water Agency and sits on a number of Provincial and Municipal advisory committees. From 1989 to 2007, he worked as CAO/City Manager with 3 GTA municipalities: Peel, Toronto, and York. During the 80′s he held a number of executive postings culminating with Assistant Deputy Minister at the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. In the 70′s he helped implement the Toronto and region waterfront plan. He is an active volunteer with CESO, and is a lead volunteer for the Philippines and Bolivia advising on municipal issues.
Adwoa Adu
After completing Graduate school in International Development and Cooperation Studies, Adwoa worked with the United Nations Center for Regional Development in Japan and worked as a community development researcher in Cambodia and Malaysia. After returning to Canada in 2007, she had the opportunity of volunteering with Crossroads International/Prolink in Ghana. Working in Ghana on women’s rights and micro entrepreneurship programs inspired Adwoa to create a space where the women she worked with in Ghana can showcase their fashion crafts. In 2009 she opened Arm Candy Casa, an accessories boutique offering pieces from women she met in Ghana as well as other fair trade lines. Currently she is a part-time lecturer with Ryerson University teaching International Community Development, and NGOs and World Governance.
Today’s post is a continuation of yesterday’s description of Tanzanian Cuisine. Click here to read yesterday’s post!
A staple of the Tanzanian diet, ugali is made simply by combining corn or cassava flour with water over high heat until it develops into a blob of thick semi-dough. It is usually eaten with meat or vegetables in sauce as a scooping/dipping type vessel.
At first we were uncertain how to eat this local delight but a quick lesson from Mahko, showed us what’s what. For your viewing pleasure I present to you, how to eat ugali.
Here it is in all its glory: Ugali!
Step 1: Grab a piece and roll it into a ball. Be careful! Ugali comes out of the pot piping hot and retains heat like a beat-up Chevy Nova with windows that don’t roll down
Step 2: Press a trench into the middle of the ball with your thumb effectively fashioning yourself a spoon.
Ta da!
Step 3: Acquire your culinary target and swoop in for the kill.
Next level food maneuver
Step 4: Enjoy! You just mastered ugali.
Discovering the many wonders of the food world has been one of the highlights of my stay here in Tanzania. I can effectively cross several foods off of my bucket list including goat, antelope, hartebeest, tripe, papaya, jackfruit, passionfruit, cassava and okra. Without a doubt it has amplified my experience of this great country and I will miss much of it when I return home.
-Julie Mather, Youth Ambassador, Tanzania 2011
Julie has recently completed an 8-week volunteer placement with YCI in Morogoro, Tanzania working with a team of three members on a variety of youth development initiatives.
For more volunteer blogs, check out our Travel Diary category!
One of my greatest curiousities coming to Tanzania was the food. As a cemented lover of the Food Network and all things food related I was most occupied with what culinary delights I’d be introduced to as I travelled far away from Suburban Ontario to Morogoro Tanzania. As the program has just about ended I have a full perspective on the food of Tanzania both with conceptions busted and confirmed. Not surprisingly, what to expect from Tanzania food was represented high on my internet search history and several themes began to appear;
1) Meat is rare with a high number of vegetarians as slaughter is reserved for special occasions
2) Lots of fruits such as banana, coconuts, papaya or mango
3) STARCH! A heavy number of starches were represented including rice, potatoes, pilau, plaintains, beans and the number one starch of Tanzania, ugali (more on it in a bit)
Point number one was immediately dismissed as my vegetarian co-volunteer Ben found out. From the first days of our arrival we found that kuku (chicken), n’gombe (beef) and samaki (fish) are all pretty standard fare in Tanzania most notably on the streets where street vendors sell mshikaki (kebabs of grilled meat) alongside chips mayai, a french fry omelette and chips kuku (chicken and fries). Later in my stay in Tanzania, a fellow volunteer remarked that after a weeklong conference in India where the cuisine was true vegetarian, many Tanzanians were upset with the lack of meat. Myth #1 Busted.
My first dinner in Tanzania; mbuzi (goat), wali na sosi (rice and sauce) and saladi (a term often used but mostly refers to a bit of cabbage that resembles coleslaw on the side)
Here we see my second dinner in Tanzania; pofu (antelope), ndizi (plaintain), saladi and sosi.
Point number 2 was confirmed with particular swagger throughout our stay in Tanzania. It’s true that ndizi (bananas), maembe (mangos), machungwa (oranges) papai (papaya) pasheni (passion fruit) nazi (coconuts) and parachichi (avacadoes) are all readily available in Tanzania but attention must be paid to when these fruits are in season. Out of season fruits are harder to find and more expensive.
A wonderful fruit salad and a breakfast buffet complete with mayai (eggs) and chai (tea)
I’ve had the great pleasure (and one or two displeasures) to try many new edibles that otherwise I may not have tried. By far the greatest of these discoveries is finesi or jackfruit. Jackfruit is described as being a member of the mulberry family and growing to gargantuan sizes reaching 80 pounds in weight, up to 36 inches long, 20 inches in diameter making it the largest tree born fruit in the world. Bottom line is that all those numbers equal delicious!
Clockwise from top left: jackfruit on the tree; outside texture; inside fruit; the final exquisite product
I know it may seem odd to devote 3 whole pictures to this mystery fruit but once you’ve tried it, you just know that four pictures and a paragraph don’t do it justice. I will miss this exotic treat when I head back to the Great White North.
Thus brings me to the final frontier of Tanzanian food: Starch. If there was ever a way to describe the way Tanzanians eat, it is starch. Wali na maharagwue (beans and rice) was a dish eaten most often while in Tanzania both in the tea rooms and at home. Additional starches were provided through tembe (noodles), kiazi (potatoes) ndizi and the crème de la crème, ugali.
For a step-by-step guide on how to eat ugali, stay tuned for tomorrow’s post!
- Julie Mather, Youth Ambassador, Tanzania 2011
Julie has recently completed an 8-week volunteer placement with YCI in Morogoro, Tanzania working with a team of three members on a variety of youth development initiatives including WASH (water, sanitation and health) education, environmental education and small enterprise development training.
For more volunteer blogs, check out our Travel Diary category!
Flying into Georgetown, Guyana, my volunteer partner, Kasia, and I were foreshadowed with what was to come. Both of us were asked to fill out custom declarations forms for people on board because they couldn’t read.
The primary school is housed in one large building where 6 grades are taught separated by black boards
Upon arrival to St. Cuthbert’s Mission, we were quick to discover that half of the classes in the primary school were without a teacher; the secondary school wasn’t much better. With the majority of children and youth at a reading level between Grade 2-4, the headmistresses of both of the schools emphasized that they wanted our help to improve reading, comprehension, and pronunciation.
My original lesson plans were dismissed when we entered the classroom and discovered many of the primary school children could not recognize the letters of the alphabet, nor could they spell words like “church”, “today”, and “milk”.
Having lived in the Mission for 3.5 weeks now, I really understand the cycle of poverty and how hard it is to break through. With this understanding, I also comprehend how it is that children don’t read. Here, they don’t have to read. There aren’t many job prospects. Less than 5% of the village is employed. University is expensive. With no money coming in, there is no money for university and therefore it is not even a consideration.
Furthermore, the children and youth in this village are not exposed to much outside the village. My Dad always says, “You don’t know what you don’t know”. This statement could not be more accurate! These children just don’t know what else the world has to offer.
The primary school children love to learn!
Everyday I feel a mixture of sadness, frustration, hope, reward, and inspiration. The children are curious and eager to learn. Every class I leave they ask when I’m coming back. Most often (weekends included) I am woken up by school children outside my window yelling,
“Miss Angela! Miss Angela! Are you teaching my class today?”
“Can I come and read with you?”
“Is there story time after school today?”
The reasons for the lack of literacy and general education are multi-pronged. As previously stated, there is a lack of teachers and a lack of opportunity due to unemployment. Another reason is because the dropout rate in schools is high. As such the ministry of education has instilled an everyone pass rate to encourage children to stay in school. Though this helps to keep the dropout rates low, it also creates a problem. The education level in one class can vary greatly. In my Grade 4 class I have kids who should be in Grade 5 and I also have kids that should be in Grade 1. It is impossible to create a lesson plan that caters to all their needs, therefore many children aren’t at par with international literacy standards.
Many children do not know their birthdays. The goal of this lesson is to have children associate their birthday with a national holiday.
There are some very rewarding parts to teaching here. I’ve had the opportunity to work with the secondary students in building a community blog. Access to the internet is very new and the youth are excited to reach out. In order to encourage the students I asked them to write about the most interesting part of St. Cuthbert’s and upon completion, I’d post it on my own personal blog, www.aforangela.com.
The children and youth here need encouragement and I was deeply touched after a lesson on university and job prospects, a twelve-year-old girl, Orliza approached me to ask if I would tutor her because she wanted to go to university. I see her 3 times a week for an hour and half where we cover all subjects! Earlier this week I had the pleasure of meeting her family. She is very fortunate to come from a supportive family that understands the value of education. As such we have begun discussing the logistics of having her move abroad to further her education when the time comes!
This experience has reinforced that I have much to be thankful for and that a little perspective is all it takes to make a positive change.
-Angela Mak, Youth Ambassador, Guyana 2011
For more volunteer blogs, check out our Travel Diary category!
On Saturday November 19th, Youth Challenge International (YCI), in partnership with local and international organizations celebrated International Men’s Day for the first time in Arusha and Morogoro, Tanzania. International Men’s Day is an event held in 60 countries worldwide that focuses on men’s and boy’s health, improving gender relations, promoting gender equality, and highlighting positive male role models.
In Arusha, YCI, The Umoja Centre, Support for International Change, UMATI, Initiative for Youth Organization and Global Service Corps hosted the event at the Mbauda Open Market Ground from 11 am to 3 pm. This free event was aimed to promote men and boys as positive role models and to educate the community on the role of males and females in health, education, family life, violence and life choices. All members of the public were welcome to attend the performances, games, and educational activities of the exciting day.
Umoja Student Dramas at International Men's Day
Watermelon Eating Contest
To celebrate International Men’s day in Morogoro, volunteers, along with our partner organization Faraja Trust Fund, held a soccer tournament on with 8 local teams. To participate in the tournament each team had to come to two information sessions on male sexual and reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, gender roles and good governance. At these sessions we challenged their knowledge of HIV/AIDS and gender roles. Furthermore, we encouraged them to be more active in their communities and challenged them to make a better Tanzania for not only themselves but their children and future generations. After a tense shoot, team “MORO KIDs” won – congratulations to the team!
Let the Soccer Tournament Begin!
In addition to the soccer tournament, there were a variety of other activities on the field this morning. YCI and Faraja provided an on-site HIV testing centre, a DJ with music and dancing throughout the day, and drama group performances on the key objectives of International Men’s Day.
Duncan and Makho holding an IMD Training Sessions
It was a great event with over 500 youth and other community members coming together to acknowledge the roles and responsibilities of men and boys in creating a brighter future for all Tanzanians.
Thank you to all the international and local volunteers, YCI staff, partner staff and community members who helped to make International Men’s Day a success in Arusha and Morogoro!
-The YCI Tanzania Teams in Morogoro and Arusha
For more volunteer blogs, check out our Travel Diary category.
During my time in Zanzibar, I’ve been lucky enough to experience Eid-el-Hajj an Islamic festival celebrated around the world. On an Island where statistically over 90% of the population is Muslim, this was quite a treat to see. I decided to learn as much as I could about the festival, to understand exactly what it was I would be celebrating and even decided to participate in a 6 day fast. The fast in itself was not easy- between 6:30AM and 6:30PM I consumed nothing but minimal amounts of water. My dear friend Fatma, along with all others participating, did not drink anything for this time and considering our climate here, I found this an incredibly admirable feat.
I began my fast late (as I learned on the 3rd official day of the fast that a festival was coming up) and ended it early not realizing the importance of the last day. I think if I had known this I may (and I emphasize may) have been able to struggle through. But the constant headache and hunger pains were definitely starting to take their toll.
I was happy to get through the 6 days, especially considering it was my first fast, and definitely felt a sense of accomplishment in supporting the people around me. The celebrations itself were also a lot of fun. The first evening the other volunteers and I had dinner at our program mangers home. Shaib (YCI-Zanzibar Program Manager) and his family welcomed us with an amazing meal of chicken, fries, soup, veggies, rice, cake, tea and fruit juice.
Christine, Tasha and their Host Mom
The next day we spent at the office as it was Monday, but after dinner at home the evening was spent at Tareev where traditional music was played by a band called Zanzibar 1 and dancing encouraged. After following then initiative of our house Mama, each of us was up dancing and enjoying the music. It was a different experience but the lights, electric guitar and sound check were all commemorative. One thing I found interesting were that all four of the female singers were seated throughout the performance. There was a definite emphasize on dance over showmanship which I hadn’t been used to in the past but it was really fun to see so much of the audience involved.
The last night of the festival was chill and relaxing after an energetic few days. After a busy afternoon of meetings, we went to Forodhani for dinner before another night out dancing. This area of Stonetown has an excellent selection of all kinds of local foods and this particular evening I had a veggie samosa, salad, mishkaki (meat and veg on a stick) and a chicken and veg wrap; all of which contained lots of pili pili (spicy sauce). After dinner we met up with our house brother and went dancing, this time with a much younger crowd with both local and Western style music. All around a great couple of days and I’m so glad I was able to participate.
- Christine Robertson, Youth Ambassador, Tanzania 2011
Christine is currently volunteering on an 8-week placement with YCI working in Zanzibar with our local partner, ZANGOC.
For more volunteer blogs, check out our Travel Diary category.
On November 16th 2011 the world is celebrating International Day for Tolerance. As a part of YCI-Tanzania’s Emerging Leaders program, this day has been chosen to highlight their personal leadership skills as they are to organize this event. The Emerging Leaders program provides youth in Zanzibar with the professional life skills they need in order to seek and gain employment as well as providing them with increased self-confidence so that they may become leaders in their communities and organizations.
As part of the program, for their final project, the Emerging Leaders were required to organize and lead an event by themselves with minimal guidance from the facilitator. The group chose the venue of a local partner NGO called UMATI and developed a program for International Day of Tolerance. They decided to put together a PowerPoint Presentation to show off their newly acquired computer skills as well as to teach the audience about the definitions and aspects of tolerance.
To go along with this they decided to illustrate their point through a drama. Many people in the class have experience with creating dramas for educational purposes. This drama touched on HIV/AIDs, sexual violence and drug abuse - describing the dangers of all but also the need for acceptance of victims. Following this presentation, members of the group got some snacks ready, even baking a cake themselves!
To finish off the day, they split up into small groups to discuss how to take the messages and spread them throughout their communities. Some comments that arose from this discussion were very encouraging, with one participant saying how she was very thankful for learning about this day, as she has a disability and is very happy to know we are spreading a message of acceptance and peace in her community. Saying this in front of a group of peers really brought home the message of the day, and I am proud to share their hard work with YCI. Today went extremely well and we’ve sent along a few photos to share with everyone!
The complete Emerging Leaders group wearing our International Tolerance Day t-shirts
Emerging Leaders Drama Skit
Discussion about what tolerance means and how to inspire tolerance in communities
- Adriana Koolman, YCI Youth Ambassador, and the Emerging Leaders Team
For more volunteer blogs, check out our Travel Diary category.
YCI Launches the Youth Writers & Youth Speakers Programs!
Attention alumni:
We are excited to announce the launch of two new programs, the Youth Writers & Youth Speakers Program! These are twelve month programs designed for YCI Volunteer Alumni to share their volunteer experiences and inspire others through a variety of media platforms.
So, how does it work?
As a Youth Writers, you will build your writing skills by choosing to write newspaper or magazine articles, letters to the editor, blogs, E-blasts, or even short stories about your YCI experience. Youth Writers will publish or post a minimum of two pieces of writing over a twelve-month period as well as attend online group check-in meetings with YCI staff.
As a Youth Speakers you will build your public speaking and networking skills by speaking at high schools, universities, radio programs, community/youth centers, clubs and non-profit organizations. Youth Speakers will speak at a minimum o four events over a twelve-month period as well as attend online group check-in meeting with YCI staff.
Both Youth Writers & Youth Speakers will receive a Program Handbook with all of the resources and helpful tips they need to succeed!!
So, what are the benefits?
- Build strong writing & public speaking skills
- Earn presentation & publishing credits for your CV
- Network with Youth Speakers & Writers across Canada & the US
- Get personalized reference letter from YCI staff
- Get a certificate of completion signed by YCI’s Executive Director
- Inspire others by sharing your experience!
How can I apply?
The Youth Writers & Youth Speakers Programs accept rolling applications throughout the year. Alumni can apply online by sending their CV and cover letter to YCI’s Program Coordinator at: generalinfo@yci.org
It’s hard to believe that we’ve already been in Ghana for eight weeks now. The time has passed by so quickly that it seems like so much more than eight weeks have gone by since we first arrived in this beautiful country. I suppose it’s because we’ve seen and done so many new and interesting things in the short time we’ve been here. For in the midst of all the work we have been doing we have also had the opportunity to play: we’ve had the opportunity to visit different districts and to experience Ghanaian culture in some interesting ways. For example, we have had the chance to visit Nzulezu Village, or “The Stilt Village” the only village of its kind in Ghana where the homes are built on stilts.
The Stilt Village
Surrounded by water, the village is only accessible by canoe. To get to this relatively remote location, visitors from town have to take a one hour guided canoe ride to the village. The canoe ride is quite scenic and takes you through a little bit of jungle as well. When we arrived at Nzulezu, we found a small village, with a population of roughly 400 people. There is one school and one church there. The people of Nzulezu make their living by fishing, and live quite a simple life. Their homes are very small and modest. I found the village to be very peaceful and quiet.
We have also had the opportunity to go visit Shama District. Emmanuel, a Youth Advocate with one of our partners, Youth Empowerment Synergy (YES) was our host and took us around his home town of Shama this past weekend. The highlight of the day was the festival that we got to attend. Every November, the Pra River Festival in Shama District is held. According to tradition, this festival is held every year in honour of the gods that control the fishing harvest. Amidst dancing, drumming and trumpeting, all the chiefs of the district, dressed in gorgeous traditional wear are carried on palanquins in a procession from the Chief’s Palace to the riverside, where, according to Emmanuel, a cow is presented to the gods by tying it to a tree, to be sacrificed at midnight that evening to ensure a continued abundance of fish.
A Chief dancing in a Palanquin
The palanquins were supported on the heads of people who are responsible for carrying the chiefs during the procession. It was a relief to see that they rotate this duty throughout the procession since the palanquins certainly did not look light – they looked like they were made of wood and resembled very ornately decorated, padded divans. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and the atmosphere was very festive, with food vendors roaming the streets with treats like mini kebabs and cuttlefish and beverages on their heads. The beat of the drums enlivened everyone and many townspeople were just dancing their hearts out, following the procession. If I were a good dancer I think I would have been dancing too, as the beat was infectious.
-Victoria Ng, Youth Leadership Team, Ghana 2011
Victoria is currently in Ghana on a 12-week project to complete her international placement for the International Development Post-Graduate Certificate Program at Humber College with a small team of students from the program.
For more volunteer blogs, check out our Travel Diary category.
International Volunteer Day recognizes the millions of people around the world who give their time and talent to tackle global challenges: from volunteers working in their own communities on environmental issues and poverty reduction to those supporting global causes of peace, justice and sustainable livelihoods.
On December 3, Youth Challenge International, CUSO-VSO, Crossroads International and CESO are hosting an event to celebrate the impact of volunteers at home and overseas. Whether you’re active in your local community, volunteered overseas or just interested in learning more about how you can contribute, this event will be an opportunity to reflect on and celebrate volunteerism.
Take part in our World Cafe to share and reflect on the volunteer experience, learn how returned volunteers have continued to make a global impact locally during our Panel Discussion and enjoy live entertainment while networking with other International Volunteers!
Location:
Oakham House
63 Gould Street
Toronto, ON M5B 1E9
Ryerson University Campus
Time:
Saturday, December 3, 2011 from 1:30 PM to 7:30 PM (ET)
Don’t forget to register in advance! http://ivd2011.eventbrite.com/
