On the 6th of May, IkamvaYouth Ebony Park branch was invited to The Wits NGO Fair at Wits University campus organized by The Wits Citizenship and Community Outreach (WCCO). The Wits Citizenship and Community Outreach are formally known as the volunteer programme that provides students with an organized approach to community service. IkamvaYouth and many other organizations were invited to interact with the Wits community to exhibit their projects and also inform on how the Wits community can get involve in their projects.
The day started with organizations putting their gazebo’s and stands for students to come and learn about their projects/products. IkamvaYouth Ebony Park Branch staff members and intern, Thandeka Raphakga, took this opportunity to showcase what IkamvaYouth is all about to the Wits Community and also strengthens the relationship they already have with the Wits Community.
The day went on with students asking how can they get involve with IkamvaYouth, what programs does the organization offer, and what are the benefits involved in being a volunteer. Lots of students were eager to join the organization. It came as a surprise to see how people value voluntary work, as one of the students said “Voluntary work is part of a human’s responsibility to give back to the community and it also goes with passion for doing good things to society”. The Wits NGO Fair was a good platform for NGOs to introduce their respective organizations to the students and inform them about the importance of volunteering and also the opportunities involved with volunteering.
The massage is that, volunteering contributes meaningfully to the community while gaining leadership and interpersonal skills.