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Sierra Leone marked the International Volunteers’ Day with a vibrant celebration themed “Volunteering as a Pathway to Youth Employability.”
Organized by the Ministry of Employment, Labour and Social Security in collaboration with volunteer involving organizations across the country, the event highlighted the transformative power of volunteerism in addressing youth unemployment and fostering skills development.
The event, which was being held for the first time in Sierra Leone, featured powerful speeches from the Minister of Employment, Labour and Social Security, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, the Sierra Leone Labour Congress, Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO), and the Volunteer Involving Organizations’ Network (VIONet).
They all emphasized the importance of volunteerism in transforming lives, building skills, and tackling youth unemployment in Sierra Leone.
The Minister of Employment, Labour and Social Security, Mohamed Rahman Swaray, in his keynote address described volunteerism as “a unique avenue for youth empowerment.”
“Volunteerism offers young people the chance to acquire essential skills, build networks, and transition into the workforce. By engaging in volunteer activities, our youth can develop critical soft skills such as teamwork, communication, and leadership, which employers highly value,” the Minister of stated.
The event underscored government’s commitment to promoting volunteerism through the recently validated National Volunteerism Policy to integrate volunteerism into Sierra Leone’s national development agenda. This policy seeks to strengthen the volunteer sector by providing clear guidelines, fostering meaningful volunteer experiences, and aligning volunteer activities with national priorities.
A dialogue session brought together young volunteers, employers, and policymakers to discuss leveraging volunteerism to enhance youth employability.
Key topics included the development of soft skills, creating pathways from volunteering to paid employment, and fostering stronger partnerships between government, private sector, and volunteer organizations.
Participants explored strategies to address youth unemployment, aligning with the government’s Big Five Agenda, mainly focusing on youth employment.
