The centre’s satellite office was officially opened on the first floor of the Beaconvale Frailcare Centre last week.

Manager of the centre, Ms Shahida Dudley, said it was important to introduce the centre to the community with an official launch “to highlight their aims and objectives”.

“The centre actually opened last June, but few people were aware of the centre’s existence or what exactly was on offer,” said Dudley.

“So with this official launch we hope to attract the attention of the youth especially. The centre already has an active database of available volunteers in the area, but there is a lot of room for more volunteers. We especially appeal to the youth.”

The centre offers programmes ranging from strategic planning workshops and effective volunteer management to world youth exchange programmes.

Dudley said the centre’s mission statement – “to motivate and develop effective volunteering through consultation, training, information and placement” – aims to benefit everyone.

“We have an exciting new programme, called South 2 South , which is set to kick off within the next few months,” she said.

“The programme, which focuses on the youth, is similar to the current Canada World Youth Programme, but instead of going to Canada, to learn about their customs and culture, the youth selected for South 2 South would travel within southern Africa.

Each youth will be paired up with a partner from a neighbouring African country. They would live together for a few weeks and teach each other about their individual cultures.”

Dudley encouraged interested youths to visit the Volunteer Centre for more information.

The centre also holds free training on effective volunteer management. The next two-day workshop is on April 19 and 20.

For further details call the centre at 021 376 3740 or Dudley on 083 316 2978.