Volunteer Task Force for community service on the cards

Islamabad: Islamabad Capital Territory Administration (ICTA) has planned to constitute a Volunteer Task Force for the residents of federal capital to enhance liaison between the district administration and the city’s dwellers seeking the public support to offer better community service.

The role of volunteers in today’s modern society could not be underestimated as they were necessary and extremely helpful for a healthy community, a senior official in ICTA told this agency here on Sunday adding that different government departments across the country have adopted this strategy for the socio-economic development of the society.

The residents were invited to become the member of this force by filling the application form available at https://forms.gle/GyB4EDB3fXrSKvpA8. Elaborating the responsibilities of the Task Force, he said, the members would play a pro-active role through participating in ICTA mass awareness campaigns.

The public could help the city administration in organizing campaigns, seminars, workshops, conferences and festivals in the federal capital for public welfare. He said the force members could also participate in electronic media shows, debates and discussions.

The members would be tasked with responsibility of engaging community through public relations and social networking as well as to mobilize the students in academic institutions, would also be made their responsibility.

The proposed areas for the working of volunteers was parks and recreation, youth and social services, education, environment/recycling, community & economic development, public health, safety and many others, he maintained. He said a volunteer manager would be deputed by ICTA who would be overall responsible for ensuring effective implementation and success of the volunteers.

He would ensure recruitment of volunteers based on their skills and interests would also be carried out for day to day affairs of ICTA Volunteers Task Force, he said. In order to ensure availability with required skills, campus ambassadors would be deployed at major educational institutions which would act as an advocate of ICTA, their respective institutes propagating the activities for the administration and its attached departments, he added.

Besides, Interest Based Groups would be created to supervise the campaigns launched by the Task Force, while each group would comprise of 01 Steering Committee Member, 01 Campus Ambassador and volunteers interested in the activities of respective group.

Multiple Interest Based Groups would also be created for the different areas of the federal capital as per need. A Steering Committee comprising of the officers of city administration and civil society members would be constituted to provide guidelines to Task Force members besides suggesting initiatives which could be undertaken, he concluded.