PNG PORTS CORPORATION LIMITED::Papua New Guinea

Home | Services | VYAP

Historical Status Report For 2007 - 2009

PNGHMS

Pilotage

Projects

Volunteer Youth Ambassador

The application form

The VYA Poster

Images from MS Europa!

Images from MS Amadea!

Images from 2011 International Orchid Show!

Follow us on!

Volunteers during MS Europa Visit

Executive Summary

The Volunteer Youth Ambassador (VYA) program offers on-site guide services for tourists, providing the assistance where required showing care that the others themselves would provide if they were in a foreign land.

Our clients are mostly tourists, business houses and the general public who may choose to request utilising our volunteer service where required during cruise ship visits, public events, community awareness programs etc. The Volunteer Youth Ambassadors offers volunteer services for free all in a day upon request.

Particularly in Port Moresby, the VYA business has seen an explosion of growth over the last one year. Papua New Guinea is an affluent area with diverse culture. Our market research has shown that volunteer service in PNG is ineffective or rarely available and therefore the provision of such service by PNGPCL in engaging the young men and women provides the visitors to PNG and the general public that there is always help at hand when required.

While there are currently volunteer organisations with PNG, only a handful are effective however none in place to assist tourists when they come on our shores via our port thus the VYA program.The VYA marketing strategy is to emphasize the quality volunteer service we provide and the availability of our services. Tourists or the general public who come across our volunteers, for instance, will feel satisfied that they have been assisted or looked after.

The VYA services will be provided by young man and women trained in tourism. At any time, we will have our volunteers to provide volunteer services and expect to continue this service to other ports once the program in Port Moresby is established and successful. To begin with, PNGPCL Corporate Communications Division will be scheduling appointments and coordinating services, but we plan to hire a full-time coordinator upon PNGPCL CEO’s discretion.

The management of the volunteers comes under PNG Ports Corporation Limited. The initiative of this program is headed by PNGPCL CEO Mr. Brian Riches through his wealth of experience in the hospitality industry linking with tourism. In addition, the Corporate Communications Division through Wesley Supro provides management expertise. The business is now registered via IPA under the name PNGPCL Volunteers.

Already we have service commitments mainly to the Tourism Industry (Cruise Ship) and plan to aggressively progress our service to the public through newspaper, local television and direct mail advertising. The continuous on-site professional care that VYA’s will provide is sure to appeal to those who come across this throughout the Port Moresby area and PNG.

Background

The Volunteer Youth Ambassador Program (VYAP) is an initiative of current CEO of PNG Ports Corporation Limited, Mr. Brian Riches. The program was started in March 2010 in response to the need for tourism at the PNGPCL port in Port Moresby. The Volunteer Youth Ambassador Program is a service and PNGPCL will provide all the necessities to ensure that the best hospitality is accorded to the tourists that visit our ports.

The basic idea is to ensure that the Volunteers are available to assist the tourists who enter the ports operated by PNGPCL and have easy access to services such as banking, the post office and internet kiosks. Apart from these, the concept can be expanded to include visits to tourist attractions such as the parliament house, botanical gardens, art exhibitions and cultural displays among others.

Another important contribution made by the Volunteers Youth Ambassadors is to the Seafarers’ Centre operated by PNGPCL. The Seafarers’ Centre is a place for information, communication and relaxation for seafarers who travel to PNGPCL Ports from other parts of the world. It is also a place where the travellers can find spiritual counsel and guidance from various clergy who will be available. The Volunteer Youth Ambassadors will be situated at the Seafarers’ Centre to assist seamen who come ashore to communicate with their families and friends and also to find information about the port of call and the people of this country

Training has been organised for the VYA with two training sessions conducted so far. There have been attendance of over eighty Youth Ambassadors to these training sessions. There are over 450 young people who have already signed up to be Volunteer Youth Ambassadors.

The program is slated to be rolled-out to other ports which encounter frequent cruise ship visits. Since the establishment of the VYA program, the Volunteers have been involved in marshalling the public during the open day of the Chinese Naval ship visits in August and have also been involved in the Orchid Show in Port Moresby in October.

Key Operational Objectives

Spirit of Volunteerism

Voluntary work is not easy to achieve however willing participants who do this from the heart in support of their country, culture etc.

The time and determination shown by our volunteers here at the quay side during cruise vessel visit, charity work or general public shows is outstanding. The feedback and follow up on events in the near future is always what the volunteers would like to know in advance and the office of the Corporate Communications through the Events Office keeps these enthusiastic volunteers updated on future Cruise Ship visits, Charity work or other special events requiring their time.

There are refresher courses in the months of May, July, September and November where PNGPCL will have the volunteers make time available to go through the activities that were undertaken and ways to improve the current work.

In 2010, the volunteer program was at its inception stage with promoting of the Volunteer idea strategically to the community with volunteers from ages 18 – 35 years of age. An outstanding reception was received from the public at large and applications came through email and

1 | 2

Return to top