Let’s talk about CDS!

The Community Development Service or CDS as it is popularly known is a community service initiative by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). It aims to galvanize the great abilities of the youths and arouse community interest in national development.

The goal of the CDS is to improve the economic, health, political and socio-cultural conditions of the host communities towards sustainable development.

Corps members who participate in this programme are expected to play a part in the development of their host communities as stated in the goal of the specific programme.

The programme is headed by a director and is divided into two categories, namely:

• Group Community Development Service (Group CDS)
• Personal/Individual Community Development Service (Personal/Individual CDS)

Group Community Development Service (Group CDS)

All corps members are expected to set aside one day of the week for group CDS activities. On this day, corps members are not expected to be present at their places of primary assignment, as CDS days are set aside for the execution of projects designed to improve the host communities.

Examples of group CDSs are:

• Corps Legal Aid Group (CLAG)
• Sports Group
• Environmental Protection & Sanitation Group (Nema/Nesrea Vanguard)
• Education Development Group (Mass Literacy, Adult Education, Extra Murals ICT)
• Cultural & Tourism Group (Band, Dance, Drama & Tourism)
• Road Safety Club (RSC) Group
• Editorial/Publicity Group
• Disaster Management Group (Nema)
• Medical & Health Services Group (Red Cross, Breast Without Spot, Polio Plus Etc.)
• Service Delivery Group (Attitudinal Change, Re-Branding)
• Drug-Free & Quality Control Group (NDLEA, NAFDAC, SON)
• Charity Services & Gender Group
• Millenium Development Goals (MDGS) Group
• Agro-Allied Group
• Anti-Corruption Group (EFCC & ICPC)
• Reproductive Health & HIV/AIDS Group

Personal/individual Community Development Service

These are projects carried out by individual corps members to meet immediate needs in their host communities. Corps members are encouraged to look out for areas where they could make an individual footprint in the community they serve.

Possible projects under the personal/individual CDS include but are not limited to the following:

• Construction projects such as building of toilets, incinerators, bridges, classrooms, games facilities for schools.
• Social/educational projects such as the establishment of ICT laboratory, school libraries, extra-mural classes, campaigns, charity work, vocational training for empowerment of unemployed youths.

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The National Youth Service Corps plans to kick off the following activities to compliment already existing CDS programs carried out by corps members. These activities include:

• NYSC/Federal Ministry of Environment partnership on the planting of one (1) million trees every year.
• NYSC/NDLEA partnership on the training of corps members and sensitization campaigns/formation of clubs on drug-free society.
• NYSC/NESREA partnership on environmental matters.
• NYSC/Federal Ministry of Education partnership on pre-school/early childhood education.
• NYSC/National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education partnership on mass literacy.
• Sensitisation/campaigns against malaria and tuberculosis through NYSC partnership with NPHCDA and other partners.
• NYSC/SON partnership on the promotion of standard products in the society.

Source: NYSC Official, NYSC-CDS

So, are you a corps member or a prospective one? This will be a good time to keep yourself updated about the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). Read more posts about NYSC here.