By Tilda Akorlor
About 30 young people in the Ho Municipality have been empowered to become effective change-makers and advocates on important social issues in their communities at a Youth Leadership and Advocacy Training in Ho in the Volta Region.
The training was organised by the Young and Safe Project, a consortium of community change-makers in the Ho Municipality, which is made up of Node Eight, Love Aid Foundation, Ho Municipal Assembly, and the Ghana Education Service.
The Leadership and Advocacy Training was aimed at sensitising young people in the Municipality to acquire writing and storytelling skills to become advocates on social issues.
A Media Practitioner and social advocate, Mr. Prince Amevi, who was the facilitator at the training, took participants through the procedures of writing and telling captivating stories.
Mr. Amevi emphasised on fact-checking and data analysis while gathering data for writing.
He also highlighted the need for advocacy through modern media and blogging, encouraging trainees to focus on “Social-backed advocacy through storytelling.”
He added that advocacy amplifies the voices to cause societal change that are dear to one’s heart and the community at large.
The Project Manager of Young and Safe Project, Mr. Courage Asase, who delivered the welcome address, explained the importance of youth advocacy and how it can help influence change and shape society.
He said the development and economic stability of a nation rest entirely on the shoulders of the youth, hence the need for impactful advocacy that drives societal change.
“The purpose of this platform is to encourage, train, and give young people the ability to advocate for issues within the city through the ability of writing.”
“If I have something to advocate and it is in my mind, no one would know about it but if I put it on a paper, on social media or blog somewhere, people would see the issues and can be able to rally the cause around it.”
“Young people can come together to learn skills in writing, connect writing to advocacy, and amplify those issues for everyone to hear or see.”
Mr. Asase also encouraged young people in the municipality to inculcate learning habits and sign up for Leadership and Advocacy programs. About 30 young people took part in the training.
The Youth Leadership and Advocacy Training is an initiative of the Young and Safe project, which intends to assist Ho in becoming a youth-friendly city that safeguards the well-being, health, and participation of young people in city governance.
The Young and Safe project is a three-year project implemented by a consortium made up of Node Eight Foundation, Love Aid Foundation, Ho Municipal Assembly, and the Ghana Education Service under the Healthy Cities for Adolescent Programme – II funded by Fondation Botnar and managed by Ecorys Ltd.
