30 young people in Ho empowered as social advocates

About 30 young people in the Ho municipality have been empowered to become effective advocates and change-makers on important social issues in their communities at a Youth Leadership and Advocacy Training in Ho, the Volta Regional Capital.

The training which was organized by the Young and Safe Project, a consortium of community change-makers in the Ho Municipality made up of Node Eight, Love Aid Foundation, Ho Municipal Assembly, and the Ghana Education Service was aimed at sensitizing young people in the municipality to acquire writing and storytelling skills to advocates on social issues.

A Social Advocate and Media Practitioner, Mr. Prince Amevi, who was the facilitator at the workshop took participants through procedures of writing and telling captivating stories.

Mr. Amevi emphasized on Fact-checking and data analysis while writing and gathering information.

"In gathering data, it is important that you speak to those that matters, also, speak to more than one source. This would help enrich your data and it would also help you attain the necessary facts to the story," Mr Amevi said.

He also highlighted the need for advocacy through modern media and blogging, he encouraged 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 rests entirely on the shoulders of the youth hence the need for an impactful advocacy.

“The purpose of this platform is to encourage, train, and give the young people the ability to advocate for issues within the city through the ability of writing,” he said.

“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,” he added.

Mr. Asase also encouraged young people in the municipality to inculcate learning habits and sign up for Leadership and Advocacy programs.

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.