The Youth Advocacy Network (YAN), a group of youth advocates in the Wa West District, has engaged young people in the district to empower them to participate actively in the decision-making process.
They were also trained to promote adolescent reproductive health education, rights, education, and development of the girls in their communities.
The initiative by YAN had support from Plan International Ghana as part of efforts to promote youth participation in decision-making, promotion of girls’ rights and reproductive health education.
The young people, majority of whom were females, were trained using the “Child Protection Community Facilitation Toolkits” which focused on gender role analysis and their responsibilities among others.
Speaking at the training in Meteu, Mr Felix Wuurah, the Coordinator of the Network, thanked Plan International Ghana for supporting the Network in its capacity-building activities and stakeholder engagements, especially on girls’ rights and youth development.
He encouraged the youth-led and youth-focused groups to engage in activities regularly to build their capacities on various issues that affect them.
“Don’t hesitate to call on any stakeholder like the National Youth Authority, Plan International Ghana, and the youth advocates around the community if you are facing any challenges”, he told the young people.
Mr Amankona Ampofo, the Upper West Regional Director of the National Youth Authority (NYA), expressed gratitude to Plan International Ghana for its dedicated support to youth development in the region, especially the Wa West District.
He cited the activities of the Upper West Regional Youth Parliament, the Youth Advocacy Network and the Music for Change group among others as some youth development interventions the organisation was supporting in the region.
Mr Ampofo encouraged young people to strive to participate in decision-making processes in their communities and undertake voluntary community activities.
Mr Sumaila Chakurah, the representative of Plan International Ghana at the training, assured the people of the organisation’s commitment to supporting youth development, particularly girls’ education, their reproductive health, and the general well-being of girls and adolescents.
He also charged the youth to take their education, health, and well-being seriously and engage stakeholders in promoting youth development and well-being.
Similar engagements with the adolescent groups had been held in the Wechiau and Baleufili communities in the Wa West District while plans were in place to extend it to the remaining project communities.
The Network also engaged women groups in the Kendeu community on equal rights for boys and girls at home.
The parents were also urged to create friendly relationships with their children, particularly the girls to enable them openly report issues that affect them such as sexual harassment to their parents.
The YAN is a network of young people operating in eight communities in the Wa West District – Wechiua, Kandeu, Kpanfa, Tendoma, Meteu, Nyoli, Jagluu and Kachiau.
The group seeks to foster inclusive communities where every girl and young person can achieve their full potential without discrimination.
It prioritises adolescent sexual reproductive health education, girls’ rights promotion, and youth participation in decision-making processes at the family and community levels.
