Sekyere West youth organisations receive commendation

Mampong (Ash), June 19, GNA - Mr George Ankoma-Yeboah, Sekyere West District Co-ordinator of the National Youth Council (NYC), has commended a number of youth organisations in the district for their enormous contributions towards youth activities and development. The organisations he commended included Nsuta Youth Association, which has been organising community sanitation programmes, and Atonsu Youth Association, which have also initiated baked brick and tile projects.

The others were Nsuase Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association, which has established an Islamic basic school and Mampong Pentecost youth group, and Young People's Guild of the Presbyterian Church which have been organising moral, religious and HIV/AIDS awareness programmes. Mr Ankoma-Yeboah made the commendation at a youth leadership meeting at Asante-Mampong at which the various organisations gave overview of their group engagements and activities over the years as well as their challenges and constraints.

The District Co-ordinator urged the groups to work harder and encourage members to embark on meaningful income generation activities to improve on their living standards.

He called on them to ensure that members refrain from bad habits such as alcoholism, drug addiction, pre-marital sex, disrespect for elders, the aged and lawlessness and concentrate on programmes and activities that would raise their status.

Mr Stephen Owusu, leader of the Atonsu Youth Association, appealed to external donors, district assembly and NYC to help provide them with financial support to enable them to reactivate an abandoned clay baked brick and tile factory which the association initiated some years back to create sustainable livelihood for the youth.

The meeting discussed youth empowerment development summit activities to commemorate African and International Youth Days celebration, which starts from June to September this year. Activities proposed for the celebration are proposal writing, youth leadership skills workshop, seminars on Information Communication Technology (ICT) and Roll Back Malaria. Others are Whistle Blowers Bill, National Health Insurance Scheme, peace promotion and conflict resolution, work of members of Parliament and parliamentary proceedings and the National Youth Fund. The leaders endorsed the idea to form a network of the youth groups to be known as Sekyere West Youth Federation (SWYFED).