Capacity Development Institute (CDI)

For the government to achieve a per capita income of $1000 by 2015, we need to develop a vibrant youth entrepreneurial base - Stephen K. Acheampong, Cofounder and Project Officer, YPWC, Ghana

Young People We Care (YPWC), as a youth-led and youth-focused non-governmental organization, has an unconditional responsibility towards the youth of Ghana, Africa and the world at large. Youth are the leaders of today, and not as many people say - of tomorrow. As such, it is imperative to focus on training, building and developing the skills and capacities of our young people, empowering them for leadership positions. One sure way of doing this is by creating a comprehensive and innovative organ within our organization charged with the core responsibility of building and developing the capacities of youth. Thus, they will become ready to contribute meaningfully in national development, helping to realize a better world for the generations of tomorrow, and of today.

Concept

For the first time in the history of Ghana, a youth policy aimed at youth development has been proposed. As young people constitute 30% of Ghana's population the stake holders in the youth development enterprise should be applauded. However, the new policy can only work if the youth of Ghana, for whom it was drafted, are involved through youth/government engagements on the issues affecting them. Interaction with governments and stake holders will become only more successful after the capacity of youth to fully understand and appreciate the dynamics of these high-level engagements is built and developed.

Our world today is a very youthful one with almost half of the current global population under the age of 25. There are 1.2 billion young people, and the next generation of youth, children below the age of 15, count as 1.8 billion of the world's population. Thanks to the global consensus that led to the adoption of the MDGs, young people are increasingly becoming the focus of international attention (World Youth Report, 2005). Before the MDGs, issues of young people had been muted.

The demographic trend is no different in Ghana with about 30% of the total population in the youth bracket. Notwithstanding this statistic, the youth in Ghana have been little involved in our country's decision making process. This isolation creates social contexts where negative stereotypes can flourish, resulting in few opportunities for youth and policymakers to work in partnership towards the development of communities and the nation. These stereotypes are further reinforced through policies that assume young people are unwilling and unable to contribute to the common good (Zeldin et al, 2000). Therefore, it is important to create an avenue for youth to identify and unearth their talents and skills. By developing these gifts, the youth of Ghana will be empowered to actively and meaningfully participate in the decision making processes that affects their daily existence.

Increasingly, students from tertiary institutions graduate from school without any idea of societies' expectations of them, and, conversely, what they can reasonably expect from society. Indeed, the greatest difficulty facing a student graduating from school is how s/he can fit into society. The immediate challenge is to ask, how do I get a job? In turn, this question includes such issues, as said/wrote, in 'preparing for interviews, team work; personality and job competence. Perhaps important to the graduating degree or HND holder [are] relationships and courtships and managing what little one gets after the job has been acquired.' Therefore, the YPWC - Capacity Development Institute (CDI) is a holistic attempt at meeting these questions to help young people taking some important steps through the maze of life.

Course Areas

The institute will run training programmes in areas key to youth development, such as personal development, youth in government, young entrepreneurship, voluntarism, youth migration and development, youth and conflict management and resolution, and other relevant topics to be considered as the need arises.

Objectives

The main objective of this concept is to create an avenue for the comprehensive and proactive development of the skills and talents of the youth of Ghana to meaningfully and creatively contribute their quota to the betterment of youth and other interested people who are the future generations of the world.

The specific objectives include:

• To build and develop the capacities of senior high school students in terms of development, entrepreneurship, leadership, goal setting, time and financial management, record keeping and customer service relations
  
  
• To introduce participants to the basic concepts and principles of entrepreneurship

Target Population

Young people and youth groups in Ghana will be the primary beneficiaries of the CDI initiative. Much attention will be given to graduates of senior high schools, technical schools, vocational institutions, polytechnics and universities. The secondary beneficiaries will include young entrepreneurs, and business women and men in and around in Ghana. People who are also interested in NGO work can join the team.

Justification

Natural talent and creativity are important in each human endeavour. However, these attributes without skill become less efficient and effective. It is imperative that we fine-tune the abilities of the potential professional worker before s/he enters the professional world. It is in this vein that YPWC-CDI will contribute to youth development, creating the means for the YPWC to directly serve its constituents.

Interested schools, groups, organizations, institutions and people should contact us at: info@ypwc.org

Or: 

Young People We Care (YPWC)

P.O. Box SN 369, SANTASI-KUMASI.GHANA