The first annual Ghanaian youth summit was held on May 18th 2013 at the driftwood community center. The event focused on Ghanaian youth issues in the community. Attending speaking were notable Ghanaian professionals in varying trades and specialties. Attending and speaking at the youth summit was Justice Kofi Barnes of the supreme court of Canada, Mr. Amankra, Actor and playwright Ato Essandoh, traditional Ghanaian chief Fred Tay and the consular general of Ghana H. E Mawutor. This year’s event was held under the theme “Engagement and Leadership through Youth Empowerment”. During the day, a wide array of workshops were held for the youth about the Criminal Justice System, financial management, formal and informal education, purpose in life, entrepreneurship, employment, cultural identity, self investment etc.

Emmanuel Duodu, said the Youth Summit was a good start to empowering youth in the Ghanaian by letting them know that the community supported them and if one person leaves inspired then success had been achieved.Attendance at the event was unexpectedly low by accounts of the publicity, necessity and seriousness of the issues that needed to be addressed. Parents were notably absent at the youth summit at which point the information , advice and support needed in the homes for the youth summit attendees remained unavailable. This however did not perturb the youth from asking questions and analyzing the information they received. Also, many of the youth found the information valuable and networked with speakers for further support and advice in the future. The workshops allowed the youth to ask questions, get clarification and gain better understanding of issues such as law and society, managing their money etc.

 

Justice Kofi Barnes on Youth and the law

Justice Kofi Barnes who came to Canada on a scholarship to further his education, found it difficult to accept racism because he had a strong self identity that could not be tarnished by any person. However, he also noted that most Ghanaian youth born in Canada are likely to face stereotyping, discrimination and racism that could have an effect on their self esteem, which could also result in a sense of not belonging in the Canadian society. He reiterated that the clashes youth have with their parents are genuinely due to the children’s lack of self confidence and self esteem in the Canadian educational system. Therefore, parents have to be aware of their children’s needs and make an effort to help them especially during their transition period. He recalled his humble upbringing in Ghana and the self-worth concept that was instilled in him by his parents, which made him who he is today. He emphasized that one of the ways of keeping people down is making them believe they cannot make it. Justice Barnes assured the youth that the strategy is to walk away from those people who say you cant. According to him, people laughed when he said he was going to become a lawyer. Again, they laughed when he said he was going to become a judge, simply because there were hardly any black judges in Canada at that time. Today, Kofi Barnes, has risen to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice as a Judge, and has been able to create legal codes that affect the lives of people in Canada. He is a member of the Canadian Association of Black Lawyers, and founder of the Canadian Association of Drug Treatment Professionals. He has been involved in several international initiatives and organizations such as the United Nations

 

Mr. Joseph Amankrah on Skills Training

Mr. Joseph Amankrah of Ryerson University also spoke to the youth about skills training. He stated that students usually fail to look at the primary trades such as engineering, machinery operation among others that truly create wealth. According to him, countries such as Germany, China and Brazil have been able to expand their manufacturing base through technology and specialized skills training. Unfortunately, students are not learning the industrial transferable skills that can help Ghana’s manufacturing sector. The premise of his talk was that there is a lot of unemployment in Africa and that one way to fix that is through specialized skills training, which result in quick employment. Mr. Amankrah observed that the Canadian society is changing and that many youth have completed universities but are unemployed. He emphasized that the university is not the only option for the youth, and having a skilled trade does not make one any lesser. Rather, it provides the immense opportunity of being self employed or creating employment. He debunked the idea that skilled trades are lowly-rated; instead he stated that some of the criteria for skilled trades demand strong math, physics and chemistry backgrounds. He advised that a country’s wealth lies greatly in its skilled people. For more information, visit www.skillsontario.com or call 519-749-9877 ext: 224

 

Francis Attah on Keys of Change

Conceivably the most interesting speaker for the day was youthful Francis Attah. Ghanaian-born Attah at his young age has taken it upon himself to mentor youth in his Jane and Finch neighbourhood and across Toronto. He used his childhood stories to motivate the attendees, and his passion could be felt through his tone of voice, energy and other ways in which he drew attention in the room. Today, Francis whose whirlwind life turned around for the better after fighting poverty and the law, is a respectable community youth motivational speaker. Attah advises that change takes small steps, and it doesn’t matter where one comes from, one can be a better person in life. A new book authored by Francis titled “The flip” talks about peer pressure and bullying. Then on the flip side, he also addresses parents about positive communication with their children. He stresses the need for an I can do mentality in a positive way, and to never give up on their dreams and aspirations. Friends, hobbies, relationships, all the things that the youth love are the same things that can hold them back. Attah was a recent winner of the Annual Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards and has been interviewed several times by Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He graduated on top of his Child and Youth Program class at George Brown College, and is currently starting his own organization called K.E.Y.S. (Knowledge & Effort Yield Success).

Togbe Zonyira on Cultural Identity

As much as we think we know our Ghanaian culture, it appears that we Ghanaian Canadians are not proud of our culture. Togbe Zonyira delved into the life of Ghana’s first president, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. He recounted the life struggles in America, his tenacity for survival, and his passion to see Ghana independent from colonial rule. He also briefed the youth on Nkrumah’s pride as an African by wearing the Kente cloth and the Fugu anywhere he went. Dr. Nkrumah made sure that the West understood that there was a new African in Town, one that was proud of who he was and of his ancestry, and thereby put Ghana on the world map. Togbe noted that tourism could help boost Ghana’s economy, but to get to that point, we also need to appreciate our Ghanaian culture in our everyday life.

H.E Kojo Mawutor on Media and Africa the Dark Continent

Mr. Kodjo Mawutor, the Consular General of Ghana in Toronto, noted that the media presentation of Africa is often negative, focusing on only wars, famine, corruption etc. Since racial profiling and cultural stereotypes abound in our Canadian community, His Excellency asks the question what have we shown to be identified?

Also part of the summit agenda were a series of workshops.

 

 

 

Gabe Odartei and Deborah Donkor leading the Criminal Justice worshop

The criminal Justice system workshop
held by Gabriel Odartei and Debbie Donkor, dealt with topics affecting black youth this included perception, police, media and music, a participant raised the fact that the system looks down on black people and it is up to us to make a change. Other participants also raised the fact that one’s image speaks volumes and how a person presents themselves determines how others perceive them.

The Conflict Resolution workshops discussed disagreements between parents, siblings, and friends and this how these disagreements can be solved in the best manner. The workshop facilitators tried to enlighten the youth that conflict resolution is not a one sided agreement but achieved through mutual agreement and collaboration. They addressed the fact that when a person is able to identify a trigger, they will be better equipped to resolve conflict. A trigger could be as simple as the way one asks a question and the tone of a person’s voice. This talk was very important in the sense that as Africans conflict resolution and counselling are often ignored in the busy Canadian life, whereas in Africa extended family member and friends lent a hand to resolve conflicts.

The “My purpose in life” workshop led by Aisha Addo elaborated with the youth the possible meaning purpose. Topics included education, careers, goals, God and more. The facilitators instilled in the youth the importance of finding God, and knowing what ones purpose in life is. As an activity, the facilitators asked explored how one can identify their true purpose. Their main premise was that knowing one’s self is very vital and that someone in this world has to benefit from another person’s purpose. It was impression how the facilitators where able to take a difficult question concerning the significance of life and dissecting it into understandable pieces in a workshop.

Another workshop titled “Education as a Life long Journey” explored the concept of life log learning and what it means for the youth of today. According to Dr. Fredua kwarteng, education and learning are often used interchangeable to mean a process in which someone comes to know something, appreciate it or accept it. Sometimes learning involves investigation, information gathering, questioning, or exploration. That is, we become knowledgeable through education.

He stated that education can be guided or unguided and intentional or unintentional on the part of the learner. Dr Kwarteng encouraged continuous learning for personal development and growth. He quotes a philosopher stating: “Life-learning implies learning for oneself and not for anybody else. His underlining point was that those who engaged in life-long learning made tremendous contributions to society than those who don’t. Some of these people include Maya Angelou, Nee Nkulenu (Dr. Ester Ocloo), Malcolm X and many others.

The financial management workshop led by Christina Sackeyfio. The subject of finance is often left out of conversations in the black community, with attention paid more attention to gun violence, and black struggle in general; hence it is very vital that it is talked about. This workshop covered topics such as budgeting, saving, expenditure, investment, and more.

The Ghanaian Canadian association of Ontario wishes to thank all participant and the chair of the event Mr. Doudu for his dedication and support of youth initiatives. The association recognized these in individuals with certificates of appreciation; they are Nana Anane, Christina Sackeyfio, Gabriel lamptey, Aisha Addo, Emanuel Hardness, Richmond Bonsu, and Debbie, Jesse Boamah . MC for the event was Hardness and Debbie, music was provided by D.J Donet.

We would like to thank all our volunteers, our dj D.J. Donet, videographer Alex Yeboah and photographer Justice Acheampong.

Writteen by Bernadette Poku and Jesse Frimpong

Edited by: Gabe Odartei