Educational Policy in Ghana 2004 by John Agyekum Kuffour

The Expression of Patriotism by the Ghanaian youth

Ghana can boast of patriotic youth both present and past such as our first president Dr Kwame Nkrumah, the Big Six, the veterans of 1948, Dr. Kwegir Aggrey, Kofi Annan, and many others that were involved in the fight for independence and after independence. These are all people that had and have their country at heart and one way or the other due to their interest in the affairs of their country took the necessary actions. These are much respected people in our world today and they are heroes and role models for many. As to whether the youth today are as patriotic as those of the 1900’s or if it was their choice or a collective duty to Ghana for the youth in the 1900’s that’s also quite a debatable topic.

Some may also be of the view that the youth of Ghana are more interested in making quick money, social media, fashion, drugs, clubbing or fraud. Yet, there are also those belonging to the school of thought that, the youth have an urge to participate in policy making, patronize made in Ghana products, bring about innovations in relation to our culture, sense of patriotism and volunteerism, respect for the elderly and love for our country.

Personally, I think the youth of Ghana also have a strong sense of patriotism within them and this is demonstrated in how passionate we are about issues affecting the country. Examples are our love for peace and stability, justice, sense of community, respect for the elderly and compassion towards the less privileged in society. Unfortunately, this passion is not channeled appropriately in the right direction. In my observation, mostly we resort to making our concerns known on social media platforms, group discussions and arguments and television and radio shows. This even though somehow useful achieves little or no results since the leaders consider such grievances. In my own opinion it shows their love for their country only that it should be channeled to the right platform, the relevant people, using effective means and most importantly taking positive action on their own to solve the various problems on their own .It is not wholly about what they are interested in or whether they are better than their leaders but what impact are they having on their country. Advocacy, negotiation and discussions are vital but it is about time the youth look forward to resorting to identifying what they want in their communities.

It definitely will be more effective to start to do something, even if little, to implement our ideas and dreams. Together we can rise above the fear of being wrong or failing and any phobia of being different or criticized. After all, we still have priceless assets such as our time, skills and the youthful energy which can be put to very good use. The days of waiting for the government and politicians are over because it has not provided the desired result and the youth have to take up responsibilities for positive change. We have the option to be the change we want to see in our world, first by starting with ourselves and then making that change. Prior to all this, the youth have to make it a point to change the way we think, our attitudes towards development and how we perceive our communities. It is essential that the youth being the backbone begin to think positively and believe in ourselves and our country. We need to decide on what we want to do and go be it, taking into consideration the positive impact we can have on country and how we would unconsciously be developing ourselves. We should be motivated to be passionate about our country enough, to develop the love for volunteering and patriotic ways of life. We should learn to overlook the material benefits we can get, the problems or challenges we face, the actions of politicians, and what or who has started so far and start something so others can follow our lead.

That said, there should be more organizations such as Patriots Ghana (www.patriotsghana.org) and other youth friendly organizations that would provide the right platform to train, nurture, improve and harness the skills of the youth towards sustainable development. Leaders at all levels should give the youth the chance to also contribute their quota to this country no matter how small it may seem. The youth should be provided with platforms and avenues such as internships, workshops, seminars, training sessions, and exchange programs so they can acquire the requisite knowledge and skills. This is essential in the sense that “you cannot give what you do not have.

If these actions are encouraged it will surely go a long way to reduce the level of unemployment in the youth, since they would be equipped to start their enterprises, projects and organizations. It is important that, this be incorporated right from the basic school level, so that after school the youth would not be looking forward to someone employing them but would be motivated to start their own entities to employ others, support themselves and contribute to their countries development.

Furthermore, youth clubs should be established in all communities and already existing ones should be revitalized to create a very good platform for the youth of communities to volunteer, interact and have good peer influence towards development. Ghana needs the youth and the youth need their country. “wonsom! wonsom! wonyi nyimpa”, if the youth should come together, with one mind and passion for our dear motherland, believing in ourselves and our country there is nothing we cannot do. As a fellow volunteer and member of Patriots Ghana KNUST (www.patriotsghana-knust.webs.com) it is easy to notice how effective and the impact we have on how community even with the somewhat little things that we do. This can be attributed to the unity in strength, passion, like mindedness, love, energy, intellect, determination and many other remarkable qualities. We can start by doing what is necessary and then what is possible and before long we would be doing the impossible. It is time to live for a greater purpose, let us not miss what matters, we should let go of the irrelevant connections and attachments and reach out.

Arise Ghana Youth!!!

Article By: Emmanuel Yamoah

                        Patriots Ghana KNUST