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African Union Youth Volunteers celebrate 10th anniversary
The African Union Youth Volunteers Corps (AU-YVC) which is set to celebrate its 10 years anniversary this year, has urged more young people to apply for the programme.
The programme is a flagship of the African Union which recruits, trains and deploys young African professionals to serve as professional volunteers for a period of 12 months across the continent.
The AU-YVC programme will soon be looking to recruit the 11th Cohort. The vacancy announcement will be posted on the AUC careers portal: www.au.careers.org.
The programme continues to promote volunteerism to deepen the status of young people in Africa as key actors in Africa’s development targets and goals.
It enhances youth participation in policy development as well as brings to life relevant interventions towards achieving the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), H.E Moussa Faki Mahammat’s One Million by 2021 initiative.
The One Million by 2021 initiative seeks to provide African youth with concrete opportunities in the areas of Education, Employment, Entrepreneurship, and Engagement (the 4Es).
To date, approximately 11,000 young people have applied for the programme, 989 trained and 546 have been deployed to various AUC departments, organs and partner organisations across Africa.
The Department of Human Resources, Science and Technology has begun preparations for the commemoration of the AU-YVC 10 year anniversary through a digital campaign to showcase the decade long work the AU has done on youth mainstreaming and encourage youth to apply for the 2020 intake on the AU Youth Programme social media platforms.
The programme objectives are to establish a common understanding of the values and philosophy of the AU-YVC, build leadership and professional ability of AU Youth Volunteers and prepare them for their one-year service in another country.
Applicant needs to be a citizen of an AU member state living on the continent or in the diaspora.
The applicant needs to be aged between 18-35 years, and have a post-secondary certified qualification(s) (TVET, Bachelor’s, Master’s, etc.)
Applicant should be available in 2021/22 to dedicate 12 months to professional volunteer services and willing to live and work in another AU Member state.
Applicant should be proficient in at least one AU working language (Arabic, English, French and Portuguese) and have at least one-year verifiable volunteering experience and one-year professional work experience.
Troubled and anxious citizens in Damongo of the Savannah Region have expressed concerns about the number of young people, believed to be under the age of 18, involved in ‘shisha’ smoking in pubs and drinking spots within the township.
Eyewitnesses say the minors were seen patronising nightlife venues, where Shisha smoking happen in the open.
The situation has sparked renewed public concern over the enforcement of child protection laws and regulations governing the operations of entertainment centres in the municipality and country as a whole.
An eyewitness, who spoke to The Spectator on conditions of anonymity for security reasons, noted that the situation was becoming increasingly common.
“This is not a one-off incident. It is becoming very common, but residents like us cannot openly report or speak about it because our lives will be at risk,” he said.
Under Ghanaian law, minors were prohibited from patronising Shisha.
Public health experts have consistently warned that shisha use exposes users to harmful substances that can negatively affect brain development, respiratory health, and overall well-being, particularly among young people.
The residents believe the alleged incidents point to broader challenges relating to youth supervision, substance abuse, and weak enforcement of existing regulations and have called on municipal authorities, security agencies, and regulatory bodies to intensify monitoring of pubs and entertainment centres to ensure compliance with the law.
In an effort to address the menace, Mr Salisu Be-Awurbi, the Savannah Regional Minister, has led public education campaigns, engaged security agencies, and supported enforcement actions to address the rising use of illicit substances in the region.
Wura Kelly Seidu Boresah I, the Chief of Damongo, has also called on all stakeholders including parents, community leaders, institutions, and young people to actively support efforts to curb drug abuse, warning that the rising consumption of hard drugs poses a serious health threat to the future of the youth in the Savannah Region.
He also cautioned individuals involved in the sale and distribution of illicit drugs to immediately desist from the practice, stressing that offenders will face arrest and prosecution in accordance with the law.
From Geoffrey Buta, Damongo, Savannah Region
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Dr Theresa Baffour, an advocate for ending violence and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SAHM SAHW Foundation, has said that society plays a critical and pivotal role in breaking the cycle of domestic violence.
According to her, domestic violence is a major contributor of making women, who are mostly the victims, mentally derailed and unable to engage in economic activities.
She said this when the foundation called on the Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, to solicit support for the initiative by the “Strong and Healthy Minds, Strong and Healthy Women” (SAHM SAHW) to combat domestic violence within the Ga State.
The visit was occasioned by the fact that domestic violence cases have become quite prevalent in the Ga communities and is retarding growth.
According to her, the canker was an impediment to national development because the victims were usually tortured and would have to go through series of therapies to return to the right state of mind.
Dr Baffour mentioned that Gender-Based Violence (GBV) places a mental toll on women, and was, therefore, important to break the cycle through comprehensive mental health support, crisis intervention and empowerment programmes in communities with high rates of GBV.
This intervention, she underscored, would help in empowering the denigrated victim of domestic violence to soundly heal, build and thrive.
Dr Baffour added that the initiative would provide holistic, trauma-informed mental health care and advocacy for young women affected by domestic violence.
According to her, the above statement would create safe spaces for healing and equipping them with entrepreneurial skills for renewed hope and empowered life.
The Ga Mantse pledged his support for the laudable initiative to combat domestic violence and also acknowledged the need to address it in the Ga State.
Further endorsement came from Justice Julia Naa-Yarley Adjei Amoah, Chief of Staff at the Office of the Ga Mantse, as she commended the team of SAHM SAHW Foundation for taking a bold step to end the canker in the Greater Accra.
She added that it was a step in the right direction to save vulnerable women from torture, stress and emotional abuse.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
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