“Working after graduation…starting a business…becoming a nurse…improving my life,” they told me with conviction. These are a small handful of the ambitions described by ten young women I had the privilege of interviewing during my visit to the YMCA Vocational School for Girls in Takoradi, Ghana. In early May 2014, I was afforded the opportunity to visit Ghana as recipient of the Henry Labatte Scholarship. My journey to Ghana and everything in between until my departure allowed me to witness the strength of a goal and the YMCA’s role in providing support to transform ambitions into reality. My personal goal, for example, was to participate in a cross-cultural experience in the continent of Africa and with the support of the YMCA, I can successfully check that off my bucket list as achieved. The Ghana YMCA’s goals, as described in the photo above, are to enable youth to become productive and empowered citizens by means of skills and entrepreneurial training.
The girls’ ambitions are ones familiar to me as a Job Skills Counsellor working in the Employment and Community programs within the YMCA of Greater Toronto. In my role, I serve both youth and adults with similar employment and life goals. Though far in proximity, Ghana and Canada are united by the ambitions of young people striving to improve their lives by taking small, yet impactful steps, to move closer to success.
The objective of the YMCA’s employment programs, both in Canada and Ghana, are to provide effective leadership and training to aid youth in their communities in achieving a better life. A well thought out employment goal is a step towards achieving a higher life quality - a universal truth. Goals, whether formal or informal, initiate achievement. Young people attending the YMCA’s programs participate to obtain the education they need to realize their dreams. When I work with youth, supporting them requires a solid action plan with specific steps which will help the individual to achieve smaller goals to support the longer term goal. At the Ghana YMCA, I heard dreams for sustainable employment similar to the those I often hear in my current role. At the YMCA Vocational School for Girls, topics such as entrepreneurial skills, catering, dressmaking, English, math, to name a few are taught, all in an attempt to educate and inspire young women. It was especially interesting for me to learn that for these young ladies, technical skills are only one aspect of the information they appreciated.
“Empowerment…confidence…learning how to public speak…nutrition…learning how to protect ourselves,” are what a few of the ladies shared as being their highlights of the program. These highlights are the action items which support the students’ overall goals.
Working at the YMCA of Greater Toronto, I am often able to witness the impact our programs have in the lives of youth. While visiting Ghana, the impact the YMCA has in Takoradi was made evident to me when speaking individually with the students and became more visible during the last evening before my return home. Although tired and overwhelmed, that evening allowed me to bear witness to the result of participating in the Vocational School for Girls. This was achieved when a young lady knocked on my hotel door to introduce herself. Hesitant to open the door to anyone other than my direct host, I took the chance and was delighted to see Mary, a porter working at the hotel. Mary introduced herself to me as a 2013 graduate from the YMCA Vocational School and told me to look out for her during my stay. Mary had achieved her goal of employment. She was able to apply the skills she learned at the YMCA to find a job at a nearby hotel after graduation. I did not speak with Mary in-depth enough to find out if this was her short or long term employment goal. However, what I know from meeting with the students, is that employment (whether self-employment or being hired as an employee) is a goal which will help them achieve a better life and it is the objective of the training they complete at the YMCA.
Mary and all the young ladies at the Vocational School for Girls, gives evidence to the strength of a goal and the importance for youth to have the support they need to realize their dreams.
