Celestine S.A Korsi-Agordo urges Tongu stakeholders to advocate for Tongu youth in addressing substance abuse with urgent call to action

South Tongu District Director of Education, Celestine S.A Korsi-Agordo (Mrs.) has urged Tongu stakeholders from the three Tongu Districts to advocate for the youth and help with a lasting solution to curbing substance abuse among the youth.

Currently in Ghana, a lot of the youth are pushing into the use of substance which has a negative impact on their life and the nation at large.

In the address of the South Tongu District Director of Education at the 16th National Delegates Congress of NUTSA held at Mepe St. Kizito SHTS in the North Tongu District of the Volta region, she emphasised the role of stakeholders and their importance for coming together to support Tongu youth

“Substance abuse among our young people is a critical issue that requires immediate attention. As stakeholders, we must prioritize advocacy efforts and take decisive action to combat this challenge.”

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“As the District Director of Education for South Tongu, I call upon all stakeholders to join forces in addressing substance abuse among our youth. We cannot afford to ignore this issue any longer. Let us unite in advocacy and work towards creating a safer and healthier environment for our future generations.”

“The future of Tongu lies in the hands of our youth, and it is our duty as stakeholders to empower and support them. This includes advocating for policies and initiatives that address pressing issues such as substance abuse.

Adding, she said “Together, we can make a difference and ensure a brighter future for our community.”

Calling on the stakeholders to prioritize the well-being of the youth, she said
“I urge all stakeholders in Tongu to prioritize the well-being of our youth by advocating for solutions to combat substance abuse. This is not just a problem for our youth; it affects the entire community. Let us heed this urgent call to action and work together to create a supportive environment where our youth can thrive.”

Read her full statement below; 👇

A KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY CELESTINE S. A KORSI-AGORDO, THE DISTRICT DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION FOR SOUTH TONGU ON THE THEME: “EMPOWERING MINDS, ENRICHING COMMUNITIES: THE ROLE OF STAKEHOLDERS IN SUPPORTING TONGU YOUTH FOR THE FUTURE” DURING THE 16TH NATIONAL ANNUAL CONGRESS OF THE NATIONAL UNION OF TONGU STUDENTS AND ASSOCIATES (NUTSA) HELD AT MEPE KIZITO ON THE 11TH MAY,2024.

Togbuigã Chair, Regional Director of Education, representatives of our Members of Parliament and District Chief executives, Headmaster, Togbuiwo, Mamawo, past and present Executives of NUTSA, Teachers, Religious Leaders, Friends of the media, Students, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen. It’s a great honour to be part of this 16th annual National Union of Tongu Students and Associates.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to deliver the keynote address for this occasion. The sub-theme for the day is “Empowering minds, enriching communities: The role of stakeholders in supporting Tongu Youth for the future.”

Indeed stakeholders play a crucial role in empowering minds that would enrich communities by supporting the youth in various ways. Their involvement can contribute a great deal to the overall development and well-being of the younger generation.

We always make references to stakeholders and there is the need to point out who really they are and our expectations from them. A Stakeholder can be an individual, a group or an entity with vested interest in a project, organisation or a business. They can significantly impact or be impacted by the outcomes and decisions related to whatever project or business they are nurturing and they do have interest, needs and perspectives. Their involvement normally ranges from financial investments to regulatory concerns.

When we take a look at the theme for today’s occasion, the number one stakeholder that matter in this sense is the youth. What do you as National Union of Tongu Students and Associates or Tongu Youth have on board before seeking the support of other stakeholders and what are your dreams and aspirations towards achieving a brighter future? You have already set the pace and we are seeing the good footsteps you are taking that has started yielding fruitful results for more than a decade ago. I personally applaud and hail NUTSA for all your efforts.

When we come to our traditional settings like this nature the stakeholders we expect to be active and concerned in the affairs of the youth include parents, families, churches, traditional rulers, individuals, philanthropists, groups, leaders from political, health, education, religious, NGOs to mention but a few. All these groups within our societies and communities must be responsible and concerned about the development of the future generation.

There are diverse ways they can support and show that they care for the future because a time would come when the mantle of management of our societies and leadership would be taken by the younger generation and therefore, they need to be fully prepared and nurtured to take that responsibility towards the progress of our heritage.

What kind of support or role is expected of stakeholders to empower the minds and enrich the communities through the youth? The responsibilities of stakeholders encompasses a wide range of functions that are pivotal to the growth of the younger generations. We cannot discuss all that in today’s programme alone however I would touch on a few.

To start with Togbuigã Chair, stakeholders are expected to be actively involved and participate in the strategic management of the goals of the future leaders by shaping their overall directions to guide them formulate policies that influence their activities.
I applaud the NUTSA president Mr. Justice Gbadago for always seeking directions and advice on how to go about their programmes. God richly bless you for that exemplary and dedicated leadership.

Another thing Stakeholders can do to empower the minds of the youth to enrich our communities is to allocate resources such as funding, facilities, and opportunities to provide the youngsters with the necessary tools and an enabling environment for growth. Since most of them are students there would be the need to constitute an award scheme for sponsorship that would cater for those brilliant but needy students within the catchment areas of the three Tongu Districts. By so doing a lot of the youth would have the privilege to pursue their education to the tertiary level as a means of empowering their minds for richer human resources such as Engineers, Scientists, Entrepreneurs, Teachers, Lawyers, Large Scale Farmers etc for our communities.

The youth themselves as stakeholders can collaborate with different sectors like government, NGOs, businesses and communities to create a network of support that offers diverse range of services and opportunities for their development. This can yield a positive result if they set good and result oriented targets.

Stakeholders can also advocate for policies and initiatives that benefit youth, providing them with more opportunities for education, training, acquisition of skills for trade, entrepreneurship, employment, and personal development.

Mentorship and Guidance are other areas that can empower the minds of the youth. Therefore stakeholders can offer programmes that give room to the youth to understudy experienced people from various sectors to serve as guardians and role models that can also manage them to navigate through challenges to explore their interests and set goals, untill they acquire skills and gain mastery of their potentials.

Another area worth engaging in, is to empower the youth for the enrichment of our communities by working together with them to create safe and inclusive spaces where they feel supported, respected, and involved to express themselves and pursue their aspirations. By so doing, we are preaching and preparing them for various leadership roles and responsibilities in the near future. It is an obligation on the part of the youth to also be responsible for their actions by giving feedback and evaluation to all stakeholders that matter in their upbringing.

There are potential risks generally in life for certain decisions we make, therefore there should be commitment on the part of our stakeholders to carve a decent path for the youth through activities that have to do with their transformation processes into adulthood. This can be achieved by organising open fora, townhall meetings and other salient engagements which would give them a lot of exposure in life that would nurture them into responsible adulthood.

As l draw closer to the end of my speech, I would like to emphasise that it is important to encourage positive communication between the youth and stakeholders which should be cordial and regular in order to prevent them from being carried away by youthful exuberance that might have adverse affects on their future and the community as well. I have to say this for a fact that most of our youngsters who should have been preparing themselves to take the mantle of leadership and other responsibilities from the older generation are now destroying themselves with drugs and all manner of substances. It is imperative and obligatory of us stakeholders now to wake up as a matter of urgency to do something about this manace before we are taking unaware.
Let us all join hands to empower their minds positively through education towards enriching our communities for growth and development.

Above all, I appeal passionately to all stakeholders again to play a critical role in shaping the moral uprightness of the younger people by creating an enabling environment as well as giving them other opportunities available to unearth their talents and reach their full potentials that would guide them contribute positively to society. Our own Herbert Mensah once said *The youth, our future* so if they are our future then, we must invest in them now for a better future.
Long live NUTSA, Long live Citizens of Tongu, Long live Ghana.

Thank you for listening.

SOURCE: Coverghana.com.gh