Youth advised to acquire professional, vocational skills
A renowned counsellor and educator, Opanin Kwadwo Kyere, has advised the youth to endeavour to acquire professional and vocational skills that will provide them with better sources of employment.
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He said rather than staying at home looking for non-existent employment in the public sector, the youth need to re-orientate their minds, acquire skills that would help them set up vibrant businesses and establish themselves in the private sector.
Opanin Kyere gave the advice when he spoke about ‘relationships’ at a three-day programme at the Anointed One Congregation of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, at Sakumono, near Tema.
This was during the church’s annual Youth Development Festival (YUDAFEST), which is held annually to meet the needs of the community in general and the youth in particular. The programme involved a series of events held annually to primarily reach out to the people, especially the youth, with the word of God. Other activities include blood donation exercise; free medical screening for the community, as well as general healthcare and medical advice on HIV and AIDS, and other health conditions.
Private, public sector collaboration
The Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, recently called for collaboration between public and private sector employers to disabuse the minds of the public that the public sector was the only or better source of employment. This was when he addressed the 55th Annual General Meeting and Business Luncheon of the Ghana Employers Association (GEA) in Accra.
Opanin Kyere’s advice to the youth also buttressed the call on the public to understand and appreciate the potential jobs that the private sector can offer the youth, and the fact that it provides the most sustainable avenue for their employment.
Touching on various issues relating to youth development and ways to promote a healthy marriage, he said it was obvious that youth employment was a critical element of a nation’s development, hence the need for greater attention to be focused on training the youth to enable them to gain employable skills.
He said for the youth to succeed, they needed to uphold the values of honesty, sincerity and truthfulness and avoid waste in order to make optimum use of their resources.
Counselling
Opanin Kyere also urged parents and church elders to counsel the youth and provide them with useful advice that would enhance their growth and development, pointing out that this had become more relevant, “because we live in an age of rebellion, with the youth living in an age of competition and pressure”.
He also advised the youth to be weary of lesbianism and homosexuality in schools, stressing that the government should not endorse same-sex marriage in the name of human rights.
Touching on the role of money in love, he said money could not buy love, stressing that some people were rich but not worthy. “Money is powerful but not mighty. Let us not count our blessings in terms of money but by God’s mercies,” he added.
Advice to couples
He also advised couples not to cheat, pointing out that: “It is abnormal for couples to cheat in marriage.”
He said those who found themselves in such situations should “repent and present themselves technically as virgins”, adding that “relationships should have positive effects on others”.
He also spoke about what he described as “expensive weddings” and said would-be couples preparing for marriages should set positive goals that would impact positively on their marriage.
According to Opanin Kyere, there should not be any form of competition among spouses, but rather the man and the woman should complement each other and accept their respective roles to enhance their relationship, and reduce divorce.