The Communication Initiative
Development action with informed and engaged societies
The Communication Initiative
After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future.
 
Co-founder Victoria Martin is pleased to see this work continue under Wits' leadership. Victoria knows that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction.
 
We honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades. Meanwhile, La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA) continues independently at cila.comminitcila.com and is linked with The CI Global site.
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PAPER The Drum Beat - 24 - Ohio University - Youth - Ghana

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The Drum Beat - 24 - Ohio University - Youth - Ghana
Additional Information and Commentary - Please contact the student identified for a full copy of their paper.


By Ephraim Nikoi Kotey
International Student of Ohio University
July 1999
ek350392@oak.cats.ohiou.edu


13. Topic: Mobilizing The Youth Of Ghana For Development Through Effective Communication.

ABSTRACT

The youth are the bedrock of any society and therefore a country. They are the agents of social change. They have the potential to make or unmake a country through their actions. They are the source, manpower, innovation and sustainers of change. For a country to therefore make meaningful strides towards development, the youth must not be sidelined. A development strategy that does not take into consideration the youth factor may fail since they are the agents of change and future leaders. Their strategic position makes it imperative that they are fully integrated into the development strategies of a country.

A critical examination of the situation of the youth in Ghana gives much room for concern. Owing to economic, social and political problems most of them have been thrown onto the streets of major cities selling any item they could lay hands on. Others have become prostitutes, drug addicts and criminals. Some individuals and groups also take advantage of their plight and use them to achieve their parochial interest. Most of these youth lack vision and therefore do not have any plans for the future. Thus, instead of becoming assets to the society they have become liabilities. There is therefore the need for a strategy to mobilize this large proportion of the population of Ghana to contribute their quota towards the development if the country. In undertaking this task the role of communication cannot be underestimated. It is through effective communication that the potentials of the youth could be tapped to bring about national development. This is what this paper seeks to address.

In this research work I used both primary and secondary sources of information. The primary source was mainly based on my discussions with some Ghanaian students here in Ohio University and my personal experience with youth work in Ghana. The secondary source was mainly library sources. This included materials on both the economic political and social situations prevailing in Ghana as well as communication.

In the research it was realized that the mass media is a contributory factor to the problems being faced by the youth of Ghana today. The violence and immorality, on the screens of television and cinemas, for example, have contributed to the moral degradation of the youth. It was however realized that this modern form of communication have been widely accepted by the youth. Therefore, for effective communication to take place there is the need to blend traditional and modern forms of communication. This is against the backdrop that certain programs such as drama, Concert Party and By The Fireside, have a lot of impact on the youth. The paper therefore, examines how the culturalist paradigm together with modern communication systems could be used to provide edutainment as has been done by Soul City for the mobilization of the youth of Ghana for national development.