Accra, Oct. 26, GNA - The Board and Management of the National Youth Council (NYC) have organised a workshop to develop a strategic direction for the Council for the next three years. A statement issued by the NYC on Monday said the three strategic thrusts that emerged as the focus areas were "Development of a Sense of Direction and Nationalism in the Youth Grounded in the National Agenda"; "Youth Education for Employment and Entrepreneurship"; and "Youth Health, Sexuality and Environment".

It said the workshop was organised after board members had visited all regional youth centres as well as the 11 youth skills and training institutes across the countries.

The statement said the objectives for the workshop were to work together as a strong team to achieve the goal and objectives of the NYC and formulate jointly the strategic focus of the NYC for the next three years and strategise towards enhancing the relevance, presence and visibility of the council among the youth and across the country.

The Acting National Co-ordinator of the NYC, Dr Sekou Nkrumah noted that the NYC had not received the needed attention from stakeholders and expressed the hope that the strategic plan would help keep the body focused to make the necessary impact on the youth.

The Chairperson of the Board, Mrs Esther Cobbah, underscored the need for Management and Board to work together as a team so as to help build a sense of nationalism in the youth, which would go a long way to contribute to their education, lifestyle and ultimately put them in a better position to contribute to Ghana's development agenda.

The NYC has 10 regional and 81 secretariats. It has 11 Youth Skills Training and Leadership Institutes and runs courses in agriculture, dressmaking, electrical installation, masonry, carpentry, secretarial, Information, Communication and Technology and leadership skills, among other course things. These centres train at least 750 young people every year.