Youth camp for peace to be organised in Dagbon

Accra, Aug 22, GNA- A National Youth Camp for Peace, a project designed to instil in the youth, values of negotiations, dialogue, consensus building and the need to live harmoniously is to be held in Tamale for over 600 youngsters from the country.

The project, estimated to cost 500 million cedis, will be organised by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports and is scheduled to commence from August 25 to 31, this year.

In a speech read for him in Accra on Friday, Mr Rashid Bawa, Minister of State at the Ministry, said the project was inspired by President J A Kufuor's recent visit to Dagbon, where he held separate meetings with the Andanis and Abudus.

He said the "visit has brought some relative peace in the area". "There is, therefore, the urgent need to build and consolidate on the relative peace achieved so far".

The Minister said the weeklong programme would attract 200 and 400 participants from the southern and northern sectors respectively. Out of the number, 200 would be selected from the Dagbon area, comprising of youth, chiefs and those in and out of second cycle schools.

The peace camp aims at inculcating in the participants, skills of non-violent conflict management and resolution, promote character and principled leadership, respect for the beliefs and values of other peoples culture, and influence each other's attitudes and behaviours.

Mr Bawa explained that as part of the camping programme, training workshops that involve group exercises, demonstrations, drama, football and action learning on topics like law and order, disaster management, dialogue negotiations and HIV/AIDS would be held.

He said the youth would be educated that violence has never been the solution to any problem and that "no meaningful development can take place in an atmosphere of chaos, lawlessness and instability.

"The Ministry has, therefore, resolved to inculcate the ideals of peace and non-violence in our youth before another violence or war erupts. All the varied experiences and research indicate that these programmes can result in the reduction of violence, improved learning environment, strengthen sense of responsibility and enhance social, economic and political advancement of the country", the Minister said. He said participants were expected to carry to their families, friends and colleagues the values of peace and its importance in nation building.

Mr Bawa said the National Youth Council (NYC) under the sector Ministry, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), were funding the project but appealed to the business community to support it either in cash or in kind. He said a similar programme would be repeated in the Southern sector to help sustain the impact of the camp in the country. 22 Aug 03