I am Ghanaian and a participant at the 2013 Global Citizens’
Course in Kenya and Tanzania. My interest in the Global Citizens’ Course
started from my passion in young people’s action and in community development. As
an upcoming change agent, I have since my school days been an advocate for
young people through clubs and student associations and my interest in young
peoples’ development grew from there. As a development worker, my main schedule
is working with community groups such as Girls’ and Boys’ Clubs, Community
Based Associations/Organizations, Youth and women groups.
When I heard about the course, I thought that this was one
way I could echo the voices of the mostly poor and vulnerable groups that I was
working with, aside developing my skill and expertise in International
Community Development. I believe that every available resource that can be
given to these groups should not pass them by. And with what the course will
provide, I could help empower the Youth and vulnerable groups to speak up and
advocate for better live. My other motivation was to learn more about the
people, culture and the world outside my country.
It’s been three weeks since I arrived in chilly Nairobi. I
was told about the weather so I came into Nairobi prepared to fight the weather
boot for boot. I soon learnt here, that there was a big difference between
Ghana and Kenya or East Africa. Never mind that I have not been to any other
East African Country. Both countries
(Ghana and Kenya) are supposed to be part of Africa, as a country (Some of my
white friends refer to the whole of Africa as a country). Here, the assumption is
that our way of life, food and everything are the same. I noticed the
difference when dinner was served in the plane from Accra to Nairobi. I had
told the person sitting next to me, who was also Ghanaian that the main dish
was going to be served, as what was served as dinner seemed like a starter to
me. Little did I know however that this “Starter” and its kind is what I will
be having every time, for breakfast, lunch and supper and that’s the food
people in Kenya eat, very balanced and nutritious though, as against Ghana’s
mostly carbohydrate laden foods.
24 young activists from 5 different countries driven by
their interest to change the world are participating in the 2013 Global
Citizens Course for four months. In these four months, we are supposed to, as a
team undertake activities and lessons that will expose us to the realities of
the world outside our various countries. In the three weeks that I have been in
the course, I have seen and experienced the diverse thoughts we each have on
various issues like Prostitution, Abortion, Culture, Democracy, Politics and
Development. But as Global Citizens, we don’t really have to agree on anything,
we just have to accept each other’s differences.
The participants are a lovely
bunch and the level of interests in international development is really
amazing, even though it is not pretty clear to me how we can collectively
create the Global change we all see in our minds’ eyes. We have interacted and
understood and appreciated the lives of people from all walks of lives. We met
with people living in slums, advocates, graffiti artists and musicians all of
whose activities evolve around advocating for the rights of the common people.
We got to express our ideas using street/graffiti arts in the Kibera slum,
recorded a song to preach oneness to the world. Citizen Journalism was a
session that awoke my spirits on the different ways of publicizing community
issues. This is done through evidence gathering pictorial, audio or videos of
happenings and making it public. This can be used both for advocacy and educating
people on issues and events in a community, city or country.
In the next three or so months, we continue learning new
ways of projecting global citizenship values through article writing, team
building, citizen rights and advocacy. I also look for to the celebration of
the world food day with the locals and youth activists in Nanyuki town. I am looking
forward also to the trip to Tanzania where we will look at geopolitics and
international institutions, globalization, urbanization and how it affects the
cultural fabrics of the average citizen of the world. The training is not strictly
based on the normal classroom procedure as its mixed with some fun and I expect
to have as much fun as I can for the rest of the three months while learning to
impact positively both in my country and the world at large.
