By Frank Kwame Abbor
Ho, Jan. 11, GNA – Mr Mathias Tulasi, a youth advocate, has called for deliberate mentorship and strong family values to properly prepare Ghanaian youth for future responsibilities.
Mr Tulasi, who is also a mentor and literacy advocate, said many of the challenges confronting young people stemmed from weak home structures and poor guidance.
He explained that parenting required intentional planning, discipline and strategy, stressing that “anything goes” attitudes in homes were harming children’s development.
“The home is everything. If the home fails, the child becomes a victim, and poverty continues from one generation to another,” he said.
Mr Tulasi, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, noted that parents must deliberately cultivate interest and positive values in children, even when resources were limited.
Touching on mentorship, he said his own mentors included teachers, seniors and books, adding that reading exposed individuals to life lessons of great men and women.
“When you read about people who failed and succeeded, you are motivated to persevere,” he said, describing books as “silent mentors.”
He said mentorship required openness to learning, inquisitiveness, attending seminars and studying the lives of accomplished people across various fields.
Mr Tulasi acknowledged that some young people felt discouraged after attending seminars, but said the purpose of such platforms was to inspire hope and provide direction.
He called for more structured mentorship and guidance seminars for pupils from upper primary through senior high school to complement formal education.
Mr Tulasi said mentorship should also extend to marriage and family life, noting that many marital challenges arose from unrealistic expectations and lack of preparation.
He urged both men and women to contribute meaningfully to relationships, stressing that “whatever you have is for the family.”
The youth advocate identified lack of education, poverty and weak home support as contributing factors to youth involvement in drugs and other social vices.
He emphasised that education remained a basic necessity, saying every Ghanaian should at least be able to read, write and perform basic arithmetic.
Mr Tulasi appealed to parents, churches, chiefs, schools, media and political leaders to prioritise mentorship, saying collective effort was needed to build a strong society.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah/Lydia Kukua Asamoah