By Yussif Ibrahim
Kumasi, Aug. 07, GNA – The Ashanti Regional Peace Council has tasked Community Youth Peace Ambassadors to lead grassroots peacebuilding initiatives in their communities to promote social cohesion and prevent conflicts.
The Council urged the ambassadors to translate the knowledge and skills acquired during a regional training workshop into practical interventions, including community dialogues, school peace clubs, anti-violence campaigns and social media peace campaigns.
Dr. Harriet Takyi, the Ashanti Regional Chairperson of the National Peace Council, made the call at the opening of a training workshop for Community Youth Peace Ambassadors drawn from 12 constituencies in Kumasi.
The workshop, held on the theme: “Empowering Young Leaders for Peacebuilding and Social Cohesion,” sought to equip participants with practical knowledge in peacebuilding, conflict resolution, leadership and community engagement.
Dr Takyi said young people constituted a significant proportion of Ghana’s population and possessed the energy, innovation and influence to mobilise their peers for positive change.
She noted, however, that the same youthful energy could be exploited to fuel violence, extremism and intolerance if not properly guided.
She said it was, therefore, important to recognise young people as partners and leaders in peacebuilding rather than merely beneficiaries of peace programmes.
“The real test begins when you return to your communities,” she told the participants, urging each ambassador to undertake at least one peacebuilding initiative after the training.
She encouraged them to establish school peace clubs, organise community sensitisation programmes, promote religious tolerance and use digital platforms to spread messages of peaceful coexistence.
Dr Takyi said peace extended beyond the absence of violence and required respect for diversity, dialogue, justice, inclusion and cooperation among community members.
She urged the youth ambassadors to identify early warning signs of conflict, including rumours, hate speech, threats, growing hostility and provocative statements, and report them through the appropriate channels before they escalated.
She cautioned the participants against using social media to spread misinformation and inflammatory messages, saying irresponsible online communication could heighten political, ethnic and religious tensions.
Instead, she advised them to verify information before sharing it and use digital platforms to promote tolerance, responsible citizenship and peaceful coexistence.
Dr Takyi further urged the ambassadors to lead by example by demonstrating honesty, respect, impartiality and compassion in their daily interactions.
She emphasised that peace building required collaboration among traditional authorities, religious leaders, schools, civil society organisations, local government authorities, security agencies, the media and young people.
GNA
Edited by Kwabia Owusu-Mensah/Benjamin Mensah
Reporter: Yussif Ibrahim
Reporter’s email address: [email protected]