By Solomon Gumah
Tamale, Nov. 19, GNA – A total of 80 community volunteers, otherwise known as educators or catalysts, have undergone a three-day intensive training workshop to enable them to champion sustainable development initiatives in their communities.
The training, which was to prepare them to work together as a team leveraging digital platforms, was attended by youth groups, who were passionate about issues of development in their communities.
They were drawn from various communities in the Sagnarigu, Kumbungu, Savelugu and Bolgatanga Assemblies in the Northern and Upper East Regions.
The training dubbed: “Ignite Programme”, was organised by EduSpots, a UK and Ghanaian-registered NGO working to create educational opportunities for underserved communities.
It was held under the theme: “Igniting Community-Led Change through Education”.
Ms. Catherine Davison, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of EduSpots, speaking during the training, said it was part of efforts to help unite communities to create the sustainable future that they wanted to see through education.
She said it was part of the organisation’s commitment to train, equip and connect more than 300 community catalysts to help foster educational opportunities for more than 10,000 learners in the country through a network of 50 community-led education space (libraries).
She said participants had been provided with tablets, laptops and other accessories to enable them to leverage their new application known as EduSpot APP, a tool for the catalysts to connect with one another other and access training and teaching programmes and other learning resources.
Mr. Lawrence Boakye Dankwah, Head of Programmes, Education and Research at EduSpots, who facilitated the training, said it sought to explore and equip participants on how to leverage pedagogy as a viable tool to deepen learning in their communities.
He explained that the communities would operate ecosystem clubs tailored to practical science and technology, engineering, mathematics, environmental sustainability and also focus on issues of gender equity.
He added that participants would be equipped with basic skills to ensure that learners under their care were not molested.
Some of the catalysts, who distinguished themselves in the communities, were awarded with cash prizes, plaques among others to encourage them to continue to serve as change makers in the communities.
Ms. Nimatu Abdul-Rahman, a beneficiary (catalyst), commended EduSpots for investing in them to lead the change they wanted to see in their communities.
She expressed her readiness to replicate the skills acquired to promote positive learning outcomes in her community.
GNA