Young people sometimes lack a sense of direction in life; those who have a sense of direction are, on the other hand, constantly seeking ways to distinguish themselves among the lot.
With this reality gap, Joyous Trainings Consult, facilitated by Joyous Ocran, has organised a seminar titled “ROOTING: Building Personal Capacity for SHS Leavers.”
The 4-day virtual boot camp, which started on October 29, 2024, and ended on November 1, 2024, saw the presence of Joyous Ocran (Youth Development Facilitator and Team Lead for Joyous Trainings Consult), Amma Odamea Amoako (Operations & Communications Manager, HACSA Foundation), Rev. Obed Jim-Annan (New Breed Churches Coordinator for SHS Schools & Pastor, ICGC Head Office), Amanda Gyesi (An Academic & Advocate for Women Empowerment), Grace Osei (Graduate student at Daemen University), Joshua Eyram Wordey (Author of Eyram’s Ponder), Naomi Koomson (Minister of God in Arts & Music), Alison Gyimah (A multi-faceted creative), Baaba Nhyira Bondzie (a young HR professional), and Ps. Raphael Koomson (a Pastor, Business and Life Coach).
The boot camp provided a transformative experience for senior high school graduates, focusing on leadership skills and capacity building as essential tools for success. This virtual boot camp was designed to prepare attendees for real-world challenges, guiding them to develop confidence, initiative, positive influence, and a commitment to lifelong learning.
One of the seminar’s highlights was a session on “Finding your God-given Potentials,” led by Naomi Koomson. She portrayed that God-given gifts can be identified by the activities you have a natural flair for, using herself as an example; she said, “Whenever I see people on TV or radio, I admire them because I easily identify with them. If our academic life was all about talking, I would be the best student. If they could put everything that we learn into singing, I would be the best student because I can just talk from morning to evening.”
Emphasising the importance of identifying one’s potential by His maker, the speaker encouraged participants to use their gift to glorify God to create global impact. To create a global impact, she admonished participants to engage in continuous learning through online courses, YouTube, and providing solutions to the gaps in society.
“Learn to globalise your skill; find new ways to polish what you know; if it is public speaking, you can learn it from TEDx talks; if you do not learn, you will become irrelevant. Consciously go to places where you want to learn from. Being diligent in your task makes you stand before kings and not mere men. The more you build and reinvent in yourself, the more you will become relevant.”
She counselled participants to learn how to balance academics with spiritual life so they do not lag in any of them.
Joyous Ocran (a Youth Development Facilitator and Team Lead for Joyous Trainings Consult) engaged participants on how to “Lead” in tertiary associations. “Leading means influencing others; leading means guiding others, and leading also means being the right example,” he said.
He noted Jesus Christ as the primary and exemplary model of leadership and urged SHS graduates to adopt His style of leadership.
“You can’t be a great leader when you are not sensitive to the needs of your people. You can’t be a great leader when you open your mouth and you insult, embarrass, and disregard the effort that people put into working with you as a team. If you are going to be a great leader, you have to set the example in your speech and your life, he advised the graduates.
“And when you have gotten there, you can lead others. I don’t want any of us to become signpost kind of leaders,” he added.
Touching on “Opportunities in Leadership Training,” Alison Gyimah recounted how she got her breakthrough from a Central Leadership Programme (CLP) she applied for during the COVID-19 period. According to her, the program nurtured her life and created a mind shift that has been instrumental in her life up until now.
“There is no way you can undergo leadership training or any form of quality education and come back with your mind the same,” she said.
Ms. Gyimah mentioned that it wasn’t only the Central Leadership Programme (CLP) that contributed to her training; she was also part of the University of Ghana Mass Choir, where one rule was that participants could not wear slippers to rehearsals.
She explained that she would wear slippers to class but then return to her room afterward to change into either sneakers or sandals for rehearsals. By doing so, she noticed a difference between her appearance for class and her appearance for rehearsals. One reason for the no-slippers rule, she explained, was to uphold the choir’s brand.
“It was supposed to represent excellence, and they can call on you at any time to come and minister. And so, when you’re going to minister, you should be ready. If you’re having rehearsals and maybe they tell you that Apostle Joshua Selman is in Ghana and he wants you to come and minister with him, you need to be ready.”
So basically, they were training us to be ready at all times, not just in appearance, but it was just creating a mindset, a certain mindset for me,” she shared.
She added that the CLP has enabled her to build a platform of networks that pricks her to do more in life and to think of better ways of doing things to improve her environment. She used her experience as a measure to challenge young ones to brace themselves for leadership seminars and opportunities.
The boot camp also focused on capacity building, with sessions dedicated to personal development and goal-setting. In these sessions, participants learnt practical strategies to manage their time effectively and set realistic goals. For many participants, the event was a turning point, sparking a renewed passion for growth.
For SHS graduates eager to make an impact, this seminar marks the start of a promising journey, one defined by purpose, perseverance, and a commitment to lifelong learning.
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