The Youth Empowerment Synergy (YES-Ghana) has launched an initiative to provide a platform for the youth to contribute to the issues relating to the country’s elections agenda.
Dubbed: “My Voice My Vote”, the project will enhance youth participation by improving youth capacity to constructively engage with stakeholders in the political
space towards inclusive development.
“Starting October 1, young people can cast their votes via USSD code *800*25#, or online at www.yesghana.org/mvmv2020, or by completing a paper ballot at
designated points”, a statement issued by YES-Ghana said.
Survey
It said the survey sought to ask young people about which development issues they considered most relevant to their lives and which should be prioritised by the
next government, adding that by completing the survey online, offline or via USSD, the youth participants would be joining a community of thousands of young people who were raising their voices on the critical issues that affected them and their communities.
It said results of the “My Voice My Vote” survey would form the basis of massive youth mobilisation and local advocacy campaigns across the country, including the hosting of youth encounters with presidential candidates.
launch
Speaking at the launch of the initiative, the Project Manager at YES-Ghana, Ms Ewurafua Boafo, said “the project will help collate top policy issues from the youth for presidential and parliamentary aspirants, policy makers and political parties to address when the next government is formed”.
Overall, youth issues have been clustered under 10 thematic areas, reflecting the provisions of the Ghana Youth Manifesto and the People’s National Youth Policy.
The thematic clusters are: Youth Employment, Good Health and Wellbeing, Good Governance, Gender Equality, Environment, ICT and Media, Education and Skills, Youth Participation, Conflict Prevention and Poverty Reduction.
Improvement
The statement said Ghana needed to make further improvements in all these areas in order to tap the utmost contributions that young people could make to the nation’s development agenda.
“YES-Ghana calls on all contestants in the 2020 elections and all development stakeholders to work towards a more youth-inclusive and sustainable development for the Ghanaian youth”, it said.
