A Ghanaian based NGO, @InspireAfrica, has instituted a novel initiative for children dubbed ‘BeamAfrica’ with the approval of the Ghana Education Service (GES).

The first of its kind, which took place on Friday 13th November at St. Andrews Anglican School, Achimota, focused on the topic Choosing Career Paths.

BeamAfrica is a premier initiative by @InspireAfrica aimed at tackling practical life issues that affect today’s children by empowering them with the relevant skills to make informed life decisions.

Speaking at the workshop, the instructor, Mrs. Akua Owusu-Nartey who is the Managing Director of Publicis West Africa and a Public Speaker, took the JHS 3 students of St. Andrews Anglican School through a number of sessions.

She emphasised the need for children to be passionate about their respective careers and urged them to consistently add value to themselves by acquiring the right skill set through education and training in order to excel and standout in all they do.

“For instance, a photographer undertaking customer service training, in addition to further photography training, would not only improve their photography skills but also, their customer service skills to handle their clientele in a more professional manner”, she explained.

She also said, “Choosing a career at an early age is very essential in your path to success, as such, you all need to be aware of the drawbacks that accompany each profession, and always re-evaluate the various careers with a positive mindset”.

The students were also given the opportunity to pose questions and comment on the workshop during a feedback session, JHS 3 student enquired, what would be the best approach towards financial difficulty when trying to pursue a career he is passionate about.

The speaker shared a personal life experience of how she held a job when she was still in the university. In the instructor’s response, she said employing creative solutions such as working part time while schooling when such challenges occur may be one of the best approaches.

“You will be able to acquire some work experience and at the same time address your financial difficulties”, she added.

Another student praised @Inspire Africa stating that, “the workshop was an eye opener, thank you @Inspire Africa for creating this platform for students like me to have the opportunity to learn from successful leaders, as well as acquire decision-making skills towards our future careers”.

In Mrs Owusu-Nartey’s final remarks, she asked the students to put in an extra effort in their studies, stressing that the girls should step up and take on new emerging careers and equally challenging jobs that have traditionally been dominated by males.

The Founder of @Inspire Africa, Mr. Kenny Nii Tackie Tagoe, in a concluding remark, called on Corporate Institutions, Government Agencies, Foreign Missions, International Organisations and Philanthropists to support the NGO in order to sustain the BeamAfrica programme.

He noted that, in extending a helping hand, the school’s plea for long-term partnership with the organisation could be realised.

He also stated that students from other public schools would have the opportunity of being a part of this important initiative in turns.

During the planned workshops/talks, a range of topics including, planning career decisions, children’s rights, how the media shapes our thinking, handling failure, having the right mindset and attitude to life, and time management, will be addressed.

For more information visit www.inspireafricango.org