Accra (Greater Accra) Nov. 6 A five-day workshop for street children aimed at training them in craftsmanship and redirecting their leisure time into more productive ventures opened in Accra today. The workshop dubbed ''Craft workshop '97'', which is the second in a series, is being attended by 71 street children drawn from Nima, Maamobi and areas around the 37 Military Hospital. It is being organised by the National Commission on Culture (NCC) in collaboration with the Community Youth Cultural Centre (CYCC) and Maamobi East Ayawaso constituency. Subjects to be taught include basketry, bamboo and strawcraft, and batik.

Mr Ebo Hawkson, Deputy Chairman of NCC, said the youth should not only see craftsmanship as culture but as an opportunity to learn a skill. ''It is about time you redirect your energy and time for the opportunity given and hope for the future''. He advised the youth to take their lessons seriously and not to blame their parents when they fail in life. Mr Yaw Poku Dankwa, Acting Director of CYCC, expressed the hope that the workshop would be an annual affair so as to train more youth and get them off the street. Alhaji Haruna Bukar Dabre, Assemblyman for Maamobi- East Ayawaso, said the centre has helped to minimise the high incidence of truancy in the three communities by providing them with recreational facilities. He expressed the hope that the youth would be serious with the skills they would be acquiring from the centre.