The youth centre in Bolgatanga is the major joint long-term project of YHFG and JPG. It was founded in 2009 and is the only one of its kind in Northern Ghana. It has become an important venue and is open to all students and out of school youth. Furthermore, it is a platform for many youth activities and other YHFG projects. For the youth it provides many opportunities to develop their individual skill set and capacity.
In 2013/14, with the support of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development BMZ, the Youth Centre building was constructed and is now owned by the YHFG. It is located in close vicinity to several schools on a plot of land, that has been donated to YHFG by the local Yikene community.
Activities at the Youth Centre
- Counsel and Support – The social worker is available for individual counselling, in particular helping young women in questions about sexuality, HIV, unwanted pregnancies, forced marriages or sexual abuse.
- Academic support – The Remedial Class Project
- Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health training – This has been a key part of all YHFG projects since the first days. Breaking the traditional silence about these relevant topics, making students aware of sexual health topics and their (sexual) rights is one of the key aspects in YHFG work towards their vision of “Health young people living in healthy communities”.
- Harvest Academy – Entrepreneurial and Employable Skills
Youth Harvest Football Club – The weekly football training aims to boost the confidence of the children (age 6 to 16 years), develop their team spirit and fair play. For most children, this is the only recreational activity available in their lives full of responsibilities and work.
I Can Do Anything – This annual sports tournament takes place since 2013 with the support of the Kuntinkantan Foundation (NL). It is a model project for inclusion in the area.
IT Training – In the computer centre, members of the Harvest School Clubs can get free basic IT training. Furthermore, they have free access to computers of the YHFG computer centre and internet.
Youth Parliament – This debate contest between Harvest Clubs of the Bolgatanga is one of the activities, where students can develop their own opinion and develop and practise strategies of how defend it.
