EduSpots, a UK-Ghana registered educational charity, has held a five-day training programme for community leaders to enable them to take charge of initiatives that will help address the educational challenges faced by their respective communities.
The programme took place between April 6 and 10, 2021 in the Abofour community, where EduSpots built its first library project in 2015.
Dubbed the CLEd Academy, the programme brought together 15 committed volunteers from various communities and regions in Ghana.
The training covered the seven core topics, including Team Building and Community Engagement, Education Project Design, Fundraising and Social Entrepreneurship, Basic Literacy Development, Communicating for Change, Basic Project Management and Child Protection and Inclusion.
Some participants said, “the programme has awakened the inner feeling of responsibility and has equipped me with more knowledge to carry out effective, consistent and more impactful programs at my spot [library]. Through CLEd, I have been to a different place, met new people, made new friends and learnt a lot. I feel confident to steer change in my community, regardless of all the difficulties I may encounter along the line.”
Another participant said, “I realized from the Communication for Change training that I was not consciously communicating my ideas well enough to create the desired impact. I have learnt how to frame my message to get desired action or results.”
“The programme was a source of empowerment, and I feel that I can do [a lot] for my community. I am going back to my community to work with my team on projects to close the learning gap. I am grateful to EduSpots for the opportunity,” said another participant.
The year-long CLEd programme aims to equip young people in partner communities to lead efforts at improving educational outcomes in their communities.
This approach is in line with EduSpots’ community-led model. The programme involves a community needs assessment, training and coaching, developing and implementing interventions, monitoring and evaluation.