Cape Coast Youth Engagement Centre Empowers Young Voices Through Practical Media Advocacy Training

On Monday, 24th November 2025, and Tuesday, 25th November 2025, the Cape Coast Youth Engagement Centre successfully organized a two-day Media Advocacy Training for young people drawn from various communities across the Central Region.

The training forms part of ongoing national efforts under the UNICEF Youth Voices Initiative, a programme designed to equip young people with the knowledge, skills, and platforms they need to drive social change through responsible media engagement.

The training was led by Mr. Emmanuel Kweku Buckman, an experienced broadcaster and voice-over expert. He guided participants through a range of practical concepts and skills essential for modern media advocacy. The main sessions covered:

1. Understanding Media Advocacy
2. Crafting Clear and Impactful Messages
3. Identifying Target Audiences and Effective Communication Channels
4. Ethical Communication
5. Using Media to Promote UNICEF Priority Areas, including child protection, education, sanitation, community well-being, and other child-focused issues

These sessions were designed to strengthen participants’ communication abilities, build their confidence, and enhance their capacity to use traditional and digital media as tools for social impact.

𝐊𝐞𝐲𝐌𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢-𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧:

One of the most exciting parts of the training was the Mini-Campaign Planning Activity, which helped participants put their new knowledge into practice in a creative and engaging way.

During the session:

• Participants were grouped into teams.
• Each group selected a social issue to work on (such as sanitation, child protection, or school attendance).
• They identified their target audience, crafted strong and clear messages, and chose the most effective communication channels.
• Teams brainstormed and developed realistic, creative, and youth-friendly advocacy ideas.

At the end of the activity, each group prepared and presented their mini-campaigns to their peers and the facilitators. They received constructive feedback to strengthen their ideas. This session built teamwork, creativity, and confidence. Many presentations were impressive, original, and demonstrated a solid understanding of community needs and effective advocacy planning.

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬

In today’s media-driven world, young people play a vital role in shaping narratives, influencing behaviour, and advocating for inclusive development. By equipping them with media advocacy skills:

1. They become active contributors to community well-being.
2. They gain the confidence to address social problems using credible communication strategies.
3. They learn to use media responsibly, counter misinformation, and amplify positive youth-centered messages.
4. They become important partners in achieving UNICEF’s goals.

This training marks a significant step toward building a stronger, more informed, and empowered generation of young advocates across the Central Region.

𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐄𝐅 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐈𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞

The UNICEF Youth Voices Initiative, implemented in partnership with the Ghana Library Authority (GhLA), is a national programme aimed at empowering young people aged 14–24 to speak up, participate meaningfully, and advocate for positive social change.

Through this initiative, hundreds of young people across Ghana are gaining the tools to champion issues related to child rights, education, health, gender equality, sanitation, and community development.