RESIDENTS of the Tamale metropolis, particularly the youth, have been given the opportunity to be trained as volunteer ministers to empower them to improve on the conditions of their peers, families, groups and communities.
The training programme is known as Scientology Volunteer Ministers (SVM) programme and it has as its slogan, “No matter the problem, something can be done about it”.
The volunteer ministers share knowledge of what has to be done in addressing problems of broken homes, marriages, youth engagement in alcoholism and drug abuse, the failing businessman, as well as real disasters such as floods, earthquakes and hurricanes.
They are also there to provide the spiritual counselling and services which do not exist and which can bring change to those who want to change conditions for the better.
It is a crusade to build a better world by restoring purpose, values and hope to people regarding issues such as conflicts, drug addiction, illiteracy, crime, illnesses, among other things, as occurences which nothing could be done about.
The programme was organised by Goodwill Tour, under which a total of 106 residents of the metropolis have completed a number of courses and attended seminars on such topics as family, children, marriage, communication skills, relationships, personal values, worries and upsets, attaining your goals in life, overcoming suppression, drug abuse and getting along with others. The course, which is intensive, has its periods ranging from seven to 15 hours.
The beneficiaries of the training programme were given certificates after their graduation ceremony in Tamale at the weekend.
The Tour Director, Mr Bright Freeman, said for a society to survive well, there was the need for many volunteer ministers just as there were police personnel.
He explained that the volunteer minister accomplished his or her mission by “not shutting his or her eyes to the pain, evil and injustice of existence. Rather, he is trained to handle things and help others achieve relief from them and new personal strength as well”.
Mr Freeman noted that the Goodwill Tour opened the door for the youth in the metropolis to be trained as volunteer minister groups, world illiteracy campaigners, applied scholastics, facilitators of effective drug rehabilitation programme known as narconon and criminon, and an effective criminal-reform programme.
The other programmes include the way to happiness foundation, which is a non-religious social reform programme, the youth for human rights programme, the Hubbard College of Administration for administrative training and Scientology Missions International for setting up local missions.
Giving a background to the Goodwill Tour, Mr Freeman said it started at Adenta in Accra in December 2007 where 250 students graduated after completing various courses in six weeks.
Tents were set up at the Ridge Hospital in Accra during the Africa Cup of Nations, where 53 seminars were held for schools and professional organisations.
In April 2008, the Tour moved to Ashaiman and Tema, where 986 students completed various courses and 1,266 completed seminars for a period of 10 weeks.
In Kumasi, where the Goodwill Tour operated for three months, 5,806 persons benefitted from seminars, while 1,056 persons completed various courses.
The Tour programmes were also successful in Lome and Sokode, all in Togo as well as in Cotonou and Djougou in Benin.
In all these areas, groups were formed to continue with the volunteer ministers activities towards improving the lives of people in communities.
With about seven countries more to tour in Africa, the Tour team berths in Tamale for the next two months, during which Mr Freeman and the Public Relations Officer of the SVM, Madam Patience Freeman, hope to train a significant number of the youth in Tamale to carry out the mission of bringing real hope to the crest-fallen residents of the metropolis.
The programme, which was founded by an American philosopher, L. Ron Hubbard, has about 100,000 volunteers working in communities throughout the world. As part of the initiative, the Ghana Office of the SVM would be established in Tamale in the near future.
No comments:
Post a Comment