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World Affairs Council of Oregon Young Leaders in Action

8/31/2016

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Board members Komi Kalevor and David Peterson del Mar had a great time representing Yo Ghana! to a very impressive group of high school students: the Young Leaders in Action of the World Affairs Council of Oregon.

We were very impressed by their passion and dedication, and several are interested in volunteering or getting their schools involved with Yo Ghana!


Hats off to the World Affairs Council of Oregon for recognizing and shaping these impressive future leaders!

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Aaron Jones and Dorcas Mensah Join Board

8/21/2016

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Yo Ghana! is delighted to announce that Mr. Aaron Jones and Madam Dorcas Mensah have joined our board!

Mr. Jones brings a wealth of experience in marketing and public relations to Yo Ghana! Since graduating from Gonzaga University with a degree in Journalism, he has worked for Adidas, the University of Portland, and Frank Creative managing accounts and marketing, among other companies. Mr. Jones has been a dedicated and valued contributor to Yo Ghana! since our inception. He arranged to have our website completely revamped several years ago, has used his contacts in the media to give us exposure on television and in magazines, is one of our most successful and dedicated fund raisers, and guides us in our public relations. In other words, his joining the board is something of a formality, as he has already been doing the work!

"What I love about Yo Ghana! is the chance to make a difference in the life of a Ghanian child," says Aaron. "Personal connections and education are of utmost importance to me, and Yo Ghana! exemplifies both of these values."

Madam Mensah recently graduated from Ashesi University, where she was a Mastercard Foundation Scholar and one of three graduates to receive its highest honor, their Scholarship, Leadership, and Citizenship Award. A faculty member describes her as "the most versatile, enterprising, resourceful, helpful, respectful, conscientious, meticulous and selfless student I have ever come across in Ashesi." She co-founded Starfish Aid (an organization devoted to assisting rural schools), has worked with organizations devoted to improving girls' education, and was a delegate to the Model African Union Debate at Oxford University. She has a full scholarship to do graduate work in African Development at the University of Edinburgh.

"I'm excited to be a part of this family of change," Dorcas remarks. "I can see the inspiration these kids gain from writing to each other and connecting to others a world apart." She is also impressed that Yo Ghana! "stimulates local communities to support local projects to create a sense of local ownership."

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Readjusting to a Nation Awash in Grievances

8/9/2016

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As the photo to the right suggests, life is different in Ghana and Africa than in Portland and the U.S. I am noticing this after having been back now for three weeks after thirty-two days in Ghana. The roads are better here. People rarely carry heavy burdens on their heads.  The mangos don't taste as good, and they are much more expensive. The humidity is lower. You can't buy plantain chips, water, bread, belts, or a host of other items while stuck in traffic. Traffic moves more smoothly. Drivers are more apt to stop when people step onto a crosswalk. It is much easier to gain weight. I don't worry about keeping my phone and laptop charged in case the lights go out.

I guess these differences could be summed up by concluding that life in Ghana tends to be more challenging and engaging. While working on my history of the U.S. family I was struck by how Americans had gradually drifted away from societies and cultures rooted in an ethos of obligation toward a way of looking at and living in the world characterized by fealty to an Imperial Self. As it has become more and more easy to live without having to depend on others for our survival, we have become more sensitive to individual rights and privacy but also more lonely, defensive, and depressed--"awash in weapons and grievances," as a New York Times reader aptly observes.

So each time I return home, I find myself feeling less at home. I'm sure part of this is the somewhat artificial nature of my weeks in Ghana, which are full of meetings with astonishing people whose dedication to serving others delivers repeated shots of adrenaline and inspiration. But it also has to do with living in a place where the great majority of people are both struggling and happy--more or less the opposite of life in America, where everyone seems to feel entitled and disappointed. In Ghana most people accept that life is difficult AND believe that we shall do well if we help each other.

That realization--life is difficult but, if we help each other, also joyful--sums up my own debt to Ghana, and what keeps me going back for more "exchanges for transformation," as the slogan of Yo Ghana! puts it.

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    Author

    Most of the entries will be from Dr. David Peterson del Mar, the President and co-founder of Yo Ghana!

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