A total of 75 students from the University Practice Senior High School (UPSHS) in Cape Coast have been awarded certificates and medals under the Head of State Awards (HOSA) for participating in community volunteer activities outside of the classroom environment.
The Head of State Award, also known as the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award scheme, is designed to give young people the opportunity to carry out various activities to help build themselves and offer voluntary service to the community.
It is also to give participants the opportunity to learn soft skills and artisan skills.
At a short ceremony at the school under the theme: Equipping The Youth with Non-Formal Education for the Future, the Headmaster of the School, Mr Charles Agyapong-Boamah, accompanied by other dignitaries, handed the certificate and silver and bronze medals to the students.
Mr Agyapong-Boamah commended the students for working so hard to bring “honours and trophies to the school but not troubles” and encouraged them to work harder towards the ultimate Gold Medal.
45 students were selected for the Silver Award based on their 21-hour minimum of purposeful effort, an adventurous journey of three days and two nights, and an average of seven hours of purposeful effort per day in a community.
30 students were also selected for the bronze award after completing six months of participatory activities, including two days and a one-night Adventurous Journey, an average of six hours of purposeful effort per day.
Speaking to ATLFM NEWS at the side-lines of the ceremony, Mad. Kate Wilberforce Annan, headmistress for Aggrey Memorial A.M.E. Zion Senior High School advised the awardees to allow themselves to be nurtured to become selfless persons and learn how to help their friends and their immediate communities.
She explained that the Head of State award scheme is geared towards making education holistic to give students what they cannot get in the classroom.
She added that’s basically about building character and personalities.
“Because we need to be selfless to think of a nation or a community” she continued.
Mad. Kate Wilberforce Annan therefore called on parents to support and encourage their children whenever they come up with ideas to help others.
“They should not just scream at them and say that because they are not the beneficiary of whatever the child wants to do, they won’t help. Even if you don’t have money, you can say something like, oh, that’s a good idea. Pray for me. I’ll gather money and help you,” she emphasized.
The patroness of the Head of State Awards Scheme Club of UPSHS, Mrs Evlyn Grace Annan, also urged all students to join such a good course to enrich themselves with extracurricular activities.
She maintained that such platforms give them opportunities that the classroom setting cannot offer them.
“When we meet sometimes, the participants are taken through how to write a report, minutes of meetings, given interviewing skills and some of these will never be taught in the classroom” she said.
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Source: Richard Osei Korankye/ATLFMNEWS
