2007年VOA标准英语-Ghana's Youth Organize to Increase Political Vo

By Phuong Tran
Dakar
13 August 2007

Governments throughout West Africa have struggled to solve problems affecting their youth including unemployment, clandestine¹ migration², and trafficking. In Ghana, organizers of a national youth conference on Monday said youths can help solve these problems, but only if governments are ready to listen. Phuong Tran brings us this report from VOA's West Africa Bureau in Dakar.

Hundreds of youths from across Ghana met in Accra at a meeting hosted by Yes Ghana, a network of Ghanaian youth-service organizations, and the United Nations. Yes Ghana's coordinator³ Emmanuel Edudzie says even though African governments say they want to help youth, they are often afraid of mobilizing them.

"Young people in Africa are associated with chaotic⁴ incidences. People feel very much uneasy to bring them on board," said Edudzie. "It is also a cultural problem. In Africa, there is always the tendency that the adult is always right and must decide for the younger generation."

But Edudzie, 27, says his peers see how adults are not always right, how they do not have all the answers.

Yes Ghana hosted its first youth development dialogue with support from the United Nations. Its theme was "Be seen, be heard: Youth Participation⁵ for Development."

During workshops about unemployment, youths spoke⁶ of their frustrations⁷ and feeling ignored by policy-makers.

Ghana's newly appointed Minister of Employment Nana Akomea talked about entrepreneurial training as a potential solution.

According to government reports about one million people from Ghana's population of 18 million are looking for work in Ghana, many are youths.

Youth unemployment is considered a major factor fueling clandestine migration as thousands of West African young people attempt dangerous sea crossings to Europe.

Coordinator Edudzie says young people no longer want to wait for policy-makers to decide their futures⁸.

"We are no longer calling on governments to bring youth to the table. We young people are going onto the table whether people like it or not," he added.

But he admits it is not just a problem of government officials and donors⁹ who do not pay attention to youth.

The coordinator says, if given the power, many youths would not know what to do.

According to the United Nation's ranking of living conditions, Ghana scored better than many of its West African neighbors, scoring 136 out of 177 countries

1 clandestine   

adj.秘密的，暗中从事的

参考例句：

• She is the director of clandestine operations of the CIA.她是中央情报局秘密行动的负责人。
• The early Christians held clandestine meetings in caves.早期的基督徒在洞穴中秘密聚会。

2 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

3 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

4 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。

5 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

6 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

7 frustrations   

挫折( frustration的名词复数 )； 失败； 挫败； 失意

参考例句：

• The temptation would grow to take out our frustrations on Saigon. 由于我们遭到挫折而要同西贡算帐的引诱力会增加。
• Aspirations will be raised, but so will frustrations. 人们会产生种种憧憬，但是种种挫折也会随之而来。

8 futures   

n.期货，期货交易

参考例句：

• He continued his operations in cotton futures.他继续进行棉花期货交易。
• Cotton futures are selling at high prices.棉花期货交易的卖价是很高的。

9 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》