When people ask me what it is like to work with young people, I often smile before I answer.
In community programmes, young people sometimes ask, “Will this training actually help me find a job?” or “Why should I attend?” Behind those questions are bigger realities: the pressure to earn today, the hope of building a better future, and the cost of reaching opportunities that may not always feel guaranteed. I understand why they ask.
Because the truth is, I have been there.
Just a few years ago, in 2021, I was fresh out of university, with a degree in International Relations, full of ambition, uncertain about the future and hoping someone would give me a chance.
I found that chance at UNICEF Ghana.
I was an intern, eager to put what I had learned into practice, but I was also intimidated. I did not have much professional experience, and at 22, I was one of the youngest people in the office. Like many young Ghanaians, I had been socialised to listen more and speak less. I wondered: Did my questions matter? Were my ideas good enough? Did my voice belong? I did not ask myself these questions for long. The people around me made space for that voice.
I found myself in a team that trusted me before I had fully learned to trust myself. Early in my internship, I represented my team at a regional meeting where staff from across West Africa would gather to discuss gender issues. I was surprised that, at such a junior level, they trusted me with that responsibility. But I prepared, attended and delivered.
My supervisors challenged, coached and encouraged me. They welcomed my questions, expected me to learn, and invested in my growth.
Over time, I grew from an unsure intern into a voice that mattered in the room. Looking back, I realise my journey could easily have been different. The difference was not that I had more potential than other young people; it was that I had access to opportunity, mentorship and people who created space for me to grow.
As I reflect on my own journey following the International Youth Day, I keep coming back to a simple question: what would it take for more young people in Ghana to have access to the kinds of opportunities that helped shape my own path?
Today, as a Youth Programme Officer with UNICEF Ghana, I have the privilege of working with the Government of Ghana, development partners, civil society and young people themselves to strengthen systems that expand opportunities for adolescents and youth. This includes supporting policy and planning processes, such as the Medium-Term Development Plan, and working with the Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment to strengthen monitoring and accountability for youth development outcomes.
I see the same power of opportunity through the Youth Engagement Centres (YEC), where young people gain practical skills and experiences that can change their lives. I often think about Ama, 23, who completed tertiary education and national service but remained unemployed and uncertain. Through the YEC entrepreneurship club, she turned her makeup artistry skills into a business. Her story reminds us that an opportunity can be more than a training session; it can help a young person build confidence and create a livelihood.
My work remains deeply personal because, like Ama, I was once the young person we now programme for. I understand what it feels like to graduate without having all the answers, and the uncertainty of trying to figure out your purpose, your career and your place in the world. Young people like Ama are not simply “beneficiaries” to me. They are my peers.
That realisation keeps me grounded. My own experience taught me that potential is not enough. Young people need systems that create opportunities to learn, build relevant skills, gain practical experience, access mentorship, participate and ultimately earn a livelihood.
For me, that is what youth empowerment is truly about: building systems where more young people can find the door, walk through it, and have the support they need to move forward.
“And when I am asked: What is it like to work with young people? Here is the answer: I don’t work for young people. In many ways, I work with them. I am one of them. I am them.”
