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Junior Shapers Africa Celebrates Seven Years of Empowering Boys
Junior Shapers Africa (JSA), a non-profit organization dedicated to the personal development of boys in Ghana, is marking seven years of impact. Launched in Accra on September 21, 2015, JSA has been a leading advocate for the holistic development and empowerment of African boys.
Over the past seven years, JSA has trained, inspired, counseled, and mentored over 8,000 boys, both in Ghana and abroad. The organization has conducted 93 personal development training sessions—online and in-person—and has engaged boys from seven countries, including Ghana, Liberia, the USA, UK, Thailand, Uganda, and Nigeria. Furthermore, JSA has executed 11 social impact projects aligned with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4 and 5.
In 2022, JSA held several online programs and three boys' grooming boot camps aimed at catering to the needs of boys across various age groups. These boot camps focused on spiritual, emotional, social, and social impact training, adolescent health education, and gender equality empowerment. The participants included 50 boys from different age groups who attended the Junior Gentleman Grooming program, the JSA Teen Gentlemen Conference, and the Alumni Retreat.
The Junior Gentlemen Grooming program is a yearlong initiative for boys, comprising four boot camps focusing on different aspects of personal development training before graduation in April 2023. The training covers topics such as spiritual intelligence, emotional intelligence, social intelligence, social impact, adolescent health education, and gender equality education.
During the flagship Phenomenal Abrantie contest held in March 2022, 12-year-old Jeremiah Komla Mawunyo Jnr was awarded the JSA Phenomenal Abrantie Award. This contest evaluates the values, problem-solving, and innovative abilities of participating boys. Jeremiah is the sixth recipient of this award, following previous winners who have made significant contributions to JSA's social impact projects. The next competition is scheduled for March 2023.
In line with its vision of raising future Godly, visionary, and phenomenal fathers, JSA has formed an alumni community made up of past participants of its programs. The inaugural JSA Alumni Executive Team, comprising seven members, was unveiled in August 2022. This team will work towards maintaining connections and championing worthy social causes within the alumni community.
To commemorate its seventh anniversary, JSA will organize a fundraising concert and a fundraising fitness event in December 2022 and January 2023, respectively. The events, jointly spearheaded by the JSA Alumni Executive Team, aim to raise funds for the beautification and painting of an early childhood education center at Jamestown, Accra. The alumni team will also engage in teaching values and social etiquette to pre-school boys.
JSA has been recognized for its boy-child advocacy efforts on the World Day of the Boy Child, and it has received several awards, including the Value Added Education Award by Educom Award in 2018 and the CIMG Special President's Award in 2017, both for social impact. The founding director of JSA, Ethel Adjorlolo Marfo, expresses gratitude to the faculty, volunteers, partners, and media organizations that have supported the organization's initiatives throughout the years.
As mental health issues increasingly affect boys and men, Mrs. Marfo urges parents to be vigilant in identifying early signs of emotional distress, as proper mental health management is vital for boys' productivity and overall well-being.
- Junior Shapers Africa (JSA) has been a leading advocate for the holistic development and empowerment of African boys, focusing on education and personal growth.
- Over the past seven years, JSA has executed several social impact projects, aligning with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals 4 and 5, aimed at youth development.
- In 2022, JSA organized various online programs and boys' grooming boot camps, focusing on topics such as health education, gender equality, and marketable skills for entrepreneurship.
- JSA's alumni community, comprising past participants of its programs, aims to champion worthy social causes and contribute to education and self-development initiatives, shaping the lifestyle and home-and-garden sectors.
- As part of its seventh anniversary celebrations, JSA plans to organize a fundraising concert and fitness event to support an early childhood education center, promoting education and social etiquette for young boys.
- With mental health issues becoming increasingly prevalent among boys and men, Junior Shapers Africa encourages parents to be vigilant in identifying signs of emotional distress, ensuring proper mental health management for holistic development.
