Youth Programme Demands Faith.

Ghana's Youth Programme aims to give young Ghanians an unquestioning faith in Nkrumah and Ghana.

Today GYP has an estimated 30,000 young members, 100 headquarters in more than 50 cities. In addition to 119 full time directors and an administrative staff of several hundreds, it will soon have over 700 part time teachers.

Another basic aim is to give some kind of technical training. Activities range from colouring books of Ghana for the 4-7 year-olds, basket weaving and knitting for the 8-16 year-olds and first aid mechanics for the 17-25 year-olds.

These aims remind us of the following dictum set down by Nkrumah in 1946:

"Place the young at the head of the awakened masses. You do not know what strength, what magic influence the voices of the young have on a crowd. You will find in them apostles of the new social order. But youth lives on movement, grows great by example and emulation. Speak to them of country, of glory, of great memories."

The pledge forms an important part of GYP's first basic aim—a little unweildy, but not at all equivocal.

"1.	I sincerely promise to live by the Ideals of Osagyefo [an honorary title meaning one who has regained victory in battle] Kwame Nkrumah. The founder of Ghana nation and initiator of African personality.
"2.	To safeguard by all means possible the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the State of Ghana from internal and external aggression.
"3.	To be always in the vanguard for the social and economic reconstruction of Ghana and Africa
"4.	To be the first rank of men fighting for the total liberation and unity of Africa, for these are the noble aims guiding the Ghana, Young Pioneers.
"5.	As a Young Pioneer. I will be a guard of workers, farmers, co-operators and all the sections of our Community.
"6.	I believe that the dynamic Convention Peoples Party is always supreme, and I promise to be worthy of its ideals."

Parallels with the Hitler youth movement are not easy to forget. But for all its rigidity GYP's aims are not communistic but acutely Nationistic.

From "Youth and Freedom".