JA Ghana organized a Leadership Camp for girls in partnership with Newmont Goldcorp Ghana. The camp, called New Futures for Girls, took place at Newmont’s mine site in Akyem, in the Eastern region of Ghana. The camp was attended by 30 girls from five Senior High schools across Ghana, namely Mfantsiman Girls Senior High School, Labone Senior High School, Kinbu Senior High School, St. Mary’s Senior High School and Wesley Girls Senior High School. It lasted for two days.
During the course of the camp, the girls were taught how to develop skills to prepare them for their futures at work as potential employees. Newmont staff also volunteered in the program as mentors and coaches. The forum presented an opportunity for students to participate in various workshops, and network with professionals.
The program began with a keynote address from the General Manager of Newmont Goldcorp, Mr. Joep Coenen, who talked about the company’s commitment to facilitating inclusion and diversity especially for women in the mining industry. He encouraged the girls to pursue careers in STEM and other fields that are male-dominated.
His talk was followed by a tour of the Akyem Gold mine, where the girls got to see the workers performing their various roles in the advanced gold extraction processes. Program participants then visited the Newmont Goldcorp Ghana 303 acre Reforestation Project on site
Newmont Goldcorp staff and volunteers from a cross-section of the corporation in Ghana facilitated workshops covering topics such as Health and Wellness, Personal Branding, Leadership, Smart Social Media usage, Emotional Intelligence, Integrity & Ethics, Self-conviction & Self Confidence, Vision Board crafting, and Diversity & Inclusion. The girls were also given career guidance and introduced to careers in Mining.
The New Futures for Girls Leadership Camp initiative is part of Newmont’s Tertiary and Secondary Skills Enhancement Program (T-SSEP). Consistent with T-SSEP’s purpose to enhance work readiness of Ghanaian youth and JA’s purpose to prepare and inspire young people to succeed in a global economy, the goal of the New Futures for Girls initiative is to empower young girls between the ages of 15 to 25 years to broaden their options for their professional futures.