As 18 Upcoming Journalists Receive Certificates
BY J. Peter S. Dennis, dennisrealone@gmail.com
GBARNGA, Liberia: As 18 up-coming journalists have received certificates of achievements from the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) Youth Journalism, Leadership and Capacity Building Training Program, they have been told to stay away from corruption.
The training is a three-month program that nurtures up-coming and passionate journalists in the North-Central region, its training coordinator and Manager of the YMCA Youth Peace radio, Sylvester W. Korwor explained.
According to him, this batch initially consisted of 24 students, but only 18 students successfully completed the training.
Mr. Korwor also mentioned plans of elevating the program to a diploma level, something he says will offer more opportunities to those who have completed the certificate level to further enhance their skills.
He urged the graduates to put into practice what they have learned during their stay at the Gbarnga YMCA.
Delivering the keynote address, the founder and General Manager of the Alternative Youth Radio (AYR) Mr. James Papy Kwabo, encouraged the graduates to demonstrate passion, innovation, and consistency to shine in the profession.
He also advised the graduates to focus on and promote human interest stories instead of neglecting meaningful or developmental stories for what he calls “Cato or benefits”.
The Alternative Youth Radio General Manager also warned the embryonic journalists against corruption in the media.
He believes that community radio stations are becoming increasingly corrupt; although he didn’t provide evidence to his claim.
The defeated presidential candidate in the recent Association of Liberia Community Radios (ALICOR) – an umbrella organization for all community radios in Liberia sees corruption as a significant obstacle for the media.
The former Head of Communication of the Liberia Civil Aviation Authority (LCAA) on the theme ‘Becoming who you want to be’.
After delivering his robust keynote address to the graduates and attendees, Mr. Kwabo then made a promise to financially support four trainees in the upcoming program.
This sponsorship, according to record, amounts to thirty-two thousand $32,000 Liberian dollars.
Mr. James Papy Kwabo noted that “this is a level of how I can showcase my dedication to nurturing the future journalists”.
The program was held on Saturday, May 11, 2024 at the multi-purpose youth center of the Gbarnga YMCA.