Rev. Dr. Ock Soo Park Founder and Chief Advisor of the International Youth Fellowship (IYF), has met the Ghanaian press with a focus on the clean Accra project using The Mindset Education Concept as a tool at the Accra International Conference Centre at 3:30 pm yesterday.
This initiative was a follow-up to “the Clean Your Frontage” programme launched by H. E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the President of the Republic of Ghana with the sole aim of making Accra the cleanest city in Africa.
Rev. Park was also scheduled to engage with the President and the Ministry of Youth and Sports towards the construction of a Multipurpose Youth Centre at Amasaman to promote the teaching and learning of the Mindset Education programme among the young people in Ghana.
Researchgate’s Rethinking Waste article indicates that 3,390 tons of solid waste are generated in a day in Accra alone; which the government will have to spend millions of Ghana Cedis to partly manage this man-made menace.
It’s obvious that the issues of dirty streets and surroundings in several Parts of Ghana have prevailed over the past decades, with not much of an improvement seen in this regard.
While some of us agree that strong state Institutions and systems are a major part of getting a society clean, it is also the case that when the societal mindset is not influenced and changed positively, these Institutions would not be effective in ensuring a holistic change, reflective enough in the life of such society.
Several examples and references could be drawn from parts of Africa, Europe the Americas and other places, where the streets of not just their capitals, but other parts are equally clean and tidy. What is it that has helped these States to get their places in the clean state they are?
In the case of these States, considerable effort was put into changing the mindset of the populace, which in turn reflected in their change of attitude and national life. In these cases, keeping clean became a way of life and not necessarily a call to action.
It is in this regard that the International Mindset Education Institute (IMEI), an affiliate of the International Youth Fellowship (IYF) is a key advocate of Mindset change believes that the most important part of achieving true change is by first addressing the mindset of society, one individual at a time.
Given this, the Founder and Advisor in Chief of the International Mindset Education Institute, Rev Dr Ock Soo Park is expected to launch this programme and engage the Government of the Republic of Ghana for a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a multi-purpose youth centre to facilitate the teaching and learning of the Mindset Education Course.
Park is also expected to have a 2- day Seminar to drum home the need for a national approach and agenda for a Clean Heart, a Clean Mindset and a Clean Accra. After these activities, Rev. Park shall pay a courtesy call on President Nana Akuffo Addo Akuffo Addo to firm up the relationship towards mindset change especially among the young people in Ghana.
Again, Rev Dr Ock Soo Park is also expected to meet Bishops, Religious leaders, Traditional Rulers including personalities such as Rev. Dr Ampiah Jackson Kwofie, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, President of the Greater Accra House of Chiefs, Hon. Ebenezer, Kojo Kum, among other Ministers of State, Chiefs, Precious Servants of God and other dignitaries.
ABOUT MINDSET EDUCATION CONCEPT
There isn’t a line definition of Mindset Education as developed by Rev. Dr Ock Soo Park but it’s an area that captures character reformation, heart education, emotional intelligence and control. The human heart or mind are things we cannot see with our eyes.
However, just like there is the flow of streams and rivers, there is also a way the heart flows. Most people want to be successful and live happy lives. However, not everyone can live the life that they desire which is due to the orientation of the heart. A slogan from the life-transforming concept Mindset Education, “a changed mindset leads to a changed life”… and by extension a changed society.
THE CLEAN ACCRA CAMPAIGN
The International Youth Fellowship (IYF) is of the view that most challenges that confront people and their societies are mindset related. We have seen several attempts and agendas by governments, past and present to come up with various strategies to curb the filth in our cities, especially the capital, Accra.
Sadly though, many of these agendas had yielded very little to no results due to the mindset of most people. While many support the President’s recently launched “Clean your frontage” agenda, a select few of us at the IYF are, by extension and in addition advocating for a “Clean Heart & Mindset” agenda.
When a society fails, or see less of a need to keep a clean environment and surrounding, it’s imperative that such a society requires more than a call to action to clean our environment. Such a society requires a deliberate and consistent Mindset transformation to make the agenda of keeping a clean environment become not just a thought, but an attitude and a way of life, on daily basis.
