‘Youth Work Is Not Just a Passion, It’s a Profession’-Theodora Anti Williams

Co-Chair of the Association of Youth Work Practitioners (AYWP), Theodora Anti Williams, has called for a national shift in mindset and policy to recognize youth work as a serious professional discipline rather than a voluntary pastime.

“Youth work is not just a passion—it’s a profession,” she declared, setting the tone for a national stakeholder dialogue that brought together youth practitioners, government officials, civil society leaders, and international partners in Accra on Tuesday September 30, 2025.

The event, themed “Growing the Profession of Youth Work in Ghana”, was organized by the Association of Youth Work Practitioners (AYWP) in partnership with the Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment, the National Youth Authority, the Commonwealth Alliance of Youth Workers’ Associations (CAYWA), and the Commonwealth Youth Programme.

The dialogue marked a pivotal step in the country’s efforts to formalize and professionalize youth work as a critical pillar in national development.

Speaking with conviction drawn from years of frontline experience, Anti Williams emphasized the urgent need for ethical standards, accreditation systems, and sustainable institutional support for youth workers in Ghana. “We must stop seeing youth work as just mentoring or organizing camps. It’s about structure, training, accountability, and impact,” she said.

Delivering the keynote address on behalf of the Minister of Youth Development and Empowerment, Hon. George Opare Addo, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the National Youth Authority underscored the governmentxs commitment to elevating youth work. He acknowledged the vital role youth workers play in nurturing the next generation and reaffirmed the Ministry’s support for establishing a formal framework to guide the profession.

“Our youth workers are not volunteers filling in gaps. They are key actors in nation-building,” he noted. “They deserve recognition, resources, and representation at the highest levels of decision-making.”

The call for systemic change was echoed by Dr. Joseph Kobla Wemakor, Convener of the Ghana Civil Society Organizations Platform on SDGs (Youth) and Executive Director of Human Rights Reporters Ghana. He emphasized that achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Ghana would be impossible without a strong, empowered youth work sector.

“Recognition, resourcing, and partnerships—these are the three pillars we need to stand on if we’re serious about youth development,” Dr. Wemakor stated. “This dialogue must not end here. It must spark action.”

From the international front, Tanya Merrick Powel, Co-Chair of the Commonwealth Alliance of Youth Workers’ Associations (CAYWA), brought an emotionally charged message from the Pan-African diaspora and Caribbean youth work community. She celebrated the resilience of Ghanaian youth workers while encouraging them to build a practice rooted in their own cultural and historical context.

“Youth development work is more than a policy. It is a science, an approach, and a process,” Merrick said. “You are not just working with young people—you are building nations.”

She further called for the AYWP to position itself as the national repository of youth work knowledge and practice, especially in times of political transitions, when continuity is often lost. “Governments change. Ministers change. But the association must endure and carry the story of youth development forward,” she added.

In a compelling address from the Commonwealth Secretariat, Layne Robinson, Head of Social Policy Development, highlighted the Commonwealth’s 50-year commitment to professionalizing youth work.

He spoke of the global efforts to develop degree and diploma programs, ethical standards, and regional networks to support youth workers across member states.

“We have to ask ourselves—if youth work disappeared today, what would be left behind?” Robinson challenged. “The truth is, our communities would be weaker. Our democracies would be less vibrant. And our young people would have fewer champions.”

Robinson invited Ghanaian stakeholders to participate actively in the 5th Global Commonwealth Youth Work Conference in Malaysia in November 2025, where global challenges such as AI, mental health, and legal safeguarding in youth work will be addressed.

As the day’s discussions came to a close, there was a shared sense of clarity: youth work is no longer something Ghana can afford to take for granted.

The relaunch of the Association of Youth Work Practitioners was hailed as a turning point—a move towards dignity, structure, and empowerment for youth workers nationwide.

“This is more than a relaunch—it’s a revolution,” said Anti Williams. “We are building a profession that transforms lives, strengthens communities, and helps Ghana thrive.”

With more than half of the countryxs population under the age of 35, the professionalization of youth work is not just timely—it is essential. The dialogue has now sparked what many hopes will be a sustained national movement.