THEPLAT4FORM CIC, a Ghanaian-owned initiative in the United Kingdom, has launched its new community project, EM3RGE. The new project is an enterprise designed to help empower, renew, and reshape the minds of youthful men, with its pilot in the United Kingdom (UK).
THEPLAT4ORM CIC, which will be spearheading EM3RGE is an organization that believes that for societies to thrive, every member must first identify as part of the society and harness their skills, knowledge, strengths, and capabilities to contribute to the development of that society.
THEPLAT4ORM CIC engages in multiple activities, that promote its five (5) thematic objectives which are; Social Cohesion, Mentoring, Social-Economic Empowerment, Community Development as well as Human Education and Awareness.
Meaningful change
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of THEPLAT4ORM CIC, Nana Hagan, who is also a member of the Board of Directors of SWIDA Ghana, a local organization that seeks to empower young Ghanaian girls through online activities, speaking engagements, presentations, entrepreneurship assistance, and education on sexual and gender-based violence, noted that there is ample evidence that young men in the United Kingdom and beyond, need help and support to set themselves away from bad habits they may have acquired during their formative or socialization stages in life.
The “EM3RGE” idea according to Mrs Nana Hagan, was been birthed to empower both the girl and boy child to ensure that society is developed equitably.
“Women empowerment is still needed, as women still currently face disadvantages in various areas, but if we want to reach a gender-equitable society, empowering only women is not enough.
“This is not in the conventional sense of giving men more power over women. The community initiative wants to empower men to challenge prevailing norms and provide an opportunity to change their behaviours,” Nana Hagan said.
“If we want to see meaningful change, both men and women have to change. It is not enough to educate and empower women and simply expect men to fit in automatically. It is not going to be an easy task, but I am committed to working hard to make this dream a reality,” the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of THEPLAT4ORM CIC, Nana Hagan added.
Equal opportunity
Speaking at the launch, special guest of honour, the Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Gerry Barker, noted that societies “must be mindful of putting in place adequate mechanisms, policies, and programmes that guarantee the wellbeing of every member.”
Councillor Barker further indicated that the Bradford community and for that matter the whole United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, “welcome every effort aimed at giving a member of society a fair chance to succeed at their first go and if they fail at it, they should equally be given a second chance to try again.”
EM3RGE objectives
As part of its main objectives, EM3RGE aims to make more resources available to youthful men in England to empower them to become positive role models while equipping them with the requisite skills and tools to refocus, harness, and maximize their potentials and opportunities and dissociate from emerging societal vices by fostering a distancing from gangs and violent crimes which is what most of England’s youthful men are currently associated with.
Speakers at the event
The launch took place online (Facebook, YouTube, and other social media platforms) via Streamyard on 9 December 2023, and had in attendance, captains of industry, business and thought leaders, the clergy, entrepreneurs, and motivational speakers among others.
Other persons who spoke at the EM3RGE launch event were Rev. John Williams Baiden, Senior Pastor, Gospel Light Community Church, UK; Nana Osei-Bonsu Jr., Executive Director of AFRIWIC International Organisation, USA; Dr Sohail Ahmed, GP Partner at Caritas Group Practice, UK; and Douglas Nimoh, Digital Entrepreneur, Life Coach, Print-on-Demand Expert, Ghana.
The rest are Kwadwo Awuah Frimpong, Media Director, AFRIWIC International Organisation, USA; Pastor Kofi Amoateng Owusu, Senior Pastor, New Joy International Chapel Church, Life Coach, Entrepreneur, Author, UK; Ibrahim Yunus, Professional Teacher, Writer, Motivational Speaker, Relationship Coach, Ghana; George Kumi, PhD candidate, UK, and Samuel Nugba, an Aviation Engineer.
