This year’s International Youth Day has been celebrated in Accra with Executive Director of the Springboard Road Show Foundation, Comfort Ocran, reminding young people that the day is more than a date on the calendar, but a call to action.

Comfort Ocran reflected on the 2025 UN theme, “Local Youth Actions for the SDGs and Beyond”, noting that it is a powerful reminder that young people are not only the leaders of tomorrow but the changemakers of today. “The future is here, and the future starts now,” she declared, urging participants to take the global goals and make them real within their own communities.

The celebration, held at the Osu Ebenezer Presbyterian Church on the 12th of August, also marked the launch of the Teenpreneurship Bootcamp under the bold theme “Next Is Now.” Organised at no cost to its 300 participants, the program is designed to equip teenagers with the skills, mindset, and confidence to act immediately. By embracing entrepreneurship, innovation, and practical problem-solving today, these young people are not only investing in their own futures but also contributing directly to sustainable development and community transformation.

Another highlight of the day was the unveiling of the second edition of Impact Stories under the Ghana Grows Program, aptly dubbed “Rays of Hope”. These stories celebrate the resilience and achievements of young women and men transforming agriculture, breaking barriers, and creating local solutions with national and global relevance.

Through the Ghana Grows Program, over 448,000 young people have impacted.  Notably, 76% of participants are young women, and 1.91% are persons with disabilities. 20,000 young people have secured jobs and sustainable livelihoods, while more than 2,400 Youth Ambassadors have been trained to champion agriculture and entrepreneurship nationwide. In addition, the extended Empower 360 component of Ghana Grows has equipped over 1,116 young women with practical skills and provided 156 young participants with startup kits to launch their own businesses.

The Ghana Grows Program is being implemented by the Mastercard Foundation in partnership with a consortium led by the Springboard Road Show Foundation. It aims at highlighting the opportunities available in the extended value chain for agriculture, agribusiness and ATVET.

Speaking at the program, Mr. Joseph Boateng, Lead, Market to Impact at the Mastercard Foundation, stated: “The SDGs are not distant targets set in boardrooms. They are lived realities in our villages, towns, and cities. As we mark International Youth Day, let us commit to moving from voice to impact, turning ideas into enterprises, passion into policy, and energy into enduring change.”

Technical Director of the Springboard Road Show Foundation, Rev. Albert Ocran, also spoke to the “Next Is Now” theme, encouraging participants to take deliberate action. “Inspiration without execution is only a dream. What you do today, the projects you start, the risks you take, the ideas you pursue, will define the world you live in tomorrow,” he said.

The event closed with renewed energy, as young people committed to living out the charge of the Executive Director, to turn skills into solutions, relationships into collaborations, and opportunities into lasting change. With passion, purpose, and persistence, they left the celebration ready to ensure that their next step would not just be inspired, but action-driven.