Ghana’s performance in the area of environmental cleanliness over the years has been a major hurdle due to general attitudinal challenges and a lack of implementation of sustainable plans by successive governments to achieve the set goals.

Accra being the national capital has many environmental sanitation plans initiated by the past and present governments all targeted at transforming it to become one of the cleanest cities in Africa but they are yet to achieve that.

The latest of these plans dubbed: Operation Clean Your Frontage has been launched in Accra by President Akufo-Addo to sensitize people on how to maintain a clean environment and enforcement of sanitation bye-laws in Accra.

The good news is that the country’s struggle to achieve excellence in environmental sanitation and beautification for Accra has caught the attention of Rev. Dr. Ock Soo Park a Global evangelist who is also the Founder of the International Youth Fellowship and Gracias Choir.

Dr Ock Soo Park addressed the media last Wednesday in Accra to shed light on his partnership with the government on the Clean Accra Project using the mindset education concept as a tool to support the government to achieve its aim.

 Rev. Park disclosed that he scheduled to meet the President and the Ministry of Youth and Sports towards his planned 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.

Mindset Education Concept

According to Dr. Ock Soo Park, there isn’t a line definition of Mindset Education as developed by him but it’s an area that captures character reformation, heart education, emotional intelligence and control.

A slogan from the life-transforming concept Mindset Education, "a changed mindset leads to a changed life" and by extension a changed society.

True change comes about when it occurs within a person and it's reflected in his or her actions, attitude and life.

A true reflection of cleanliness in the life of a person or a society can only be sustainable when the essence of ensuring and maintaining this state of cleanliness, is well-grounded in the heart, mind and soul of the individual or society.

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 plans 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 is 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.

It is obvious that the issues of or dirty streets and surroundings in several Parts of Ghana has 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.

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. IMEI believes that the most important part of achieving true change is by first addressing the mindset of society, one individual at a time.

In view of this, the Founder and Advisor in Chief of the International Mindset Education Institute, Rev Dr Ock Soo Park is expected to launch this program and engage Government for a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a multi-purpose youth centre to facilitate the teaching and learning of the Mindset Education Course.

As part of his visit a 2-day Seminar to educate people on the need for adopting a national approach for Clean Heart, a Clean Mindset for  Clean Accra agenda.