PROJECT/WORKSHOP: This project was piloted during the summer 2009 camping period. Fairly, good number of enthusiastic volunteers from varied countries took part in the workshop. Sequel to the success chalked, a lot of volunteers across the globe continue to signal their desire and ambitions to participate in the programme if repeated. In response to this popular request, the organization intends to re-run the programme to train individuals or group of people who wish to acquire knowledge and skills in the Drumming and dancing (art within the African context). The volunteers during the training section will harmoniously live together with common purpose of cultural diversity.

The participants who are expected to get involved in the workshop will be drawn from around the globe under our intercultural initiative programmes to exhibit cultures of other people. The relevance of the project is to portray some very imperative and significant aspects of the Ghanaian culture necessary for community development and promotion of spirit of voluntarism also to hunt talents of people of all races. The project is therefore, a conscious effort to promote and impart knowledge and skills to people around the globe. Well experienced instructors in the Music and Dance industry will be in attendance to take the volunteers through the rudiments of body movement, manipulation of drums of all kinds and some basic traditional musical instruments. The workshop has also carefully arranged a programme to meet the demands of person(s) who express interest in song and scripts writing during the episode.

Additional instructors from the Ghana Dance Ensemble and some identified cultural groups as resource persons to beef-up the existing ones, will be at the disposal of the workshop to teach participants variety of African beats, dance, songs and body movement techniques. The errors and challenges encountered during the maiden programme were identified and rectified for the success of summer 2010 project.

POTENTIALS OF THE PROJECT: Ghana for that matter Africa is proliferated in plurality of indigenous music forms and instrumentation which have remained unexploited for commercial gains for a very long time. Ghana folkloric indigenous music/dances, drama and scripts are cultural capital that has to be exploited in this era of poverty alleviation and wealth creation. It is therefore timely to train people across the world in the art and package African music and dances for commercial purposes to rekindle the creative energies of the performing groups throughout the world. The success of the project will induce a stimulus for further commercial exploitation of this latent but versatile art form.

WORKSHOP LOCATION: The workshop is scheduled to take place at the organization’s training centre commonly referred to as VOLU Training Centre (VTC) situated at a rural setting of Kordiabe in the Greater Accra region of Ghana. The community is an integral of the Ga Dangme District Assembly, having Dodowa as its district capital. The journey from the National capital, Accra to the training centre is under 45 minutes drive.

ACCOMMODATION: During the period, the participants will be kept at the Hostels of the Training Centre which has the bedding capacity of one hundred (100) persons. The classroom blocks and Training facilities available in the centre will be placed at the disposal of the trainees throughout the life of the programme. Participants will sleep in bunk-beds fully equipped with mattresses; share rooms with other participants. Ingredient for preparation of meals will be provided throughout the stay of the trainees and all trainees will be expected to actively be involved in the cooking.

LANGUAGE: English shall be the medium of communication at the camp; high proficiency in the language will NOT be a requirement.

PARTICIPATION FEES:  The participation for this special camping programme will be Four Hundred and Fifty (€ 450.00) Euros. Participation fees for Special Camps are charge far and above our usual fees for ordinary Summer Workcamps and amongst some of the rationale behind this fess are:

Income to meet the administrative expenditures of organizing the programme (payment of allowances to instructors, lecturers, performing groups, utility bills, transport, mail, postage, website, equipment etc.)

Training materials, staff honorarium, and development of training manuals, development and expansion of specific study sessions during the programme.

Purchasing and provision of food ingredients towards the feeding of participants.

EXTRA INFO: During the training session, the volunteer trainees will intermittently engage themselves in some environmental sanitation activities within the immediate surroundings of the VOLU Training Center, Kordiabe. As the old adage states “all works without play, makes Jack a dull boy”, management has in advance programmed very exciting travel tours to some popular National Parks, Game Reserves, Museums as well as Water-falls. Entertainment activities which include Soccer and Volley-ball matches against town folks will be arranged to enhance the health needs of the trainees. Volunteers may also be exposed to some traditional recreational activities identified within the rural setting of Kordiabe community.

INSURANCE:  Prospective participants are required to obtain their own health and accident insurance for the whole period of their travel and stay in Ghana and also bring along all relevant documents considered significant to their journey.