Conselling based education

One of the tools that we aim to promote through the YLMP is Counselling Based Education (CBE). Below is a brief description of what CBE entails and hopes to achieve. It was written by Seth Tandoh, who works with Media Youth Project:

"CBE is a style of sharing information that utilises the trainee's own curiosity and life experiences. Unlike a typical Ghanaian classroom set-up where students are "lectured at" from rigid, inflexible notes, the trainee is required to give something of himself.

Here are some of the unique aspects of CBE as practiced by Media Youth Project. The first four relate to training methods:

1. We throw away conventional 'chew and pour' teaching.
At Media Youth Project the trainee himself becomes part of the learning process.

2. We keep learning groups small so we can give everyone individual attention.
By keeping the numbers small (between 3-10), the leader can give each individual attention and, in love, help him or her to chart a consistent course of self-development.

3. We place great emphasis on practicals.
Emphasis on putting what one has learnt into immediate use.

4. We employ role playing. Role playing is a very important part of the Media Youth Project learning process. We have mock press conferences and interviews. We believe that things that are actively learnt (i.e. through role plays, etc) become much easier easier to grasp.

5. We discourage competition and emphasise teamwork.
We believe there is more to be gained for the common good if we cooperate with each other instead of competing against each other.

6. We create a non-threatening, supportive environment.
How?
- By replacing jealousy of others achievements with joy at another's success as shown by united, public declarations at partner meetings commending individual partners for a good job.
- Through teamwork where each partner's abilities are identified and utilized making sure that everyone plays a contributory role in any given task according to his abilities and gets satisfaction from doing so.

7. We unearth and reward talents.
As a result of all the above, Media Youth Project offers an environment that allows partners and trainees to explore their talents without fear of ridicule or rejection.

Let's look at this system in practice. Let us suppose a learning guide wants to share with trainees (or students) the term "TARGET AUDIENCE" as used in the media world. He would first ask "Who knows what a target audience is?" If no one knows, he will then ask "What is a target?" "A target is a point which you are aiming to reach." "Good", says the learning guide, "Now what is an audience?" "The people who receive your program or publication." "Excellent, so now what is a target audience?" Answer: "The people you are aiming to reach with your program or publication!" The trainees have helped to teach themselves. – Ask them questions to ensure they grasp the topic. Don’t just lecture. This way, CBE is a more rounded form of education that allows students to take an active part in their learning."

Although mentoring is by no means a substitute for formal education, it can provide students with an alternate method of learning things they may not otherwise experience. We encourage mentors to combine informal talks with CBE for a well-rounded learning experience.