Rev. Dr. Ock Soo Park Outlines Strategy To Tackle Environmental Menace In Ghana

The founder and leader of International Youth Fellowship(IYF), Rev. Dr. Ock Soo Park has challenged the Ghanaian people to change their mindset toward the environment.

For him, attitudenal change can be done through the change of the people’s mindset.

Observing critically, Dr. Soo Park said the campaign to clean environment c goes beyond calls and advocacy.

He said what needs to be done to curb the menace was by engaging populace in real mindset education across the country.

Rev. Dr. Ock Soo Park made this known when he engaged the media in Accra on Wednesday to begin his activities in the country.

The Korean based Rev. expected to officially launch the project alongside some government officials and departments are also billed to grace the occasion.

As part of his literary, he will be meeting some chiefs and religious leaders to have discussions of national interest.

Below is the full statement:

REV. DR. OCK SOO PARK; FOUNDER AND CHIEF ADVISOR OF IYF INTERACTED WITH THE PRESS ON USING THE MINDSET EDUCATION CONCEPT AS A TOOL FOR THE CLEAN ACCRA PROJECT.

Rev. Dr. Ock Soo Park met the Press on THE CLEAN ACCRA PROJECT USING MINDSET EDUCATION CONCEPT AS A TOOL at the Accra International Conference Centre at 3:30pm yesterday. This initiative was a followup to “the Clean Your Frontage” programme launch by H. E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo, the President of the Republic of Ghana with the sole aim of making Accra the cleanest city in Africa. Rev. Park was also scheduled to engage with the President and the Ministry of Youth and Sports towards the construction of a Multi- purpose youth centre at Amasaman to promote the teaching and learning of the Mindset Education programme among the young people in Ghana.

MINDSET EDUCATION CONCEPT
There isn’t a line definition of Mindset Education as developed by Rev. Dr. Ock Soo Park but it’s an area that captures character reformation, heart education, emotional intelligence and control. The human heart or mind are things we cannot see with our eyes. However, just like there is the flow of streams and rivers, there is also a way the heart flows. Most people want to be successful and live happy lives. However not anyone can live the life that they desire which is due to the orientation of the heart. 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 confronts people and their societies are mindset related. We have seen several attempts and agenda 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 agenda 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’s imperative that such 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.

Researchgate’s Rethinking Waste article indicates that 3, 390 tons of solid waste is generated in a day in Accra alone. Government will have to spend millions of Ghana Cedis to partly manage this man-made menace. It’s 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. Several examples and references could be drawn from parts of Africa, Europe the Americas and other places, where the streets of not just their capitals, but other parts are equally clean and tidy. What is it that has helped these States to get their places in the clean state they are?

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 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 programme and engage Government of the Republic of Ghana for a ground breaking ceremony for the Construction of a multi-purpose youth centre to facilitate the teaching and learning of the Mindset Education Course.

Rev. Park is also expected to have a 2- day Seminar to drum home the need for a national approach and agenda for a Clean Heart, a Clean Mindset and a Clean Accra. After these activities Rev. Park shall pay a courtesy call on the President Nana Akuffo Addo Akuffo Addo to firm up relationship towards mindset change especially among the young people in Ghana.

Rev Dr Ock Soo Park is also expected to meet Bishops, Religious leaders, Traditional Rulers including personalities such as Rev. Dr. Ampiah Jackson Kwofie, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, President of the Greater Accra House of Chiefs, Hon. Ebenezer, Kojo Kum, among other Ministers of State, Chiefs, Precious Servants of God and other dignitaries.

CONTACTS INFORMATION
For further information, contact [Frederick Tetteh, Communications Manager 0241992377, 0546603154 iyfred23gmail.com, nsempa@gmail.com]