Kumasi Welcomes #BlogCamp2015

May 9th, 2015 will be a memorable day for the people of Kumasi, not only because it marked a memorable anniversary in the city’s Sports calendar but also because more than 300 participants attended this year’s BlogCamp15.

The event trended on Twitter in the top spot nationally throughout the day.

This event started in a unique way offering social media enthusiasts the opportunity to explore and share visual stories about three distinct neighborhoods in Kumasi.

By beginning the event with a three hour BlogWalk event, Ghana’s online communities on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram got the rare chance to see images of Adum, Asafo and Suame.

This weekend’s event was the first time BloggingGhana’s annual conference had been help outside the capital city of Accra.

The organization intends to democratize social media and demystify its use by reaching out to interested individuals from different walks of life in different parts of the country.

This was not the only major difference.

Last year’s BlogCamp was fused with the awards event which followed immediately after the workshops and conference.

This year, the organizing team pulled off a more sophisticated evening awards soiree at a separate event hosted at the Coconut Grove Regency Hotel in Accra.

This Awards night awarded 15 individuals and organizations for their contributions to local content on the many popular digital platforms.

During the BlogCamp15 conference in Kumasi held at the College of Science Auditorium, the Chair of BloggingGhana, Kajsa Halberg Adu reiterated the organization’s interest in remaining a friendly, interactive and supportive network.

With this, she called on all attendees to join the association by registering on its website to strengthen the group’s overall vision to create a generation of ethical social media users in Ghana.

Attendees at the event benefited from a panel discussion which practically showed them how to use social media to make positive impacts in society.

Following the panel, attendees who were new to blogging and social media were taken through an hour’s session, which taught them the basics of blogging and where to obtain more resources to improve focus on themes of interest.

 In the second session, the discussion attempted to answer the question: Is awareness enough or can social media be used to create more impact?

The highlight of the day was when the Suame team, adjudged by a jury, was selected as the team which had used social media to tell the best stories about the suburb they had explored, and received sponsor provided awards.

In her delivery, the Information Officer, Jeanne Clark representing the US Embassy in Ghana highlighted the US government’s commitment to engaging with youth, encouraging skills acquisition for civil society advocates, public servants and entrepreneurs through the Young African Leaders Initiative and soon to be unveiled Regional Learning Center.

Supporting organizations such as Blogging Ghana provides an avenue to further empower Ghana’s youth with concrete tools and encouragement to inclusively express themselves BloggingGhana in its quest to increase the number of people who have access to social media information partners local and international organizations to support this objective.

The organization hopes to obtain more support to increase its outreach programmes in the regions.

Partners who made this event possible include the US Embassy, PlanItGhana, Ariel’s Haven, FashionistaGH, Jumia Ghana, Jex Travel and Tours and PZ Cussons.