Out of the number, 105 are at Malshegu while the rest are in Accra in the Greater Accra Region.

The cultural exchange programme, which is an annual initiative between Youth Empowerment for Life (YEfL), a Tamale-based non-governmental organisation (NGO), and Ghana Friendship in Denmark (GV), is aimed at providing young people with the opportunity to learn and share various cultural perspectives.

This year's programme, which is the second in the series, will provide an opportunity for the students from Denmark and their Ghanaian counterparts from the Malshegu Roman Catholic (R/C) Junior High School (JHS) to interact and share ideas about the way of life of young people from their respective countries.

As part of the programme, a youth exchange rally was organised for the participants at Malshegu last Wednesday where they took part in sporting activities such as football, volleyball and Lego, displaying competition, dance, arts and film making to exhibit their talents.

Purpose
The Director of YEfL, Madam Vera Jawol Magan, in an interaction with journalists during the youth exchange rally at Malshegu, described the initiative as very important, since it gave participants the opportunity to experience the culture of people in other parts of the world.

She stated that the activities undertaken during the exchange programme would help to build the confidence of the participants, as well as let them tell their stories in their own ways.

She added that the short films taken by the participants, which border on various topical issues chosen by the participants among the youth and from the community, would be posted on social media platforms created by the students from both countries for the benefit of their counterparts in other parts of the world.

The Headmaster of Hald Ege Boarding School, Mr Erik Junker, who accompanied the students from Denmark, described the students of Malshegu R/C JHS as open-minded and polite, making them to easily interact with their counterparts from Denmark.

He commended YEfL and GV for the initiative to let the youth from the two countries know about each other’s culture and way of life, adding that there were similarities in the students’ thinking and they also had similar hopes and aspirations in life.

"We hope to ensure that at least 1,200 Danish students benefit from the programme in the next two years to enable them to learn and appreciate other cultures of the world," Mr Junker added.