At the age of 15, she feel ill and had to stop schooling to pursue treatment. Not willing to let sickness deter her education, Shirley searched for solutions that would allow her to continue studies.

Now a student at Keystone National High School, Shirley, who lives with her parents and sister in Kumasi, takes all her coursework online and has found time to create a lucrative business from blogging.

Focused on inspiring others, Shirley uses her web exposure to share her story of self-motivation, and provides tips about entrepreneurship and making money online.

TEDxYouthInspire: Most of the young people we see around Accra, working and schooling at the same time, do so to support their families and themselves. What was the urgency for you to start a business?
Shirley Osei-Mensah: I didn’t start my business to take care of family or myself. I felt sick in 2007 while in school. I felt pain in my eyes and head, and I couldn’t write or read from a text book. I could only read from the PC or the TV. So I stopped schooling in pursuit of treatment. While on treatment, I joined a question-and-answer website primarily to help people find solutions to PC-related technical questions and also to find an online job. As a result of that, I discovered articles on kids making money online. I also discovered how to design a blog and make money from Google Ad Sense. The first time I made a blog it didn’t go all that well so I started over in December 2009. Now I am ranked very high on the Allexer ranking website.

TEDxYI: What challenges, if any, have you faced being both young and a woman?
SOM: Well, as a young woman, when you talk to somebody about your business, they don’t take you seriously. They think what you are saying is stupid, especially since the field I’m in is mostly dominated by males. But it’s not all that tough for me. When I was in school, I had a lot of competition with boys in quizzes, so for me has become fun.

TEDxYI: You are in high school and go to school online in Ghana. How is that possible?
SOM: In the United States, there are high schools that are registered as long distance education providers. They provide education through correspondence; either through snail mail or email. So, I’m not a Ghanaian student, I’m a US student.

The school provides study materials online – my school also has an option to choose text-based or electronic-based correspondence. Assignments are uploaded when completed. But there is a problem with attending school this way – it’s expensive. It costs 2,195 USD per year, plus textbook expenses to attend.

TEDxYI: Bill Gates, the mogul behind Microsoft, dropped out of school to pursue his business idea. What is keeping you in school?
SOM: I thought of that but my mum said that wasn’t an option. She said, school comes first and I should do schooling first and then business can come second. I told her about Bill Gates but she still insisted that I be in school.

TEDxYI: Are there any challenges with combining school and business?
SOM: Yeah there are a whole lot of challenges. It depends on your time and socialisation. For me, the social part is not a problem because I am not all that well. But you should know when to do business and when to do school. So I have divided my day into two parts; I do school from 7AM to 12PM and business from 1PM until I go to sleep.

TEDxYI: What advice do you have for your peers?
SOM: Don’t let what has happened to you let you down. I know it’s tough, I haven’t even finish going through all the tough times yet. But you shouldn’t focus on the bad side. Focus on your strength and then see how you can use that strength in your current situation to succeed.

Shirley Osei-Mensah will be speaking at TEDxYouthInspire in Accra, Ghana on April 10, 2010. To learn more about her visit www.shirleyszone.com.

Rawlings Sam, a TEDxYouthInspire volunteer, conducted this interview with Ms. Osei-Mensah.

What is TEDx?
TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. Our event is called TEDxYouthInspire, where x = independently organized TED event.

What is TEDxYouthInspire?
TEDxYouthInspire 2010 is an open space for the Africa’s youngest visionaries to collaborate and re-evaluate the possibilities of creating a better global community.

When and where will the conference take place?
TEDxYouthInspire will take place at the Kofi Annan Centre of Exellence in ICT on 10 April 2010.

Who is invited?
Attendance to TEDxYouthInspire is free and for youth, ages 14-25 years old.

Who is on the TEDxYouthInspire planning committee?
Raquel Wilson, Edward Amartey-Tagoe, Daisy Baffoe, Sharon Brooks, Allen Manser and Worlali Senyo, along with a enthusiastic team of volunteers have all contributed to making TEDxYouthInspire a success.

What is the theme?
With the task of inspiring young people to make communal and sustainable transformation globally, TEDxYouthInspire has chosen the theme “A Good Head & A Good Heart”, taken from a quote included in former South African president Nelson Mandela’s autobiography, to exhibit how extraordinary youth leaders combine radical thought and integrity of spirit to create unlimited possibilities for a brighter future.

How many days is the event?
TEDxYouthInspire is a one-day, participatory event.

How do I register for TEDxYouthInspire?
Pre-registration for TEDxYouthInspire has closed, but open registration will commence on 15 February 2010.  Please visit www.tedxyouthinspire.org/attend/ on or after 15 February to apply for attendance.

Can I invite my friends?
Yes, but they will have to register individually.

Am I required to pay to attend the conference?
No, attendance to TEDxYouthInspire is free for youth under the age of 25.

Why did you choose Ghana as the host city?
Ghana was one of the initial three cities we scouted for TEDxYouthInspire when we wanted to present the conference in three countries.  When we were looking for appropriate venues, the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT, were quick to respond to our proposal.  Since young people are leading the economic and technological growth of Ghana, we thought AITI-KACE was the perfect environment for TEDxYouthInspire. The state-of the-art facility provides a dynamic environment for innovation, teaching and learning as well as practical research on the application of ICT4D in Africa.

Who are the speakers?
All TEDxYouthInspire speakers will be under the age of 30, including some speakers who are under the age of 18.  So far we have confirmed Esi Yankah, president and founder of the African Mentor Network; Shirley Osei-Mensah, a high school student & young entrepreneur; and MacJordan Holdbrookes-Degadjor, a Ghanian journalist who reports on social issues in Ghana and across the globe.  We have also been given permission to screen an Oscar-nominated short film.  Additional speakers and our host have been invited and we are currently awaiting their confirmation.

How did TedxYouthInspire come into being?
In the early summer of 2009, TEDxYouthInspire curator Raquel Wilson, a youth and gender programming consultant who serves the African Diaspora, and a friend spoke about how to create a space of collaboration for young people in South Africa, where he was based.  Their initial plan was to do a youth arts summit in Port Elizabeth.  However as they started doing research and learning of the phenomenal progress young people were making in South Africa they decided to expand the summit to a leadership summit.  But there was a question about how to best program the summit to engage young people.  This is when Raquel discovered the new TEDx program and thought it ideal for what they wanted to do in terms of meeting the needs of youth across Africa.

It was at this time Raquel thought to create a way to connect young people from several different African countries so that they could motivate each other.  TEDxYouthInspire initially started with a plan of connecting youth in three African countries simultaneously using real-time, streaming video.  However, after trying for three months to secure venue hosts in Ethiopia, South Africa and Ghana, Accra was the only city secured.  So the event was scaled down to just one country, and unfortunately South Africa, the original country was no longer part of TEDxYouthInspire.

How frequently do you plan to host TedxYouthInspire?
At the moment we are waiting to evaluate the success of TEDxYouthInspire in Ghana before planning beyond 2010, however, if TEDxYouthInspire becomes an annual event, we would like to explore the option of connecting young people in several different countries using online collaboration tools and video technology.

What do we hope to accomplish?
We are working with an open space technology expert to create an “aftercare” plan for the young people who attend TEDxYouthInspire.  Our desire is continue the conversations after the conclusion of the conference and allow youth to continue inspiring each other with “ideas worth sharing”.

An active changemaker from Agona Kwanyako in the Central Region of Ghana, Esi Yankah is founder and president of The Africa Mentor Network (TAMN), a new kind of organization that allows African leaders to shape the lives of the younger generation through a measurable, long-term networking program.

Cautious to always live a life that is cheerful and purposeful, Esi does not believe that entrepreneurs like herself are an extraordinary breed of people; rather, as she explains, “We just back our faith with action.”

TEDxYouthInspire: What has been some of your greatest challenges so far with your project, The Africa Mentor Network?
Esi Yankah: Just like the Parable of the Sower, no good comes without challenges. The Africa Mentor Network, a project I am deeply passionate about, has taken me though many ups and downs. There have been days when I just want to give up, but I remind myself that people are counting on me and that keeps me moving.

In the initial stages, one major challenge I faced was getting people to support my vision for the organization. When you start something new, there is always a crop of disbelievers. You have those who join, but don’t want to put work into elevating the project; the naysayers, who discourage you and think the vision is too big; and those who just want to be attached to the project if it becomes big.

TEDxYI: You’ve been quoted as saying, “Africa needs us!” in relation to talented young Africans continuing to build a strong, fruitful continent. How is TAMN filling this need?
EY: There is a need in Africa for motivated, inspired young people who have an interest in opportunities on and development of the continent as a whole. Filling that need is the mission of TAMN. Our aim is to bridge the gap between the young and the old, the rich and the poor; to unite and become agents of change within our societies.

TEDxYI: How do you define success?
EY: Success means caring for people and bringing them along with you as you make your way up your ladder of achievement.

TEDxYI: What advice do you have for young Africans looking to make a positive change in the world?
EY: Young people need to rise up and be the change they want to see. They have to realize they are responsible for their own future and should therefore avoid being an audience. They need to become active participators in the process of transformation.

Esi Yankah will be speaking at TEDxYouthInspire in Accra, Ghana on April 10, 2010. To learn more about her visit www.africamentor.org.

Interview kindly conducted by TEDxYouthInspire volunteer Daisy Baffoe.

African Pixel, a startup mobile software development company, has joined TEDxYouthInspire as a partner in support of empowering African youth.

Based in Nairobi, Africa Pixel specializes in making great software for Smartphone platforms such as iPhone, Android and Symbian.

To learn more about African Pixel visit www.africanpixel.com.

Kamau was an invited speaker at the November 20 TEDxAmsterdam event held at the Royal Tropical Institute.

Born against a backdrop of crime and hardship in the slums of Nairobi in 1980, Mark’s dream of a better future finally became reality in 2000 when he registered at web design school NairoBits.

Although he had never touched a keyboard before, Mark began as one of the first web design students in East Africa studying design, technique and African culture.

In 10 years, Mark has shown what talent and drive can achieve when given exposure and fertile ground.

Click here to watch Mark’s interview.
Click here to learn more about Mark’s TEDxAmsterdam talk.
Click here to learn more about NairoBits.

On December 22, 2008, over a hundred young Ghanaians met in Accra for BarCamp Ghana ‘08 to exchange ideas on entrepreneurship, innovation and development for a rising Ghana. This summer, the conversations moved to Washington, DC on July 25, 2009 where BarCamp Diaspora ‘09 brought together the African Diaspora to exchange ideas on doing business in Africa.

This December 21st in Accra, the BarCamp Ghana team, made up of passionate young Ghanaians, presents BarCamp Ghana ‘09, under the theme “Leadership for our times – cultivating change makers”. The event will take place on December 21, 2009 from 8am – 6pm at the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) campus at 20 Aluguntuguntu Street in East Legon, Accra.

A BarCamp is an ad-hoc gathering where attendees meet for discussions, demos and networking. Unlike a typical conference, at a BarCamp everyone is both a speaker and a participant. The content is provided by all attendees based on their interests, unified under the theme. This year, the focus is youth in leadership and how the youth can create and make change in various ways in various disciplines for the betterment of Ghana. The event would highlight different success stories involving change-making youth. Change makers and youth leaders are strongly encouraged to attend.

BarCamp Ghana ’09 is a FREE event for anyone who is interested in using their skills, talent, and resources to benefit Africa. BarCamp Diaspora gave birth to a Ghana-focused healthcare NGO, REACH-Ghana, which will be presenting its story since its inception in July. BarCamps all over the world have brought together individuals and organizations to collaborate on various projects and businesses.

Panelists and speakers will include Patrick Awuah of Ashesi University, Estelle Sowah of Google Ghana, George Minta of Empretec, Hajo Birthelmer of Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST), amongst others. There will be sessions organized by Google representatives and as well as other breakout sessions on various topics and interests as put forth by the attendees. If you are creating or making change in your own small way in your community, consider sending the team a note about your project or business to info at barcampghana dot org. Some of these stories will be mentioned at the BarCamp and all the information will be on the BarCamp Ghana website.

BarCamp Ghana 2009 is sponsored by the GhanaThink Foundation, Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST), Ushahidi, Web4Africa, Google Ghana, Ashesi University, Fienipa of Suuch Solutions and CITI 97.3 FM.

For more information visit www.barcampghana.org.

Accra, Ghana, December 1, 2009 – On Saturday, April 10, 2010, from 8:00AM – 6PM GMT, the inaugural TEDxYouthInspire conference will be held at the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT in Accra, Ghana. The one-day, free event will be the first TEDx event dedicated exclusively to young African visionaries ages 14-25.

Tasked with inspiring young people to make sustainable transformation, the conference will utilize the theme “A Good Head & A Good Heart”, from former South African President Nelson Mandela’s 1995 autobiography Long Walk to Freedom, to exhibit how radical thought and integrity of spirit combine to create unlimited possibilities for a brighter future.

“It is important that young people are aware of their power as local and global community leaders,” says Raquel Wilson, event curator, “TEDxYouthInspire will encourage participants to collaborate and embrace their shared passions for change.”

Space for TEDxYouthInspire is limited. Young people interested in attending should apply online at www.tedxyouthinspire.org/attend. Eligible applications must be received by Sunday, January 31, 2010 to be considered for admission.

Individual and corporate sponsorship packages are available. Additional information about TEDxYouthInspire can be found by visiting www.tedxyouthinspire.org. You can also follow along on Twitter at www.twitter.com/tedxyouthinspir or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/tedxyouthinspire.

Click here to download the TEDxYouthInspire Press Release #1.

Tasked with inspiring young people to make sustainable transformation, the conference will utilize the theme “A Good Head & A Good Heart”, from former South African President Nelson Mandela’s 1995 autobiography Long Walk to Freedom, to exhibit how radical thought and integrity of spirit combine to create unlimited possibilities for a brighter future.

Space for TEDxYouthInspire is limited. Young people interested in attending should apply early. Eligible applications must be received by Sunday, January 31, 2010 to be considered for admission.

Check the new site regularly for the latest news, updates and details regarding the one-day, free conference to be held April 10, 2010 in Accra, Ghana.

The TEDxYouthInspire team is also accepting submissions for speakers through the website. Nominate someone or yourself.

AITI-KACE, Ghana’s first Advanced Information Technology Institute, works to stimulate the growth of the ICT Sector in the Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS). Established in 2003, through a partnership between the Government of Ghana and the Government of India, this state-of the-art facility provides a dynamic environment for innovation, teaching and learning as well as practical research on the application of ICT4D in Africa.

Visit www.aiti-kace.com.gh to learn more about AITI-KACE.

Thank you to Worlali Senyo, TEDxYouthInspire Ghana Coordinator, for his help in securing AITI-KACE as a 2010 partner.