#ActivateYouthCamp #DAY 5

Its day 5 at Activate Youth Camp and it keeps getting better. The day started with Mentoring Session. The aim is to inform, inspire and elevate the participants to higher levels of personal awareness and self esteem. All participants were assigned to different mentors who will encourage them to awaken and activate the leadership from within. The session lasted for about 20minutes.


FIRST SESSION by Mrs Chineye Nwadilike

 Mrs Chineye started with the words of a great man which says “Education is a great engine of personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that a son of a mine worker can become the head of a mine, that a child of farm workers can become the president of a great nation” and promised to reward the person who knows the name of the great man a prize. Interestingly, the very first participant she asked got it right and he said it was uttered by the great Nelson Mandela. She enlightened us about us about studying in the United States. She narrated a scenario of how an Ibo girl from a not-so-popular secondary school in Nigeria had an excellent grade in WAEC, got admission into Harvard University offering her the very course she wanted (Mathematics) via the education USA and on getting there, she was further encouraged to teach her native language (Ibo) which she did. The rewards have been fantastic. She’s making money as a teacher and she is on full scholarship for the duration of her studies. She told us that the young lady has been an excellent student right from her Junior Secondary School days and that consistency and excellence will make a big difference in securing admission at the United States. Furthermore, she told us the story of Ben Carson who moved from being a known dullard to an exceptional doctor. His mother played a great role and encouraged them to read different books. She urged the participants to be involved in extracurricular activities and they were charged to initiate and invent something new. She advised the participants not to spend their time watching movies, chatting and loitering around. The Universities in America are looking for students with the extra i.e. Students that are not only good in their academics but also excellent at extra -curricular activities. She explained the criteria to getting admission and how to get a scholarship. It is necessary to write SAT, TOEFL and an Essay which could be as short as 50 words. Both SAT and TOEFL are computer based. A recommendation letter from your teacher is required for you to gain admission.
She shared with the participants five Secrets of the world’s best students.
Successful students have self discipline. They learn to prioritize well.
They understand time management, they don’t waste time. They are using their time productively.
Their body-language communicate something positive. They pay attention. They sit in front, they sit up, they make eye contact, they answer questions and they are active wherever they are.
 They have a mentor.
 They have a passion for reading, they read all the time, they have a little information about everything. She told us about a yearly programme called Youth Leadership programme for Sub Sahara Students in Africa that gives teenagers within the ages of 15-17 a chance to travel to the United States to explore, get familiar with the environment and exposed to the American way of life.
At the end of the session, The participants were excited as they are desperately in need of the inspired, insightful and totally helpful lectures given by Mrs Chineye. Prizes were given to students whose body language communicated seriousness, apt and interest.

SECOND SESSION

The facilitator began his session by inviting two students to the stage and he asked them to introduce themselves and tell us their parent’s occupation and their future ambition. When they were done, He told us a bit about his background and that his Father was a gold smith and his mother, is a petty trader. It was challenging getting his fees paid throughout secondary school and when he eventually finished his secondary education and opted to go to the University his mother considered him callous as she thought he would learn a trade and help sponsor his younger sister. He explained that determination, focus and hard work will take us far in life. He told us that there is no secret about success but to believe in oneself and believe in what we want to do.
He enjoined every of the student to join the Rotary club as it teaches students about service, etiquettes and a whole lot of things. He spoke about the levels of rotary club. The Core values of the rotator club are: Leadership, Fellowship, Integrity, Diversity and Service to the community

THIRD SESSION
Money management for early savers
Aunty Ezinne and her team from Access bank received cheques from the students. It was written the previous day during Mr Lanre Olusola’s class where they were asked to project into future and write out the amount of money they intend to own by then. The gracious staff of Access bank received it with joy and they were impressed that they have an idea about money and finance. She told the participants that money is more valued when it’s worked for. When you work hard for money, you spend wisely. The students were urged to open an account, make deposits often and kindly ask our parents for the statement of account at the end of the month so that we can know how far we are saving. The facilitator told us that Earning, Saving, Spending and giving should be a continuous cycle. She explained that the virtual app is to help track records of the account. The class ended with the facilitator telling us that early savers account is a great move for the future.

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