A foundation based in Festac Town, Young Professionals Development Foundation has partnered with the Young Wing Christian Association of Nigeria (YOWICAN) to enlighten teenage girls on leadership and the need to become leaders in society.
The foundation with the sole aim of empowering the girl child hosted teenage girls from Christ Holy Church International, Radiance High School, and S-Tee Schools.
The program was held on Saturday at Christ Holy Church International, 322 road, E close, Festac Town.
In this brief interview with Mrs. Ngozi Maria Samuel, president of the Young Professionals Development Foundation, she stated that the goal of the foundation is to make girls aware of the potential they possess.
“The Amuwo Odofin conference is about getting teenage girls between the age of 13-19. The foundation is about bringing out the leadership in the young girls, we are trying to catch them from their teenage age.
“Girls are unique, girls are strong, girls are intelligent, they are resilient and they can serve. The foundation is bringing out these potentials in those children making them aware that they can be what they want to be in life.
“We are in a society whereby girls are being bullied, looked down on, and some have been denied the privilege of going to school. We want girls to know that they are great and can become what they want to become in life” Mrs. Samuel said.
Mayowa Olabode Adewara, YOWICAN coordinator for Amuwo Odofin local government emphasized the need to sensitize girls in Amuwo Odofin community.
“We put this together in partnership with the Young Professionals Development Foundation to sensitize the young girls in our community. It is a necessity because we realized that a lot of things are going on in our society whereby girls are being pushed back, seeing themselves ad inferior to their peers.
“This program is to address this situation for girls to be confident and stand out among their peers and not allow their fellow gender to sideline them when it comes to decision making and that’s why the Youth Wing Association of Nigeria sees this as a necessity to partner with this foundation to sensitize our young girls the right to see themselves in the society,” Mr. Adewara said.
Okeke Chioma, a 15-year-old science student of Radiance High School, whose dream is to become a surgeon described the conference as a lifetime opportunity.
“This Conference is a lifetime opportunity. An opportunity for me to come and be among girls, to be empowered and be thought different things I had never heard before.
“We talked about leadership skills, self-image, and dignity. I learned a lot because I have not been able to keep up with these things. We talked about financial discipline.
“Every teenager should have a mentor, a person they can talk to, advise them and help them to become who they want to be,” Chioma said.
14-year-old Akpe Okiemute, a science student at S-Tee Schools, who dreams of becoming a medical doctor or an astronaut expressed her thoughts about the conference. “The first speaker thought us how to be disciplined, focus on ourselves, and achieve our targets and from the second speaker I learned more about my self-esteem and dignity and that my self-worth is my image.
