A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Teens Going for Gold Network has concluded the annual Project Teach a Teen boot camp in Ogun.

Over 40 students took part in the three-day semi-residential boot camp, which was held from September 4 to 6, 2023, at Reminisce Schools Mowe, Ogun state.

Now in its 7^th year, the programme tagged ‘Teach the Teen boot camp,’ avails teenagers from underserved and under-resourced communities across Nigeria access to skills and experiences that can prepare them for the future.

Participants who were picked after working with partner organisations like Dolly Children Foundation and Dreams from the Slums Foundation were trained in two main components; the general and technical or vocational modules.

Under the general modules, experts took sessions on Public Speaking, Exploring Career Pathways, Personal excellence and acing scholarship applications, financial education and Starting and Growing a Low Capital Business. While under the technical and vocational modules, skilled instructors took the students and introduced them to different lucrative skills in technology and digital class, throw pillows and handcrafts, makeup, gele tying, and photography.

One of the facilitators, Temi Badru, who spoke on public speaking emphasised that it is a must-have skill which is useful in every area of life, personal and professional.

She defined public speaking as an “act or process of making speeches in public,” or “the art of effective oral communication with others,” adding everyone encounters a situation where public speaking skills are necessary.

“With public speaking, you can influence the world around you. If you see something that needs to change, use public speaking to change it,” Badru said.

On her part, Christina Soname, Founder, of DYP Network, who spoke on exploring career pathways, highlighted practical tips to maximize teenagehood for career excellence. This was followed by one-on-one guidance sessions with the teenagers.

While speaking on how to ace scholarship applications, Abraham Ologundudu, a skilled brand designer and communications expert, stressed the need for teenagers to present themselves well in online and offline spaces.

On his part, Ola Olaoluwa, Head of Business Development, at Teens Going for Gold Network led the teenagers in an interactive financial education class

Certificates of participation were presented to all the teenagers who showcased what they learnt in an exhibition.

Adewumi David, a participant in the coding class expressed gratitude to the organisers, saying “I learnt how to code, and I was positively impacted by the career talks and how to succeed at scholarship applications. Now, I can say I am leaving better than when I joined the Bootcamp.”

Speaking, Pelumi Obisesan Aina, Executive Director of Teens Going for Gold Network, stated that the organisation is intentional about investing in young people from under-resourced communities because of the organisation’s cardinal belief that quality and inclusive education is not only an antidote for poverty but also a propeller of societal and national transformation.

He revealed that Teach a Teen Project has trained a total number of 1195 students.

Project Teach a Teen is one of the annual projects held by Teens Going for Gold Network and it has been held in Abuja, Edo, Oyo, Lagos, and Ogun State.

Teens Going for Gold Network is a not-for-profit that provides access to skills and experiences that amply prepare teenagers across the most underserved and under-resourced Nigerian communities for the future of work.