International Youth Day 2023 was commemorated by Kids & Teens Resource Centre in collaboration with Young Africa Leaders Initiative (YALI), Ondo Hub, and She Leads Young Women Network, Ondo State Chapter at Kids & Teens Resource Centre Conference Hall, Akure. The event focused on re-positioning oneself to harness scholarship opportunities.
The program started at 11 am with an opening prayer from one of the participants. The moderator, Mr. Wale, introduced the guest speaker, Mr. Milton Babajide Macaulay, PhD., a lecturer at the Federal University of Technology, Akure. After the introduction, everyone present at the event introduced themselves and talked about their expectations. Miss Oluwabukola briefly talked about the patterning organization, and an energized networking session was done.
Mr. Milton Babajide Macaulay started his session by sharing his career and scholarship experience, which have helped him reach a great point in his career both nationally and internationally. He mentioned scholarship and fellowship programs available for graduate, undergraduate, and post-graduate students. He went further to state how one can apply for suitable ones that align with their strengths and academic performance. Examples of scholarship and fellowship programs he mentioned were Carrington Fellowship Program, Erasmus Mundus, YALI RLC, Mandela Washington, Federal Government Scholarship, Agbami Scholarship Awards, Julius Berger Scholarship Awards, and more.
He also explained the difference between scholarship and fellowship, where fellowship is granted to students who research a certain discipline at universities, while scholarship is financial aid given to pursue further education. In conclusion, he shared his experience with the participants and encouraged them to always make inquiries before applying for either a scholarship or fellowship.
Furthermore, he advised participants to seek information from those who have applied for the kind of scholarship they’re applying for. He explained how to write a catchy Statement of Purpose and further advised them to buy books. He also mentioned one of his businesses, ILLUMANIA. An online educational consulting firm where those applying for scholarship or fellowship are being mentored.
She Leads Young Women Network, Ondo State Chapter also sensitized participants on Gender-Based Violence. Here Miss Blessing introduced the network while Miss Adenike gave a talk on Sexual Harassment. Free HIV testing was done for some of the participants.
In conclusion, the International Youth Day 2023 event was informative and educative. The participants where taught about scholarship and fellowship opportunities, gender-based violence, and sexual harassment. The event served as a reminder that it is important to re-position oneself to harness scholarship opportunities. It also highlighted the importance of taking action against gender-based violence and sexual harassment. A total of 29 persons were reached.