A non-government organisation that teaches and mentors children and young adults on leadership and life values, Children of Africa Leadership and Values Development Initiative (CALDEV), has said young Nigerians who have displayed excellent feat in their careers will be given ‘Young Achievers Awards’ at its upcoming National Children Leadership Conference in Abuja.
Founder and President of CALDEV, Hon. Bamidele Salam, stated this at a news conference to unveil plans and programmes for the event on Monday in Abuja.
He said the conference will be convened under the Theme: ‘Rebuilding Nigeria through Investment in Children’s Education, Welfare and Security’, and will have in attendance over 500 children from the 36 states of the federation and the FCT.
“The National Children Leadership Conference 2023, organizd by CALDEV in partnership or support with several organisations provides a national convergence platform to give Nigerian Children the opportunity to express their God-given talents and innovative skills, contribute their aspirations to Nigeria’s democratic governance and policies as well as learn ethical values on national unity, national loyalty, leadership and a sense of belonging in government affairs.
“The Conference is a program put together to provide a platform for children between the ages of 12 and 17 from across different parts of the country to converge on the Federal Capital Territory for the purpose of leadership, training, mentoring, knowledge sharing capacity building, competitions, networking and collaboration.
“Consequently, this Conference is designed as a deliberate policy by CALDEV and its partners to celebrate the Universal Children’s Day; a day set aside by the United Nations to celebrate our children and also discuss issues that bothers on their welfare,” he said.
Salam, ho is a member of the House of Representatives, said the conference will feature several activities, including Leadership Training; children parliamentary session; Children’s Dialogue on values, national unity, and loyalty; Children’s Financial Literacy Session; Panel Discussions; Quiz competition; Children’s Films and Books Exhibitions; Art exhibitions, Books presentation and awards as well as other side attractions.
He explained that the Young Achievers Award was a flagship component of the conference designed to celebrate teenagers, who have shown excellence in their fields, and to inspire others to work hard.
“We are not only bringing together children, but will give awards to those who have made remarkable impacts in terms of winning global laurels and make Nigeria proud.
“We are bringing and recognizing children who have made impact in the area of technology, innovation, sport, STEM education and other areas.
“Participants for this conference will be children t who have shown remarkable leadership capabilities in their schools, in the clubs and in other platforms and are also looking forward to having a platform where the student will engage with policymakers from the government, engaging with ministers, legislators and people who occupy various offices,” he said.
According to him, a crucial segment of the conference will be dedicated to Children’s Financial Literacy in order to imbibe in them mindset of prudence and accountability in managing both personal and public funds.
“We have discovered that financial literacy is a big issue among Nigerians, and our generation has lot of imbalance in people planning economic wellbeing.
“We believe that if we are able to mentor children to be knowledgeable about money, it will be better for us, and there is a bank that is coming to facilitate that session,” Salam added.
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