No fewer than 1,600 teenagers from across secondary schools in Ogun State have been trained on how to be exceptional teenagers by Trust Teens Conference.
At the event with was held in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital with the theme; “Building Exceptional Teenagers”, the participants were taken though issues on mental health, importance of education, communication strategies, etc.
Concerned by the level of neglect of young minds in the country, Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria, South-West Zone, Bishop Tunde Akin-Akinsanya, called for the provision of more support for the development of teenagers in Nigeria.
The clergyman said the teenagers are assets in the national rebirth agenda of the country, adding that “if we don’t make a deliberate effort to teach them those cherished values, they won’t have anything to offer.”
Speaking on the neglect of teenagers, Akin-Akinsanya said: “The teen years are formative years. It’s the time to catch them young and build them up for greater exploits. It is the time to inculcate in them those cherished values of patriotism, honesty, integrity, hard work, love for one another, diligence among others.
“Unfortunately, we tend to neglect them and focus so much on the youth whereas they are the next generational leaders. They remain the foundation but if the foundation is faulty, what can we do?
“The national rebirth can’t work if we don’t carry these teens along. If we don’t make a deliberate effort to teach them those cherished values, they won’t have anything to offer.
“If we raise and teach them those things that are expected of them as patriotic citizens, how they can impact their generation, they will definitely catch the fire of the national rebirth that we are really so much in need of in our country, because like I said earlier, they are to take over from us.
“So I encourage the government, religious bodies and other stakeholders to come on board and provide platforms and support for these young minds to be great assets for the country.”
During the conference which had the theme “Building Exceptional Teenagers,” the participants were trained on issues such as mental health, importance of education, communication strategies, etc.
Convener of the conference and the Lead of Trust Teens Foundation, Deborah Dada, said that the essence of the gathering was to fire up the teenagers to be the very best in life.
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