25th August, 2015
Every summer, MindAfrica Leadership Initiative (formerly known as MIND Foundation) creatively engages hundreds of economically disadvantaged youths through its leadership camps.
This year’s camp was held at the Community Secondary School, Amadi-Ama, Rivers State, from August 3-8 for students from homes with small resources, most of whom, cannot afford to pay for holiday classes and activities.
The leadership camp provided an amazing opportunity for them to learn valuable skills, create lasting friendships and prepare for the future.
Themed: “Inspired to lead”, this year’s camp engaged 116 students from four community secondary schools in Rivers state, providing them with opportunity to experience and take the lead in decision making, problem solving and collaborative projects which in turn helped them developed skills that will stay will help them in adulthood.
MindAfrica leadership camps have grown from strength to strength over the years and to ensure that this years’ was better than the last, the management focused on S.T.E.M based activities by offering a number of interactive sessions allowing participants to gain hands-on experience that will develop and sharpen their skills in using robotics, electronic engineering, power generation and web design to solve real life problems.
The camp also had various session that led to the development of leadership behaviors in the participants. Participants at the camp were provided with camp kits, project materials, meals and other resources at no cost to their parents.
At the end of the camp, students displayed and defended their projects ranging from prototypes of a water pump, that pumps water uphill to a wind-turbine, a row-bot (robots that can help fishermen row boats), an automatic lighting system circuit and other thrilling inventions.
To help students bring their prototypes to real life projects, the Executive Director, MindAfrica Leadership Initiative, Ms. Olere Iluebbey assured the students of MindAfrica’s support in their project activities as they return to their respective schools.
In her address to the participants, parents and all present, a member of the board of trustee, MindAfrica Leadership Initiative Ms. Esimaje Ogor admonished parents to encourage the students who participated in the camp to continue on the path set out by MindAfrica, to continuously develop their minds knowing that they can be whoever they want to be in future not letting money be a barrier. She also congratulated the students on their achievements during the camp.
MindAfrica is a not-for-profit organization that provides free learning opportunities to disadvantaged children and youths in ways that build their innovative and creative capacities. Its leadership holiday camp is one of the enriched learning programs for financially disadvantaged children and youths held annually during the long holidays.
MindAfrica is able to achieve its objectives through the support of volunteers and donors. “We are always looking for more dedicated individuals to join our team and for donations from well-meaning individuals and organization to further help more youths from economically disadvantaged homes,” Ogor said.