Youths from different communities gathered recently in Ibadan for a youth empowerment conference where teenagers and youths were tutored freely on being gainfully engaged while waiting for admission or are forced to stay at home due to the ASUU strike in order to prevent them from being enticed into crime and also set them on the path of financial independence.
The annual empowerment programme organised by the Human of Substance Empowerment Initiative (HOSEI) was themed ‘Working towards your dreams’ and was geared at adding value to the community
The Youth Empowerment Conference was aimed at providing an interactive forum for dialogue between young people who need a platform to get engaged and tutors who are willing to take them up and teach them a trade as well as well meaning people who are willing to sponsor their learning.
The highlight of the programme is the selection of 100 beneficiaries who are the ninth set to benefit from free vocational training on the platform of HOSEI. The students who were selected on a first to arrive at the event basis were selected from a thousand fresh secondary school graduates and those awaiting admission who participated in the annual conference of the foundation.
The 100 beneficiaries received scholarship for six months to learn a vocational skill of their choice and also got enrolled into HOSEI’S Mentoring Programme for the period of one year and the six months learning period is expected to be a time of rigorous mentoring and free vocational training in diverse crafts courtesy of the Human of Substance Empowerment Initiative (HOSEI), as part of efforts to empower them, put them on the path of financial independence and consequently, develop the community. training.
The youths who were selected couldn’t hide their enthusiasm and appreciation of the opportunity given to them during the empowerment conference held at the Nigerian Bar Association, Afe Babalola Bar Centre in Ibadan.
The empowerment was in line with the vision of the founder of HOSEI that in order to reduce the number of youths that are vulnerable to peer pressure and crime, everyone must have a way of making ends meet.
Speaking on the programme, the founder of HOSEI, Abiade Olanwanle Abiola, stated that, “since we started years back, it has been a success story. We thank God for how far we have come. We are happy that HOSEI has been able to touch the lives of hundreds of youths and give them financial independence with the help of good people who opened their businesses and sacrificed time and efforts to push this dream. We are getting better by the year and we intend to do more.
“It is my belief that if we allow these young ones to move around aimlessly while awaiting admission, we will make them vulnerable to cybercrime, prostitution and other vices. We want them empowered so they can be financially independent to shun vices,” she stated.
Parents of the lucky beneficiaries could also not hide their joy that their children are being given the opportunity that could lessen the financial burden of school fees by the time they gain admission.
Abiade’s vision is to give as many youths as possible a chance not only to dream but to also pursue their dream and rewrite their own stories in a way that will set them on the path of independence.
HOSEI further gives youths improved access to resources and transformed their consciousness, beliefs, values, and attitudes with the “I can and I will” attitude which allowed those that could not stand up for themselves develop confidence to stand tall.
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