To meaningfully engage children and young adults during this
long holiday, Youth Empowerment and Development Initiative (YEDI) is
organising a week-long holiday program for age 11 to 18 years. Tagged Skillz Holiday Camp , the annual, youth-targeted event which is in its 4th year focuses
on educating young people about prevention of endemic diseases such as
Malaria and HIV, as well as empowering them with knowledge on healthy
habits and life management skills using the convening power of football
and other physical activities in a safe, fun, non-discriminatory and
interactive environment. Generously sponsored by ExxonMobil and M.A.C AIDS Fund, the summer camp which was flagged off on Monday
August 1, 2016 at 4 locations in Lagos will also take place in Ogun and
Akwa Ibom States from August 8th to September 2nd.
In a statement made available to the press on the need for such a summer program, Anu Ishola, YEDI’s Executive Director stressed the importance of positively engaging young people during long holidays.
aims at engaging young people during the long holiday, a period where
youths are most vulnerable, have a lot of idle time and are exposed to
negative peer pressure that increases the likelihood of engaging in
risky activities. This year, we are targeting 4,000 young people in
Lagos, Ogun and Akwa Ibom,” she noted while thanking the sponsors
and volunteers for supporting a program that makes the holiday period a
memorable one for young people.
According to the statement, the camp runs for 8hours per day over five
days and participants will experience a series of exciting activities
that will engage them for the whole day which will be handled by trained
volunteers who will serve as coaches. Some of the activities include registration, orientation and physical exercises (where
all participants partake in morning exercises and be briefed on the
day’s activities); breakfast (they are all given a well nourishing
breakfast in preparation for the day’s activities); Lunch (they are
treated to a healthy meal with water); Bed-net demonstration (they are
taught the importance of Long Lasting Insecticidal Net and how best to
use it); Talent Hunt and exhibition (they are given an opportunity to
showcase and hone their skills); Quiz competition (they will take part
in some brain exercises to improve their knowledge); and several other
activities.
ABOUT YEDI
Youth Empowerment and Development Initiative, principal host of the
Skillz Holiday Camp, is a Nigerian NGO committed to introducing
effective and innovative approaches aimed at mobilizing, educating,
empowering and inspiring young people and communities in Nigeria.
Through its various programs, YEDI equips young people with basic and
relevant life-coping skills, and provides them a platform to have
important discussions about life, take guided steps to achieve their
goals, stay strong when faced with challenges, and protect themselves
and others from diseases such as HIV/AIDS and Malaria. With support from
its sponsors and partners, YEDI has empowered more than 60,000 children
in over 400 project sites and schools in Lagos, Akwa Ibom and Ogun
States with plans to extend operations to Abuja and Rivers State. Thanks
to its funders and partners, YEDI has empowered over 8,000 young people
since 2013 with the Skillz Holiday Camp platform. More information is available at www.yedi.ng