Helping others teach youth the value of service and self-respect
Community Elder, Alfons Hengua sat for a complimentary haircut from the grade 10 boys at Okondjatu Combined School in Okakarara as part of their Youth Development workshop held a fortnight ago.
Thirty boys and thirty girls took part in the 2017 Youth Development workshop held at the school premises. Forty elders from the area received special treatment on the Saturday following the workshop, to give the youngsters an opportunity to learn the value of community support.
Youth Development has proven hugely successful at Okondjatu as reflected by the significant improvement in the learners’ grades. The broader spectrum of youth development activities includes helping the learners with study techniques, youth preparedness, community service, a sports day and various academic awards.
Okondjatu’s youth development activities are supported by the FNB Namibia Holdings Foundation. The first assistance was given last year and after seeing the tremendous impact these simple activities had on the learners’ academic performance, it was decided to repeat the workshop this year, and to extend its practical application to reach more people in Okakarara, especially the elderly.
Bolle Hans, the Manager of Public Sector Banking at FNB, who attended the workshop said afterwards: “This workshop showed me that the playing fields in all spheres of life are not the same but despite these disparities, one needs to have a belief in one’s abilities and destiny.” He spoke about self-respect, and respect for others, including peers, teachers and parents, as well as discipline in all areas of life. His advice to the boys: “Give more of yourself, your gifts, your talents and your time to others and your personal growth will benefit from it. Study hard, work diligently, and focus on short term goals, toward your overall goal and you will succeed.”
Sage advice for the girls came from Ms Angela Katjimuine, another facilitator at the Youth Development workshop. She addressed the girls and spoke about various fundamental life skills, the key message being respecting oneself, others and the environment. Her main purpose was to inspire and motivate the girls.
The feedback from the participants was very positive and both the girls and boys committed themselves to living more meaningful goal-orientated lives.
