Aside from money management, teens need to know real-life skills if they are going to have a chance of surviving in the real world.
Of far greater importance is to nurture inquiring, independent minds, encouraging young people to think for themselves and to have the courage to take risks, which will in turn build resilience.
Young people naturally challenge orthodoxy and should be encouraged to do so; they tell us they want to be taught how to learn, not just what to learn.
There is a lot of talk about how our teenagers need to get ready for life in the real world. And there is no question that it’s important to prepare them for independence while they still have the safety net of home, parents, and teachers to guide and correct them as needed.
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If is in a bid to address these concerns that Methodist Girls’ High School, (MGHS) Yaba, 78/83 set while celebrating 40 years of Leaving School put together an informal mentoring session with the current student of the school with the theme ‘Unstoppable: Preparing Young Girls For The Real World.’
Alumni of the school who have become successful in their various fields shared real life experiences and tips with the students on how they can cope with real life situation after school.
Folake Irukera, an alumni and the assistant national coordinator of RCCG junior church and national teens coordinator shared with the students ways they can be unstoppable.
Some of the ways Irukera mentioned include having good self esteem, believing you are unique as a person, being focused and not distracted, being accessible, having a positive outlook, paying attention to mental health and self care, believing in one’s self, learning and helping others.
Aderonke Onadeko, who is also an alumni is a business woman and a serial entrepreneur with over 33 years’ experience.
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During Onadeko’s session with the students, she shared real life experiences with the students, stressing that they imbibe the virtue of discipline, which she described as the bedrock for success.
She mentioned five things students needs to do to be successful in life to include bring disciplined, delaying gratification, having the right kind of friends, having good habits and imbibing family values.
Ibiyosola Ogundairo, MGHS 78/83 set President said “A lot of us at this age may not have had this kind of opportunity where people came to speak with us but there were people who influenced us by just a few words that they spoke to us and it stuck with some of us.
“When we were younger, we didn’t have people organising seminars like this and calling us together, but there were one or two elders that would have said something to us to help us become a better person. And this was what helped some people through school to become what they are.”
Ogundairo said now is an era when students can be called together and people talk to them and there are motivational speakers to share with them real life issues.
“We felt that there is no other way better to spend our 40th anniversary than to want to impact the girls with people we know are very passionate about them and then growing to become responsible ladies that we can all be proud of,” she said.
She said that she really hopes that the gesture will impact the students the way they desire that it should, adding that she is confident that a large majority of the students will have picked up something, especially from the speaker who shared true life stories.
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“We hope that those stories will impact these girls and help to shape their decisions. We learn that decisions form your life and what you will become. It will help them in making those decisions that will form their lives right in the future.
“What we had today is like an informal mentoring session because they have heard about people who have succeeded and I’m sure they feel mentored,” she added.
The best graduating JSS and SSS students in the 2022/23 session were presented cash rewards.
