By Margaret Adado and Ikpete Ginini
No fewer than 30 captains and leaders of industries penultimate weekend converged in Calabar to mentor about 300 Young Professionals in their different fields of endeavors.
The event tagged Young Professionals Calabar (YPCalabar) was organized by the in Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND), Unboxed Processes, Beyond Regular and the Bridge Foundation. It drew youths between the ages of 18 and 35 to the Dome event center where they were broken to groups of tens with one mentor to a table.
Participants were offered the opportunity to share views, ask questions and learn firsthand from mentors.
And, the convener, Mr. Wale Adenuga while welcoming participants charged them to identify mentors in their fields and learn from them in order to develop their skills.
He told journalists at the event that the aim of the program, was among other things, to bring competent skills under mentoring.
He said that the program which had been held previously in Lagos was brought to Calabar because of the need to improve the capacity of young professionals, students and serving corps members in the state.
He expressed optimism that participants at the event will learn alot from there mentors ans take action from there.
Earlier, Mr. Chuks Ofulue, Analysis Advocacy Manager of Foundation for PIND said that his organization is partnering with YPCalabar because they have as a very important component of their focus area youth employment which the program will help to solve.
He explained that PIND, “is a Nigerian non-profit organization established in 2010 by Chevron corporation as a regional strategy for addressing the multi-faced and deep-rooted social and economic problems in the Niger Delta rather than the symptoms.”
According to him, PIND has deployed different measures and mechanisms to achieve its aims even as he stressed that it will continue to do more to achieve its objectives.
One of the mentors and immediate past Director General of the Cross River State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Betta Edu, said that the event provides an opportunity for young people who have big dreams to meet those who have walked ahead of them and learn from their mistakes.
Betta held that the world is fast changing, hence the need for young people to prepare themselves for the future they are venturing into. She added that programs like YPCalabar, that bring industry leaders to young people are priceless and will continue to be encouraged.
A participant, Paul Ebiale who is a final year student of the faculty of Law, University of Calabar said the program was impactful as they all shared tables with mentors who listened to their fears and allowed them to talk about their dreams. He added that he has learned alot from both the mentors and other participants and will take the knowledge gained from the event and apply it to his life.
Also, awards and certificates were given to participants and their mentors at the event.
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