Corps Member Launches Initiative To Address Youthful Exuberance, Adolescence Crisis In Oyo Public Schools

–  Launches NGO To Address Concern

A life they say is incomplete without making an impact, the reason why leading a good life will only be measured by the blevel of impact one makes not just within around the nuclear family, but all around the society, with appreciable results and testimonies.

Women are essentially key ingredients of life. This is because they constitute half of the world’s population and give birth to the other half. Globally, they are also the most vulnerable as they are mostly subjected to violence in all of its shades.

Statiscally, women especially those of adolescence and adulthood are daily victims of different kinds of abuse ranging from rape to sexual harassment, intimidation, low self esteem, among others.

They are also in this part of the world caught in the web of youthful exuberance and all shades of ebullience, which does not spare their male counterparts.

The National Youth Corps (NYSC), was created about 49 years ago to solve the problem of unity in diversity across all ethnic inclinations in Nigeria, and to assist the government in extending the bond of love and unity across Nigeria.

Since inception, members of the scheme drawn from fresh graduates of tertiary institutions in the country, have made efforts towards the development of the society through their places of primary assignment.

One of such is Faridat Adekemi Adebayo, an outgoing corps member who served at Lagelu Local Government Area of Oyo State, Ibadan. Graduating from Osun State University, with a second class upper division, who has broken another grounds in sterling service not just to her place of primary assignment but humanity in general.

She made a journalistic research on the lifestyle public secondary school students live after leaving the School premises. She however interrogated market women, drivers and bikemen who have first hand information of anything happening on the street. She took the result of the research back to her place of primary assignment, Estate High School Bashorun Akobo rapping it with a seminar with the theme titled : Praxis of Protection : Addressing Adolescence Crises in Oyo State Public Secondary School.

The convener, Faridat Adebayo, said the programme is hinged on addressing issues of youthful exuberance, particularly matters relating to the lifestyle secondary school students live after leaving the school premises, after school hours.

According to her, most overage adults take advantage of underage secondary school students coupled with the fact that most of the do not go home straight after school, a major factor inimical to the education, social and personal life of adolescents.

She also cautioned adolescents from engaging in health risk behaviours such as drinking, smoking, alcohol, unwholesome sexual practices, among others.

Miss Adebayo, also attributed the problems associated with to adolescent crisis to peer pressure, family issues, lack of parental care, death and loss of a loved one, child abuse, and many more.

The ex-corps member recommended awareness and exposition of the challenge, guidance and counselling and well as evaluation in form of a questionnaire to elicit reactions from young ladies, most importantly covering sexual harassment to stem the tide.

She said: “Praxis of Protection: Addressing Adolescence Crises in Oyo State Public Secondary School. Praxis means an idea turned into an action. This seminar was first an idea then turned into an action. The term adolescence is a period of transition in terms of physical, cognitive and socio emotion changes. Crisis means a traumatic or stressful change in a person’s life. These problems faced by adolescence are educational, social, personal among others.

“It is pertinent to understand that adolescence is the period of 10-19 years which is a time of immense opportunity. It is also a time when some individuals start engaging in health risk behaviors such as drinking, smoking alcohol and involving in sexual practices.

“We understand that adolescents are naturally curious and you desire intense freedom thereby becoming vulnerable to risks. At the same time you need to understand that it is this period that you can be lured to peer pressure. Any behavior not checked during this stage will be difficult to control.

“First is the awareness and exposition of these problems which came to limelight today.
Second is the gender composition of guidance and counseling. Students should actively seek their counselor. The number of girls should exceed that of boys as the matter is if great concern to them.

“Third recommendation is to make an evaluation more like teacher evaluation whereby forms will be given out to students to fill without their names written on it. These questionnaire should be collected class by class to know the class that needs urgent attention the most.

“Questions around sexual harassment should be asked.
The last recommendation this research tends to provide is to organise this kind of event with parents giving the propensity of the problem just like we do have parent teachers association. This is because the child’s first place of contact with the world is the family. Parents should be enlightened about these current challenge and to as well stimulate their interest to know more about their children affairs with case studies that has occurred in the past as well as proferring solutions to them as to what to do at home.”

Speakers at the event lauded Miss Faridat Adebayo for the initiative, stressing that such is needed to breed a new generation of mentally stable and informed adolescents, who would take the world by the storm and be partners, in the all round development of the society.

Those who spoke included the Principal, Estate High School, Akobo, Ibadan, Mrs Akinyoola and teachers of the school, alongside other dignitaries.

The counsellor of the school, Mrs Adedigba noted that the initiative is awe inspiring such that Miss Adebayo’s gesture is one that will do the students a lot of good as they grow in life.

The event featured a special drama while the students expressed gratitude to her over the development, seeking similar programmes and features in the future.