Dr. Olusola Oresanya, Executive Director, Chen Teen and Youth Development Initiative ((CTYDI)), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) has called for stakeholders’ collaboration in building resilience in children.
Oresanya made the call on Tuesday in Abuja at the 2022 Annual Abuja Schools Debate Tournament organised by CTYDI.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the tournament is the 5th in the series of the debate, which featured schools from the private and government sides, within the territory to debate on issues around resilience.
The theme for the debate tournament is: ‘Developing Resilience in Young People: An Essential Tool for Survival in the 21st Century’.
The executive director said that learning resilience during adolescence could make a real change to a young person’s outcome and success in life.
She also said that there was need to infuse curriculum on lifelong skills in schools which would help children make good use of their time especially, when they are idle.
According to her, low resilience has been associated with an elevated incidence of suicidal behaviour, development of mental health problems, and poor general health status.
” Abuja Schools Debate is a platform created to allow young people participate in the discourse of topical issues affecting them. We also bring experts and professionals to address such issues.
“In 2021, as the world was just recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, we focused on the theme: Addressing the Effects of COVID-19 pandemic on Nigerian Adolescents and Youths’.
” And had schools compete on the topic: ‘The devastating effects of COVID-19 pandemic on Nigerian youths are manifestations of a failing system rather than the pandemic itself’ with Government Day Secondary School, Wuse II, winning the trophy.
“Statistics show that about 64 million Nigerians are currently suffering from one mental illness or the other and Nigeria has Africa’s highest caseload of depression, and ranks 15th in the world, in the frequency of suicide, according to WHO,” she said.
Oresanya added that building resilience was a critical preventive tool against mental breakdown, especially among adolescents.
She, therefore, said that there was need to raise awareness and generate a discourse on developing resilience in young people as a tool for survival in the 21st century.
She said that the schools, government and relevant authorities had a role to play in achieving this.
On the face-off between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Oresanya appealed to students to make good use of their time in engaging in activities that would better their lives.
Also, Mr Joseph Ike from the Milestone Rehabilitation Centre, Kaduna, who spoke on the topic: ‘Developing Resilience in Young People: An Essential Tool for Survival in the 21st Century’, said children needed help on how to cope with exposure to change.
Ike said it was important for those involved in caring for, raising and teaching young people about resilience as a developmental resource.
According to him, every human being faces difficulties in life, even young people in childhood and adolescent resilience is a capacity that can be built.
Assistant Director, FCT Secondary Education Board, Mr Itam Nneoyi, said there was need for the society to encourage young adults due to the sequence of events happening in the society like depression, suicide and the rest.
Nneoyi said that the board had a rich curriculum on resilience taught in schools which would help develop the students on ways of handling challenges of life.
“The children need to be supported so that the resilience in them can be developed, they should be encouraged by all means to ensure that the resilience is built in them.
“We have a good curriculum with regards to resilience but the parents also must be there for their children to really help them come out of challenges,” he said.
Also, Miss Anjolaoluwa Odomo, a student of JC Best International School, Abuja, called on students to realise that they could come out of every challenge, hence the need to build their resilience.
In the same vein, David Aboko, a student of Government Secondary School, Kabusa, commended the initiative stressing that resilience was a tool students needed to cope with the challenges of life.
NAN reports that seven schools such as: JC Best International School, Government Secondary School (GSS) Kabusa, GSS Wuse II, GSS Apo, GSS Gwanrinpa, Life gate Academy, and Lela Blossom Schools participated in the debate.
Life gate Academy clinched the top position in the competition, GSS Wuse took second while GSS Apo, took the third position.(NAN)
