Tee & the Boyz, an NGO, on Monday held a mentorship forum for over 60 young boys between the ages of 7 to 12 years to develop their moral upbringing and positive self-esteem.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the boys drawn from different backgrounds took part in the mentorship programme which was held at the BMT African Park in Abuja.
Mental Health experts and Child Development and Financial coaches took the children through series of practical sessions.
They were exposed to basic communication skills, cooperation and teamwork, basic administration skills and mental concentration skills, among others.
Mrs Triumph Adekunle, the founder of the group said that the initiative was to present practical opportunity for the boy-child to help them effectively transit to teenage-hood and adulthood.
According to her, all programmes and advocacy in the society seemed to have been devoted to issues affecting the girl-child, with little or no deliberate efforts on matters affecting their male counterparts.
“This is a forum for the complete moral, mental and emotional empowerment of the boy-child for them to evolve into better adults.
“I have realised that emphasis has been so much placed on the girl-child, who we are raising them for, if we don’t have well-groomed boys.
“My passion is to see a boy who will stand in the next 10 years as an adult that is well raised to adequately face the challenges of life.
“We cannot afford to leave this responsibility to parents alone, because we all need men who will be real helpers to their spouses tomorrow as well as impacting the society positively,’’ she said.
Mr Ayotunde Fasanya, a Child Development Specialist, who facilitated a session, told NAN on the sidelines that the initiative was commendable, describing it as “a timely intervention to safeguard the future of the boy-child”.
“It is important to know that the boy-child is a leader who will be saddled with a lot of responsibilities tomorrow, both in his family and the society at large.
“We need to raise creative leaders, building their mental and physical strength and encourage them to choose the right values if they must succeed in future, and it starts now,” he said.
An eight-year-old primary four pupil, Mofe Omokhale, shared his experiences at the event with NAN: “I have learnt that I need to be focused, disciplined and work hard now, so that I can take care of my family in future.’’
“I have also learnt that it is important to shun bad company and influence for me to fulfil my dreams,” he said.