DAY TWO- GRANDOPENING #THEAWAKENING

Welcome to Activate Youth Camp 2015 Day Two- Sit, Learn, Reflect, Run, Shout, Leap, Jump, Dance .. 

The Day 2 activities started with a rigorous drill in the early hours of Monday, 27^th July, 2015. The drill was very much needed as it availed the children and mentors the opportunity to stretch their limbs and shake off malady, before commencement of the day’s activities.

TEAM MEETING

Lest we forget, all the campers were divided into six (6) teams on the first day of camp. The teams are Amber, Emerald, Jasper, Opal, Ruby, and Sapphire. All the teams broke out into groups and each of them initiated a slogan to identify with throughout the camp period. The chanting of the slogans was quite intriguing, as it facilitated team bonding.

OPENING CEREMONY

The commencement of the 2015 edition of Activate Youth Camp was officially declared open by Her Excellency,  Mrs. Bolanle Ambode, First Lady of Lagos State at about 9:00am. The opening ceremony was packed with: Arrival of invited guests; Arrival of Her Excellency , Opening prayer; Introduction of key dignitaries; Welcome address by the Convener; Short documentary of previous AYC Camp experiences; Special Musical presentations; Goodwill Messages; Key note address; Vote of thanks; Group picture. Her Excellency in her key note address, admonished the children to remember that the essence of the AYC15 Camp is to bring out the hidden talents in them. She therefore implored them to feel free to pursue their respective passions, skills and vocations, be it cooking, weaving, baking, hat making, handcrafts, dressmaking, hairdressing or indeed any other. Her Excellency gave a resounding commendation to the convener, for deliberately focusing on public schools amongst other things. Before her departure from the camp, the children expressed their appreciation to Her Excellency, the Convener and her husband, including all mentors, and as well as themselves for being a part of AYC15

SKILLS CLASS

Next in the activities for the day was the ‘Skills Class’ segment. This is one of the most educative segments of Activate Youth Camp. The children and mentors have the hands-on opportunity to practically learn the skill of their choice, ranging from dancing, shoe/bag making, tailoring, photography, bead making, Ankara designing, art and craft, batik, to t-shirt production. The skills class, which is still at the introductory stage, is adjudged world-class, according to the participants. They have access to core professionals in every chosen skill class. This is indeed a rare privilege. 

JOURNEY OF GUIDED LEARNING

The series ‘Journey of guided learning’ rolled into Day 2 of the 2015 edition of Activate Youth Camp, as Mr. Abayomi Ogunfowora, a Farmer,  and retired CEO of a Stockbroking Firm started by asking the children what each and every one of them aspire to be. He gave some of the children opportunity to answer his question. Interestingly, their responses were loaded with great aspirations. This geared the facilitator to share the story of his life. How he started identifying with mentors at a much younger age, to be a better person. He also talked about his journey through school from one level to another, and how he diversified into other areas of interest simultaneously. He said he never lost focus of where he was going. In discussing further, he made the children realise that, environmental factors are great determinants in one’s life. He opined that these factors can either make or mar one’s future, depending on how you want it. Meaning that one can decide how he/she wants his/her life to go against any environmental factor. These were the words of Mr. Abayomi. He made the children understand that everyone has their strengths, and implored them to use it to walk in the path of their dreams/aspirations. This is the reality you must face, he said. He satisfactorily answered the questions of the children. The session was ended with a powerful quote from him, “God is for everybody. If you leave Him, He will leave you”. Meaning everyone needs God to excel in their endeavours.

SPORTS/GAMES SESSION

Without an iota of doubt, the sport/games session was indeed interesting. Beyond the imagination of many children, they had the opportunity to choose from variety of sports/games. The types of sport/game available in camp are: Volleyball; Handball; Athletics; Basketball; Aerobics; Football, Table tennis, Scrabble, Ayo olopon; Ludo; Chess.Many children used the opportunity to try out a new sport type that is different from the ones they are very familiar with. Apparently, there was never a dull moment for the children and mentors during these activities. Believe me, mentors too seized the opportunity to keep fit physically and/or mentally. It was indeed energising for all.

COMEDY NIGHT

Now we can boldly declare: If you are not at the 2015 edition of Activate Youth Camp, you are nowhere! Indeed great things are happening here. The camp hall ambiance during the comedy night was amazing, as Seyi Law, a seasoned Nigerian Comedian, baptised the children and mentors with laughter in abundance. He was the Special Guest for the night, there was never a dull moment. Seyi Law did not only make the audience laugh, he also shared some life stories for them to learn. Pointing to the fact that he did not get to where he is today at once, it demands a process that has taken so much of commitment and hardwork, he said.The comedian told the children how vital education is for them if they truly want to attain their goals in life. Seyi opined that to attain success in life, the following must be considered: Talent; Action; Determination; Mentorship; Hardwork; Humility. All of these coupled with God, will help sustain the attained success. The children were represented from each team to showcase their creativity in comedy. Just like in every other aspect, they never disappointed the audience, including Seyi Law, as they came up with interesting and brilliant acts. When the Guest Speaker was to give his verdict on their performance, he couldn’t stop applauding them for jobs well done. He advised them on developing self confidence and as well declared all six (6) teams as winners. In Activate Youth Camp, everyone is a winner!