By Ibrahim Ramalan
Skill Outside School (SOS) Foundation has pilotted it’s flagship Bridge Project as it organised inter-school competition between JSS Jabi and JSS Wuse at the Government Secondary School Jabi, Abuja last week.
Bridge Project is an employability skill building and mentoring scheme that is aimed at providing secondary school students with necessary skills and career mentoring outside the 4-walls of a classroom so as to become an agent of positive change in the society. The competition also aims to build school pride, encourage student engagement with national/local challenges, provide an opportunity to apply skills and offer participants a strong CV building activity
The theme of the competition was ‘Nigeria and Us: A Social Challenge, A Possible Solution’. The presentation was based on a social change project developed by the respective school teams, which included examination mal-practices, it’s effects and solutions; Gender Disparity and lastly inaduquate Reading Culture in the country. Each team was given 7 minutes to present the idea to a panel of judges and 3 minutes for Questions and Answers.
After their individual presentation, panel of judges summed up the result and declared JSS Wuse the best performing school and out of which best performing student also emerged. Prizes were awarded on a team basis with the first place team earning N250, 000 worth of prizes including the sponsorship of the participants remaining secondary education. Certificates of Participation were issued to all teams and participating schools. Tablets were also issued by Olive Telecommunications to JSS Wuse which emerged the best performing team.
The best performing team will be given career development, skills planning and professional mentoring support.
The project was deployed in two phases: Phase I involves the Personal Skill Building Workshops and the Mentoring Program, whereas Phase II is the inter-school competition. The sessions hold for two hours once fortnightly at each school; an hour and 30 minutes for the workshop and 30 minutes for the mentoring discussions and social change project brainstorming. The workshops are being deployed in the form of activities such as debates and case-studies that encourage critical thinking and develop skills in groups through negotiation, planning and reflection. Hence, the core criteria for selection were 1) Academic ability/Merit 2) Motivation, drive and interest. Each selected student was interviewed by the facilitators and screened via recommendations from their head teachers.
In attendance during the event were representatives from SOS partners and sponsors, NYSC Staff, guests from other organisations from the President of the Parent Teachers Association of Nigeria (FCT Chapter), Visible Impact, Nigeria Employers Consultative Association, Civil Society Action Coalition of Education for All (CSACEFA), members of the Press, observing and participating secondary schools and others.
The Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation and also the lead facilitator, Miss Halima Ibrahim Abba who is a 2013 first class law graduate from Kings College London, UK., is currently a Batch C 2013 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member serving at the Bureau of Public Enterprises as a General Counsel Enterprise Officer. While addressing newsmen after the event, pointed out that passion, support and faith were her driving force. She said: ” I have been receiving a lot of support from a lot of organisations that have keyed into this vision because they believe in what I stand for.”
Miss Abba sought to develop the Foundation to have a wider reach and coverage through partnerships and advocacy when she said: “I want to be in several states in Nigeria mentoring students of government schools, and private schools off coure at a charge rate, because they also deserve career mentoring in their own schools. I want to see us partnering with big organisation and I want to be able to see more and more young people be part of this.”
A student form the best performing school, JSS Wuse, Adeniyi Odinle, expressed her excitement over the victory. She said, “am so excited. After all the troubles and tussles we emerge winners. This will motivate us to do more because I know the next one will be more challenging.”
