Categories
Education Thought

Are you Standing with Nigeria?

Dear friends,

It had been observed that Nigeria has about 10.5 million children out of school. That’s 1 in 5 of the world’s 57 million children.

Though alarming, it calls for urgent and strategic actions from government, the private sector, international development partners and individuals – including YOU – to save this situation.

Not only is education a fundamental human right, but it is one of the most effective solutions to poverty. We cannot afford not to educate the future generation of our country – education is an entitlement, but also a smart investment.

Our organisation – All for Development Foundation – calls you to Stand with Nigeria, add your voice to this call for action for quality education for the Nigerian child.

Sign the petition here: (https://secure.aworldatschool.org/page/s/nigeria-petition-2013-25)

Our future requires our commitment! Let’s stay committed.

Please share within your networks.

Thank you

Categories
Leadership Thought

Nurtural versus Natural Leadership; Reflections from Studership 2.0 Leadership Programme

Last week was incredibly amazing!

The week started with an online engagement with participants of the Studership 2.0 Leadership Programme – emerging leaders from 38 countries in five continents (Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America). It is believed that young people are the greatest assets of any nation, and our contribution to personal and global development is quintessential. As leaders however, we need to clarify, and identify where we stand, as we continue in the voyage of leadership, personal and global development.

In the realm of leadership study, questions of nature versus nurture of leaders have always been one of the frequently asked questions. In a similar vein, we asked ‘Are Leaders Born or Made?’, creating a poll with the options of ‘Leaders are Born’, ‘Leaders are Made’, and ‘Leaders are Born and Made’. After a thoughtful and enlightening session of conviction and explanation of diverse opinion, 12.9% of respondents opined that leaders are born, 16.13% opined that leaders are made while 70.97% of participants chose that leaders are born and made.

Personally, i believe that though the circumstance surrounding birth and upbringing may influence ‘certain traits’, leaders – depending on the context of definition of leaders – are born and made. Everyone has a potential for growth, if provided with the right resources, platform and unwavering commitment. The major difference between those born to occupy certain leadership/royal position and great leaders is the continuous self awareness and commitment to growth.

In furtherance of the concept behind this discuss, we advised – during our first broadcast held later in

the week – that as leaders, it is essential we have a vision. Theodore Hesburgh had advised that ‘the very essence of leadership is that you have to have a vision’, a vision that is people-based, value-based and creates a mental illustration (picture) of a world that works for everyone – an illustration which you can clearly articulate in every situation. Apart from having a vision, another step to developing the leader in you is that you need to seek clarity on your values. Identify and live your life by core values; you may make a commitment to live by the values of integrity, responsibility, credibility, appreciation, ‘exemplarity’, among others.


To make this easy – but not easier – you may decide to start by writing an ‘ideal’ tribute to yourself; write the way you want to be seen by people, how you want your generation to see you, what you want history to record about you. Second, discover your ‘real’ self; be faithful to know where you are and where you stand. Understand who you are, what your passion is and where your strengths lie. Note the difference between WHO you are currently and who you aspire to be – as written. Third, make an action plan. Write your credo and stick to it.

Now the big questions; how conscious are you about yourself? Are you committed to your personal growth? Can you state your vision of a world that works for everyone? Are you living by your core values?

I’ll love to read from you.

Keep Growing, Keep Leading!
__________
Aanu Damola Morenikeji is considered Africa’s youngest youth intellectual and leadership development advocate. A sought-after speaker on the theme of leadership and personal growth, he is an alumnus of the M121 Social Leadership Academy, U.S.A and founder of Studership Youth Leadership Academy – an initiative of All for Development Foundation [ADM-Foundation]. He blogs at www.admnigeria.blogspot.com and can be reached via damolamore@gmail.com.
Categories
Leadership Thought

Studership 2.0 Leadership Programme Participants List Released

We are delighted to announce that after a careful review of several applications for participation in the Studership 2.0 Leadership Programme, motivation and resultant positive effects on communities around the world, One hundred and six (106) young leaders from thirty-eight countries have been globally selected to participate in the programme (list published on www.studership.blog.com).

Studership is a knowledge-based, activity-oriented and growth focused youth/student leadership academy that equips emerging leaders with leadership skills and knowledge, while broadening their understanding of personal development, leadership, sustainable change, and promoting / developing integrity and values-based leadership for practical, personal and professional application.

An initiative of All for Development Foundation [ADM-Foundation], the academy runs programmes aimed at helping emerging leaders discover themselves, deploy their own abilities, reach the height of their own capacities, refine their personalities, strengthen their leadership qualities/strategies, stimulate growth-oriented thinking and behaviour and contribute purposefully to societal development.

Important dates of the Studership 2.0 Leadership Programme, which is as follows;
  • 22nd July, 2013 – Online discussion begins
  • 29th July, 2013 – GrowthStudy commences
  • 30th August, 2013 – Submission of GrowthStudy review
  • 19th – 22nd September, 2013 – Studership 2.0 Leadership Summit in Abeokuta, Nigeria.
We appreciate everyone who applied to participate, recommended the programme for emerging leaders and everyone who had us in their prayers.

Best regards,
Studership 2.0 Leadership Programme Organising Team
Categories
Thought

Letter from AllforDevelopment; #Appreciation

#ForRecords
31st January, 2013
Dear friend,
On behalf of team members and volunteers of All for Development and our Network for Talent Discovery (NETAD), I write to acknowledge and appreciate your support, commitment and contribution to development in the year 2012.
We are delighted to have contributed our quota to positive change process which we believe rekindles fervently the hope of unprecedented development and a brighter future for our country and continent. However, it is your thoughts, words of advice and encouragement, critiquing and moral support that has brought us this far, with the following achieved in the year 2012;
  1. ‘Path of Excellence’: an academic seminar we organized in March 2012, for university undergraduates in Ogun State.
  2. NETAD Young and Emerging Leaders’ Summit;  a summit that brought together and engaged emerging leaders from various parts of the country in leadership deliberation, towards exploring strategies and concepts of leadership through participation, and fostering active youth participation in decision making processes and leadership development, aiding quality governance.
  3. International Youth Day celebration with African Resourceful Leaders Foundation and other youth organisations in Lagos State on 12th August, 2012.
  4. Youth Stakeholders Forum: organized in collaboration with the Nigerian Youth Parliament and United Action for Democracy on Wednesday, 15th August, 2012.
  5. Entrepreneurship Seminar: organized through a partnership with Great Entrepreneurial Minds (GEM) – on 3rd November, 2012 – for young and aspiring entrepreneurs, especially in the agricultural sector.
  6. Studership: a youth/student leadership training aimed at re-orientating and redefining leadership concepts, and building a global network of values-based and integrity conscious student leaders. The first series of the training – which focused on leadership, critical thinking, idea generation/ sustainability, ethics and values – was held on Wednesday, 12th December, 2012.
  7. Participation/representation of Nigeria at the African Youth and Governance Conference held at the Kofi Annan International Peace Keeping Centre, Accra, Ghana between 9th and 10th August, 2012.
  8. Participation at the African Youth Heritage Festival held at the National Theatre, Accra, Ghana on the 11th August, 2012.
  9. Participation/representation of Nigeria at an African Youth Condolence Walk held in honour of former Ghanian President- Prof. John Atta Mills. The walk, which involved over 35 African countries, took off at the National Theatre to the Independence Square, where the national valedictory service was held on Saturday, 11th August, 2012 in Accra, Ghana.
  10. Global Youth Forum: participated as a vDelegate at the Global Youth Forum held in Bali, Indonesia from 1st to 4th December, 2012, and contributed to a strong set of recommendations for global development policy.
  11. Periodic interaction, communication and dissemination of information and children, youths and adults through our online media, and the effective use of the print and electronic media.

 

Apart from the above, I’ll like to inform you that the Team Leader – 19 year old Aanu Damola Morenikeji, who is also a 300 level student of the Federal University of Agriculture, studying Plant Physiology and Crop Production – participated, and subsequently was adjudged a Fellow of Africa’s foremost annual youth democracy academy (DESPLAY Africa), and in May 2012 was awarded by the Ogun State Government, and became the first recipient of the Ogun State Youth Award for Excellence in Health and Community Service.
All we collectively achieved was accomplished with no external funding, but with your unwavering commitment, encouragement and support. To these, we say ‘thank you’.
While been continually appreciative of you, we look forward to working with you and making more positive impacts in the year 2013.
All for Development Foundation Secretariat.
Categories
Thought

ADM-Foundation launches ‘YouthSpeakDevelopment’ (Online Opinion Bank)

In ensuring the participation of young people in the development process of the African continent, an online opinion bank – YouthSpeakDevelopment – have been launched by All for Development Foundation (ADM-Foundation).


With youths constituting over 60% of the African population, it had been observed that they (youths) possess strong, unimaginable zeal for the development of their countries and the continent, thus, the need for their voice, opinions, ideas and feelings to be shared and positively considered, regardless of their nationality, gender, age or culture.

In a statement accredited to the Executive Director of the organization – 19 year old Aanu Damola Morenikeji – he noted that ‘since youths are the greatest assets that our continent possesses, our opinions and ideas have a strong influence on our future. So, we are launching YouthSpeakDevelopment an opinion bank meant to give youths from within African and diaspora an avenue to share their views, opinions and ideas towards the development of the continent.


Noting that African Youth Day will be commemorated on Thursday, November 1st, 2012, he urged African youths to share their opinions via www.tinyurl.com/YouthSpeakDevelopmentAYD2012.