Convener of Chayil Girls’ Conference, Aderonke Olisa has stressed on the need for the girl child to be armed with digital skills and other relevant knowledge that would help her contribute her own quota to personal and National development.
Olisa said this while speaking at the 2023 Chayil Girls’ Conference held on Wednesday, October 25, 2023 in Abuja.
The conference with the theme: “Activating Girls For Excellence In A Digital Generation” had over 300 school girls in attendance.
Explaining the essence of the program, the Convener informed that, “this project is the commemoration of the International Day of the Girl Child, a day set aside by the United Nations to celebrate girls and to highlight their specific issues around the world”.
She said, the event was aimed at bringing girls from different backgrounds to come together and speak with one voice about their peculiar issues. It was also to empower girls with information so that they can become change-makers in society.
“We are using this conference to equip them about digital skills and ensure that they make the best use of the digital space, the girl child is becoming more confident and programs like this also inspire and empower them to become more confident”, Olisa said.
On his part, the Founder of the Mandate Health Empowerment Initiative, Mr. Zion Ameh averred that this was the best time to invest in the girl child in terms of building their capacity and positioning them to be able to fit in their future:
“This is the best time to invest in them in terms of building their capacity, positioning them to be able to fit in their future, when it comes to tech, the connected access that they have to the internet is something that we must look at harnessing positively because of information overload and the pressure from the society to them as a population of persons.
“It is very important that this is harnessed and channeled properly if we must get the best out of them because indeed the future of growth and development in any sector, remains in getting these young ones and investing in them, especially in their mental well being”, he said.
Meanwhile, Executive Director of GEM Hub initiative, Oyeyemi Pitan while expressing satisfaction at the outcome of the engagement said, “they are so many resource persons having different kinds of conversations surrounding finances, personal development, mentorship mental health and so on with these girls, opening their minds to possibilities.
“We believe in them, they should also believe in themselves and acquire the skills they need to solve problems in the future”.
One of the participants, Wina Matilda said she learnt how to pay attention to her mental health as everything revolved around it, also that, “as a female, we should not let the stereotype determine where we want to be in the future. I’ve also learnt that we can do anything we want but first of all, we have to believe in ourselves before others can believe in us”, she said.
