21ST CENTURY SKILLS TRAINING 4 KIDS IN NIGERIA

As a driver carries out self test or takes his or her car to a mechanic for test before embarking on a journey, to ensure the car is in good condition and be worry free, so also in life there are certain skills we need to have to make the most out of it. On that note we will be talking on `LIFE SKILLS` said the facilator from Olive Community Development Initiative.

Before we proceed I will like someone to tell us what he/she understands by life skills with examples? Daniel a JSS 2 student answering said and i quote " life skills refer to what you know you want to do in the future".

Another pupil from Jss 3, Mariam by name added that " like skills is simply what you what to become if life".
Examples of life skills are Bricklaying, carpentering, tailoring, doctor mentioned David, a JSS 3 student.

Any more examples of life skills? asked the facilitator. I think education, self-confidence said John a JSS 1 student.

The facilator demanded a round of applauase be given to the above students who were engaged in asnswering the questions. She went further to define Life Skills as skills needed to make most out of life. Adding that life skills can also be refered to as Life building skills.
furthermore, she explained the following skills to the students;

1. Self-esteem- defined it as how we value ourselves. Adding that it is very important we have a positive image of ourselves and be confident always.

2. Assertiveness- when we stand up for ourselves always without hurting others in the process. Stating that to be assertive, we should clearly state what we want, defend your right, say what you feel or think, and also refuse to do what is not in your best interest.

She further expanciated on life skills by explaining Negotiation skill ( stating tips in a successful negotiation and steps in a successful negotiation, and Goal setting skill.

A practical session was held on Self-Esteem as card board and maker were given to pupils to state the things they love most about themselves ( strength , uniqueness), during this exercise, pupils discovered skills they do not have at the moment to which the facilitator explained that most of this skills are achieved one at a time, a reply which brought smile to most pupils who did feel bad about discovering skills dey did not have.

Session came to an end with Habibat giving a recap of everything that was discussed during the session. The students pleaded such life skills be introduced to them on weekly basis if possible.

In an ever evolving world, where if the neccessary skills needed to face the day-to-challenges of life is not acquired, the society as a whole suffers from it. Olive Community Development Initiative team led by the Programs Manager visited Ibeakon Academy today 17th of February 2022, to educate the pupils on Learning and Innovative Skills.

The session commenced with the Program Manager requesting the pupils available to introduce themselves (to which the pupils even went further to make it more interactive by stating the meaning of their names to the OCDI team and other pupils), after which the Programs manager added that one of the most important aspect of learning skills is what they have just done which is Communication .

Furthermore, the Program Manager introduced to the pupils the four C's of learning skills, which are;

• Critical Thinking

• Creativity

• Communication

• Collaboration

She asked the pupils if they understood any of the four C's listed above. Lekan a Junior Secondary School student, who has interest in fashion designing and is currently training as a fashion designer alongside going to school said he understands creativity as ability to create something new to solve a particular issue(s), the program manager further explained that it is the ability to think outside the box and look for new ways to get things done to achieve a set goal. She gave example of people who make use of scraps or the readily available things in the environment to create furnitures, torchlight and toys to play with.

Afterwards, the Program Manager talked about Communication and asked the students what it means to them. Dorcas another student from Junior Secondary School added that communication is the means of passing information from one person to another, after a round of applause from the programs manager, she explained to the pupils that if there is no feedback from the receiver, communication is yet to take place. She also mentioned that the channels of communication differs based on who the receiver is and what message the Sender is passing across. She also noted that in Physical communication eye contact is very important as this helps to build confidence and esteem.

The lessons on communication was further reinforce by a roleplay section where the students took turn to pass an information across to another person With the use of flip charts and markers, accompanied with practical sessions, the program manager went further to educate the pupils on the four C`s of learning skills and its relevance to todays society as a whole.

After the sessions, the program manager enquired from the pupils if they had learnt anything during any of sessions.

Aisha a Junior Secondary School pupil said and i quote "I thought of just myself before to achieve my goals and objectives little did i know that working as a team improves my chances of suceeding, but know i will work together with friends to achieve my goals as you taught us on collaboration".

Segun another pupil added that before the explanation on communication, he did not know that communication is not complete until there is feedback, but after the session he now fully understands what Communication really is. 

On Wednesday 13th of June 2021, Olive Community Development Initiative carried out a sensitization on the importance of digital literacy on career choice and vocations with female students from Government Day Secondary School, Airport, Ilorin, Kwara State.

The program manager of Olive Community Development Initiative kick started the program by introducing participants to the various social media platforms available such as youtube, whatsapp, lindln, facebook, instagram, etc.

After enquiring from participants what they wish to become in life, the following professions were mentioned Singing, medcine,Designing, Farming and Dancing. The Program manager went further to enlighten particpants that no matter what they aspire to become in life, the use of social media handles will enable them to be well know all over the nation and the world as a whole.

A pratcical session was carried out with participants to ensure they understand and know how to access the various social media handles available to them.
In addition to the above, participants were also introduced to graphic design, by listing and explaining the importance of the basic elements of graphic design, a session which was very interactive as pupils picked interest and some wanted to even become graphic designers in the near future.

After the sessions, the pupils were asked to enlist what they have learnt so far, the following were the response gotten;

Idris Junior Secondary School 3 (13 years old)
I thought there was a cloud Some where ,which enable graphic designer to do so well, that i was afraid it’s something I Could never do on my own .
But after the session on creativity i feel relieved of all worries knowing that the beauty of designing is in the brain of the designer.

Mary Junior Secondary School 3 (16 years old)
I usually see different designs on my way from school but it never crossed my mind that design has elements but after the program today, when i see any design, i will be able to identify the basic elements of graphic design on it.

Opeyemi Junior Secondary School 3 (14 years old)
From my childhood, i never had the idea that a woman/traders of food items like pepper, tomotoes and groundnut could make use of social media handles but now am well equiped with the knowledgethat i can even become an expert in selling goods online.

Nafisat Junior Secondary School 3 (15 years old)
I aspire to become a singer and before this training, i never imagined i could do recordings and poston social media handles like; facebook, youtube, and instagram myself. As a result of the training, am so excited with the knowledge that i can become a star with just posting my recordings myself on social media handles.

On Wednesday 23th of June 2021, Olive Community Development Initiative carried out a training on 21^st century skills with pupils from ISOBAT Nursery and Primary School.

The facilitator, a staff from OCDI commenced by highlighting the various means of communications such as use of pebbles, stones, pictures, marks on woods, writing on walls as means of communication used in the olden days comparing it to the modern methods used in the 21^st century such as radio stations, television stations, use of phones, laptop etc and how media bias has influenced the attitudes, behaviors, beliefs of people.

Furthermore, detailed explanation was given by the facilitator on Information (sources, how to access information efficiently and how to analyze information), communication (how information flows from one person/place to another- using oral, written or non-verbal language), technology (how to use digital and communication tools such as web-based resources, e-mail, blogs, chat, video appropriately).

During the session, the facilitator asked the pupils to list some devices used for communication and how they can be used to pass information from one person to another. Sulaimon a 15-year-old boy in primary 5 said phone can be used to make calls, send messages from one person to another.

Aishat an 11-year-old girl in primary 4 added that laptops can be used for video calls, sending of e-mails to family members.

In addition to the listed points, Rofiat a primary 5 girl said phone can be used to send messages through WhatsApp, twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

After the session, what is the difference between Attitude and Behavior? asked Aishat a 10-year-old girl in primary 3. The facilitator answering said attitude is a feeling or belief or opinion towards something, while behavior is an action or reaction towards something.

Students are excited as they were told that they will be able to use phones and laptops to access web-based resource, emails, in their next session.

OCDI continued its 21st century training for children in Asa local Government Area despite the covid -19 pandemic. We found out that some of the schools teach computer lessons but do not have computers for use in the school.They use only drawings from the textbooks. Some of the kids who have benefitted from OCDI's activity at one time or the other are asking for more .

On 27th of february 2021,4 additional children enrolled for the classes while 1 old student joined the class. The new students were taught the basic parts of a computer and how to use some them while the old student continued learning how to use microsoft word.

Blessing, a 13year old girl who is not new in the class said she loves to learn more and want to have continuos access to a computer so she wont forget what she has learnt again.

Daniel,a 13 year old boy who attends a public school said he has never used a computer before but only learn about it in school.Now,he is happy because he has seen and touched what his teacher talked about in the school. He said he knows the basic parts of a computer and what it is used for.

Peace,a 10 year old girl who attends a private school is happy that she can now use a key board and a mouse. She said she is able to put into practice what she was taught in the school.

Another 13 year old girl, Miracle says she can now identity most f the icons on the screen of a computer.

The instructors told them that the classes will hold fortnightly and the children promised to bring some of thier friends for the next class.