In a bid to raise young people who are purpose-driven, the Centre for Young People Development and Poverty Alleviation Initiative (CYDPAN), on Thursday, May 20th organized an educative programme for students of Methodist Senior Science College (MSSC), Oron on value and value clarification.
The programme ‘value and value clarification’ is part of CYDPAN’s vision of raising young people and helping them have clarity as they navigate through life.
Setting the tone for the day, the Director of CYDPAN, Mr Robert Boniface explained that the outreach was impactfully created to help the students discover their purpose for creation and how they can live within that tenets to achieve their dreams.
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Mr Boniface explained that as young people, it was imperative for them to have clarity on their life’s path, what they stand for as a person and why they should hold on to morally accepted values.
To motivate the students, Mr Boniface who is an old boy of the institution shared a glowing story of Mr Smith, a US business giant who rose against all odds from a low background to own an Empire in the US.
In his charge, Mr Boniface encouraged the students not to allow their background or family status define how far they go in life, stressing that every effort they put in today will either build or mar five generations after them.
Speaking to the students on value and value clarification, the guest speaker, Mr Enebong Ephraim using simple illustrations, defined what the term values means.
Mr Ephraim defined values to be ”basic and fundamental beliefs that guides and motivates attitudes and actions”. He explained that as students their sources of information were based on a tripod – the parents, teachers and pastors who are saddled with the responsibility of inculcating the right characters and values into them.
He said, ”Character is the bedrock for your values. So you’re supposed to learn basic characters from your parents, teachers, pastors, mentors and people above you because those things form the values and character you take in, in your daily activities.”
Mr Ephraim explained further that ‘values are the outward activities of the inward working of your belief per time’, and as students they’re expected to grow both in character and in learning.
Also, Mr Ephraim disclosed that if they intend to reach the pinnacle of their dreams, then they must have a functional mind, heart and show empathy towards others while living within the ambit of all socially and culturally accepted values.
He listed some of the values they must tenaciously live by to include empathy, respect, love, loyalty, justice, honesty and helping others.
To sum up the session, the Communication Officer of CYDPAN, Mrs Gladys Robert charged the students never to forget the importance of value as the values they’re building will serve as the guiding light to their future attainment.
She encouraged them not to be perturbed by the happenings and hardships in the world, rather focus on building solid values and pursuing their dreams as there are no limiting factor to who and what they can become tomorrow.
She appealed that while chasing their dreams, they should show respect to their parents, guidance and those who provide for them, as these persons make selfless sacrifices for them.
Appreciating CYDPAN, a teacher who represented the Principal, Mrs Iquo Edentekhe thanked the team for choosing to speak to the students of the school and for addressing the importance of values in a simple and understandable way to the students.
The school’s representative hinted that the school management was filled with gratitude particularly to CYDPAN director who passed through the walls of the school and for seeing the need to come back and impact in the lives of students in his alma mater.
He praised the laudable works of CYDPAN and prayed blessings on the team.
To encourage and boost the reading culture of the students, two relevant physics textbooks – All Inclusive Calculations in Physics for Senior Secondary Schools by Solomon Dauda Yakwo werw donated to the school library.
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