Junior Achievement Nigeria (JAN)

2017 JAN LEAD Camp

KNOW WHO YOU ARE!

The day’s activities began with the first leadership workshop facilitated by JA Nigeria’s Executive Director Mrs. Simi Nwogugu who took the girls through a very informative session on emotional intelligence.

Mrs. Nwogugu introduced the girls to a range of concepts including self-awareness and self-management. In a practical exercise, the participants had the chance to role-play as emotional intelligence coaches and clients so that they could identify what they value and the essence of who they are.

The girls were encouraged to understand the environment they thrive in; their natural strengths; and how to put themselves in a place where they can shine. Becoming comfortable with who you are.

This session was a perfect lead into the first speaker session of the week featuring leading women in entertainment.

Turning Passion to Profit.

This was the first panel of the week which consisted of leading women in the creative and entertainment industries. The panelists were, Kafayat Shafau-Ameh 'Kaffy', Imagneto Dance Company, Oyinkansola Fawehinmi 'FozaDoza', Entertainment Lawyer, Technolawgical Partners, Uduak Isong Oguamanam, Writer/Producer, Blessing Effiom-Egbe, Writer/Producer and Emem Ema, CEO, One Management.

They talked to the girls about turning passion into profit while they shared their journey to the top and how they did it. It was an exciting session that ended with an unplanned dance session with Kaffy.

FozaDoza shared her lessons from her journey so far. Her words to the girls were “give value excellently and goodness and mercy shall follow you”. While Kaffy emphasized on the need to for the girls to trust that every experience is necessary for their life journey. She explained saying “whatever you’re experiencing now is a part of the process, don’t run away from it. Face your reality and don’t try to impress anyone”. Blessing talked to the girls about hard work and consistency and told them “laziness is not an option”. Uduak and Emem implored the girls to prepare so when an opportunity comes, it will yield success.

Sexual Health & Breast Cancer Awareness.

At the 2017 JAN LEAD Camp, Dr. Toke Oke of Brookside Medical Practices talked to the girls about various health issues facing girls including rape and the dangers of having unprotected sex.

Dr. Toke Oke also provided insights to the girls about other health issues like yeast infections and infections from the improper use of sanitary products during their menstruation. On the issue of candida, she told the girls that candidiasis is only not a sexually transmitted infection but can also be caused by imbalanced diet.

This year in partnership with the Pink Pearl Foundation, an organization founded and led by a JAN LEAD Camp alumna, Orode Uduaghan, the girls participated in a breast cancer awareness session facilitated by Dr. Ejiro, Ogomigo, Medical Director, Obisus Diagnostics.

On prevention of breast cancer, Dr. Ejiro advised the girls to eat right and avoid becoming obese as obesity sets one at high risk. She finished her session with a practical demonstration of how to examine one’s breast and advised the girls to see a doctor if they observed any changes in their breasts.

Getting Your Message Across.

At the LEAD Camp, participants are encouraged to be bold enough to inspire change in the world. A key part of the activities is the media mentors’ and participants’ media presentation. The girls are asked to develop a media message on any social issue affecting the girl child in Nigeria and get their message across via print, electronic or digital media.

The media practitioners mentoring the girls this year are:

Adenike Oyetunde is an on air radio personality with a few years in her cap.. A strong lover of children, she also works with the Irede Foundation, which seeks to provide support for child amputees and their care-givers. Adenike is always looking for ways to improve the lives of the younger generation. She has spoken at a number of platforms for young adults about the journey to self-discovery.

Munachi (Muna) Okey-Nwosu is currently a member of the BellaNaija editorial team. She holds a degree in Mass Communication. She has on various occasions spoken to young children around personal and career development. While in university, she worked at the community radio station where she ran a weekly programme tagged "Daily reads". She also helped in the production of a departmental magazine. She enjoys reading, taking pictures and editing videos in her spare time.

Princess Abumere is a journalist and the Deputy Editor-in-chief at Pulse Nigeria. Abumere hosts ‘The Morning Show’, Pulse Nigeria’s daily morning show on Pulse Nigeria’s Facebook live. She is also the producer of pop culture podcast ‘Loose Talk’. Previously Abumere worked at Viacom International Media Networks Africa as the Digital Media coordinator for MTV Base Africa and Nickelodeon Africa in Nigeria. She has featured on TV shows including ‘The Channels Book Club’, ‘The Crunch’ on EbonyLife TV and ‘African Literati’ on Africa Magic. Abumere graduated from the University of Lagos where she studied Mass Communication. She also earned an MA in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Sheffield’s School of Journalism.

Naya Rhythm is a multi-lingual, Nigerian singer/songwriter who is creating new dimensions of Afrobeat and Afro-fusion. Her music is a blend of highlife and traditional Igbo sounds, mixed with Nigerian pidgin, American slang, and sprinkled with influences from South African Zulu music. Naya was born in Lagos, grew up in the US, and has lived in many cities around the globe such as Lagos, New York, Hong Kong, and Washington, DC. Her deep love for various cultures shine through her music. Hr voice has been described as a cross between American R&B divas singers Toni Braxton and Brandy; and Naya's visual brand has been compared to the likes of British artist FKA Twigs.

Anne Nwaghodoh joined Channels television in 2014 as a news anchor and co-host of ‘Metrofile’, a social diary programme. She holds a B.Sc (Hons) in Mass Communication from Madonna University, Okija, Anambra state. She started her broadcasting career at Splash 105.5 FM, Ibadan as a major news anchor, who produced and presented a diversity of programmes including a weekly biography of specific individuals/documentaries, food/nutrition, lifestyle, entertainment and magazine programmes. She became popularly known as ‘THE GOLDFISH’. With a knack for presentation and news stories, she hopes to make a huge impact in the broadcast industry. She enjoys swimming, and also loves travelling, playing scrabble and watching movies. One more thing that makes Anne a very happy girl is……. Shopping!

Funmi Oyaide is a graduate of Sociology from the University of Ibadan. Her foray into the media started with her love for makeup. She is currently a professional makeup artist as well as presenter, copywriter, producer, director and motion graphics editor. Of all her achievements, her greatest is the fact that she is a mother of two beautiful kids! Funmi is the Head, Promo & Styling, Silverbird Group. She also produces and directs ‘The Scoop on STV’ and ‘Moviemania. She is a great cook, and enjoys swimming and golf.

DAY 3 – 2017 JAN LEAD Camp

“DARE TO BE DIFFERENT”

The day began with HOD Consulting’s leadership workshop on goal setting and strategic planning which was very informative and engaging. The facilitator of the session Mrs. Simi Nwogugu talked to the participants about the importance of setting SMART goals and making strategic plans. As the discussion went on, she helped the girls realise the difference between goals and dreams. Goals are different from dreams because they are more concrete and achievable.

She said, "Goals include plans, steps and achievable results but dreams are vague and you’re not taking a particular action to getting there". Giving an example of the difference between dreams and goals, she explained, “a dream is ‘I want to run in the Olympics’ and a goal is ‘I want to run in inter house sports this year’.

With this understanding, some of the girls shared the following goals:

"I want to get A’s in all my exams"

"I want to get 20 marks higher than my JAMB cut- off mark" and her steps were " studying past questions"

On setting SMART goals Mrs. Nwogugu employed the use of drama as a practical exercise to help the girls understand the concept better.

S - specific (particular, precise, tangible)

M - measurable (there should be a certain part of it you can measure, so you can see a progress)

A - actionable/achievable (if the behaviour does not align with the goal, the goal is not achievable)

R - Realistic (the goal must be realistic to you)

T - Time (the goal should be achieved within a specified time period)

Empowerment Session – Women in Technology

The empowerment session on Tuesday was with women who are excelling and dominating in the male dominated technology industries. On the panel was Maria Rotilu, Country Head, Uber Nigeria; Damilola Teidi, CEO, GoMyWay.com; Lotte Elsa Goos, Co-Founder, NESA; Adedoyin Pearse, General Counsel, Siemens Nigeria; and Margaret Odunukwe, Marketing Lead SSA, Uber. These women shared their experiences from childhood, having to make a career choice, the challenges/opposition that they faced, how they overcame and how they got to where they are today.

Based on their experiences they discussed the ‘Impostor Syndrome’ with the girls and how it can affect women who are trying to build a career in this field and many other fields.

Maria Rotilu explained the impostor syndrome as simply being negative in one’s thoughts: questioning your own ability to succeed and creating excuses that stops you wanting more or aspiring to do more. She gave the girls this advice. “know that you are enough and you can do it"

The panelists also talked about accepting change and making bold and life changing decisions which most of them had to make at a relatively early age. They encouraged the girls not to be in a hurry to grow up but enjoy their youthfulness and being confident.

Lotte Elsa Goos said the one thing young women lack is confidence. “Every girl at LEAD has amazing potential. In the moments when you do not believe in yourself, look at others for inspiration. Do not doubt yourself, confidence is key. You need confidence to stay on the path so keep believing in yourself.”

The ladies whilst sharing their experiences, highlighted the importance of having like-minded friends, acquaintances, mentors. They advised the girls to take up internship opportunities. Their parting words to the girls were:

Never settle to fast and never be scared.
You’re not just a little girl. You’re a boss lady in the making.
Don’t grow up too fast. If you do, you eventually miss being 14 years old.

Personal Grooming and Etiquette – Step into your panache

“If you want to make it in life, you must be bold. Step into your panache” – Mrs. Janet Adetu, Founder & CEO JSK Etiquette, Consortium.

She began the session with dancing to test the boldness of the girls. She was impressed. And went on to talk to the girls about the A.B.C.D.E.F of etiquette.

i. Appearance

ii. Behaviour

iii. Communication

iv. Decorum

v. Elegance

vi. Finesse

She said to the girls “You are diamonds, everyone here is a precious stone. The original stone has rough edges like people. But when you have been polished, people can see your true value and you will be very precious”.

“Be neat, invest in nice clothes, be a confident speaker, have a grooming checklist, pay attention to your nutrition. Etiquette is your panache advantage. You only have one time to make a first impression.”

DAY 4 – 2017 LEAD Camp

COURAGE, CONFIDENCE, CHARACTER

“Courage is not working without fear but working in spite of fear”. – Aishetu Dozie

The day began with a highly motivational session with four powerhouses in the Nigerian finance industry. The panelists were Mrs. Nimi Akinkugbe, CEO, Best Man Games; Anwuli Femi-Pearse, Treasury, Union Bank Nigeria; Aishetu Dozie, Head Investment Banking (West Africa), Rand Merchant Bank; and Sanyade Okoli, CEO, Alpha African Capital.

The session spanned from discussions about building a successful career as women in finance to a motivating counselling session. The girls shared their aspirations while expressing their confusion and certain obstacles in their decision-making processes brought up by their parents or circumstances surrounding them. The panelists paid keen attention to each girl and gave them great advice on how to manage the various situations in which they found themselves. They said to the girls, “Look at the world as your playing field: be hungry, be humble, speak less and have courage”.

Communicating with Confidence

This was a development session on ‘communicating with confidence’ facilitated by Mrs. Ini Otuk Abimbola, Lead Consultant, Thistle Praxis Limited. It was an interesting session that also turned out to be very inspiring.

Mrs. Abimbola grew up as the daughter of a road side watch repairer. She grew up poor and was hungry most of the time. She remembers not having enough to eat. Her father was very focused on education so he made sure she went to public schools. She had the worst school uniform so she had a reason to have low self-esteem and low confidence. She said “Do not let anyone talk you down and belittle you. “

Speaking on communication, she talked about different types of communication: there is verbal, non-verbal and written communication. The channels include body language, word of mouth and tone of voice.

She went on to add that the only way you can communicate with confidence is if you have knowledge which means you must be open to learning new things and carrying out research where needed. Your confidence is built because you have the necessary knowledge. You must know how to be assertive as you speak. Learn to make eye contact, when you maintain eye contact you are present in the conversation. The way you present yourself is the way people will receive you. Be very clear when you are speaking and writing. Take a deep breath before you talk. Speak clearly and go straight to the point.

Mrs. Abimbola also spoke to the girls about the importance of having their temper under control in the midst of frustration no matter how minor. On this note, she also stressed the importance of maintaining cordial relationships. She concluded by advising the girls that silence can never be mis-quoted and they must understand that female friendship is a powerful force.