Sabina Elago
Windhoek
A handful of young people have been receiving training on how to gather information with their mobile phones, how to edit it and how to share it on social media and with media houses.
The training is part of National Youth Week, which started on Monday and culminates tomorrow in the National Youth Day celebration. At the end of the three-day training the trainees will be awarded certificates if competence.
“This is to educate the young on the information they consume” and to assess whether it is true and correct information they are getting, “or is it just someone trying to damage or create a bad name for someone,” says Brian Prince, one of the organisers.
A workshop has also been taking place Namibia Institute of Public Administration and Management (NIPAM) on the role of art, where youngsters are being trained to use art to communicate. The opening ceremony of the National Youth Day is tomorrow at the UN Plaza and will be preceded by a march from Katutura Shoprite.
Meanwhile, learners from schools in Windhoek and surroundings who are participating in the Global John Maxwell Initiative Week, which started on Monday at the Immanuel Shifidi Senior Secondary School and say they find the youth leadership events informative.
Motivational speaker Tonata Itenge Emvula from the Global John Maxwell team spoke to learners about today’s youth challenges and struggles, especially pertaining to their confidence, fear of failure and bullying.
Tusnelde Hamundjelu, a Grade 9 learner from Shifidi, said the event was very inspiring and she learned a lot. “I have always been afraid of failure in life, but hearing the speaker explaining to us that losing is part of life, and it is actually good to fail because we learn from it, really opened my eyes to a lot of things. The event was very encouraging, as the speaker gave us reasons to believe in ourselves and help us find purpose for our existence. Engaging with us was good. We also learned from each other,” says Hamundjelu.
“For once I really understand that being a bully is a weakness, because by bullying someone you are actually going down with them. This event really helped me understand a lot of things that have been a burden to me,” says Owen Lebereki, a Grade 10 learner.
He adds that such events are needed by many learners, as they are often afraid of failure and think failing is a weakness. “Learners need to know that failure is the easiest way to success, if you learn from your mistake,” says Lebereki.
Frieda Johannes, also a Grade 10 learner, says the event came at the right time when most of them are fearful of failing.
“The speaker took away our only fear, because we will no longer be afraid to fail, but will concentrate on our studies. I learned that if you want to be somewhere in life, you must learn from your mistakes and failure is a good thing to learn from. Another thing that I picked up from her is that people must develop a tendency of learning from others’ mistakes,” she says.
Ovetu Mbemukenga, another a Grade 10 learner, says it is good to know challenges are not a problem, but paying attention to the challenge is.
“We had challenges in life but facing them was always a problem. What I learned today is that challenges are the way forward. Without them one can’t learn anything. We need more motivational speakers, because we pick up a word or two from them,” says Mbemukenga.
The sessions are being held to help the youth realise the importance of a healthy self-image for success in life.