Mini Seminar: Overcoming negative peer pressure

On Friday we kicked off the term with a Mini Seminar about overcoming negative peer pressure. The session was aptly led by Terry Mante; CEO of PEDNET (Personal Development Network), author and social entrepreneur. Terry has written three books; Winning with Confidence, Attitude is Everything and most recently, It's a Big Deal.

The session began with an open question: What is peer pressure? We got a few responses; it was interesting to hear people's different takes on the issue. Terry's advice on dealing with negative peer pressure revolved around three main points:

1. Refuse to conform
2. Recognise the consequences [of your actions]
3. Realise your contribution

He pointed out that for the most part, the problems that arise from negative peer pressure do not stem from the pressure itself, but because of the person being pressured. If you know who you are and are confident within that, it becomes difficult for anyone to pressure you into doing something you wouldn't normally do. Don't be afraid to stay true to who you are, and always remember that you were created with a purpose!

If you'd like to know more about Terry Mante, you can follow him on Twitter or visit his blog.

Expectations and contributions of political youth activists

The Daily Graphic run an article last Saturday (15th) I'd like to share with you. Below is an excerpt; you can read the article in full here.

Youth leaders of the four main political parties in the country have taken a common position on matters affecting their welfare and called for a holistic approach towards addressing them.

Taking their turn at the 62nd New Year School at the University of Ghana, the youth leaders, representing the National Democratic Congress (NDC), New Patriotic Party (NPP), Convention People’s Party (CPP) and the People’s National Convention (PNC), argued that issues concerning the youth globally were similar.

Their topic was, “Youth and multi-party democracy: Expectations and contributions of political youth activists”.

A Deputy General Secretary of the NDC, Mr George Lawson, said youth agitation had been a world-wide problem which could not be tackled by governments alone.

“It is a concern for all of us,” he emphasised, saying that the current government had given due attention to technical and vocational education and training as part of efforts to equip the youth with skills and knowledge.

An NPP activist, Mr Yaw Buabeng Asamoah, said the party had used young people to advance its cause in the country. He said there was the need for the introduction of what he called “centre politics” so that “we can focus on issues that matter to all of us”.

Mr Asamoah urged the youth to keep on using their thumbs till they were sure of the right policies and programmes they were satisfied with.

Fighting hunger with ideas from Africa

A great article from VOA News:

As population growth, resource depletion and climate change strain the world’s food supplies, a new report highlights solutions from some unexpected places. Sub-Saharan Africa harbors most of the world’s hungriest countries. The report from the Worldwatch Institute, a Washington, DC-based environmental group, however, says the continent also is home to a wealth of ideas that can help the world fight hunger and poverty.

Here in one of the largest slums of Africa, Danielle Nierenberg, a researcher at the Worldwatch Institute, said there's something surprising and hopeful. "We've met with some great women farmers who are doing this really innovative way of growing food so they don't have to buy anything from the market."

These urban farmers in Nairobi are growing vegetables just outside their doorsteps using nothing more complicated than old sacks filled with soil. What they don't eat, they sell, and use the revenue to put their children through school.

Back in Washington, Nierenberg said it’s not what she expected from a neighborhood plagued by poverty. "It’s a slum. It’s depressing. It’s crowded. It’s dirty. It’s noisy. But these people are finding ways to make their lives better."

With half the world’s population living in and around cities, experts are increasingly looking to these kinds of ideas to feed malnourished city dwellers - not just in Africa, but around the world.

Martin Luther King Day

For Martin Luther King Day we have a special guest post from Elinam Adadevoh, our Programme Manager. Enjoy!

In honor of the life and service of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (a civil rights activist), we have posted one of his famous speeches and perhaps one of the best speeches ever given. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Dr. King once said, “Life's most persistent and urgent question is: 'What are you doing for others?”. In 1994, Congress passed the King Holiday and Service Act which encourages Americans to volunteer on that day. Each year Americans use this day to serve their communities. I encourage you all to serve your community not only today but throughout the year. When we serve others, we are contributing to making the world a better place.

To read a transcription of Dr. King's famous "I have a dream" speech, click here.

We've been reading...

Nigeria's top banker wins international recognition
BBC -- Nigeria is frequently cited as one of the most corrupt countries in the world, but its central banker has won two international banking awards. Mallam Lamido Aminu Sanusi has been named as the Central Bank Governor of 2010 for both the African continent and the entire world, by the prestigious Banker Magazine. The editor of the magazine, Brian Caplen, says that few candidate names generate an overall consensus on judging panels, and yet, when it came to finding the best global central bank governor of the year, Mr Sanusi was chosen unanimously. The 49-year-old was appointed head of the Bank of Nigeria in June 2009. He has been praised for salvaging a crumbling Nigerian financial sector, including implementing reforms that have put Africa's most promising market back on the map for global investors...

South African university receives international award
SA Good News -- The University of the Free State in South Africa has been honoured with the award for Best Practice in Higher Education in 2010 for its fresh approach in promoting racial harmony and academic excellence. The award, presented by the World Universities Forum, is based on a strict set of criteria, including innovative curriculums; quality of research projects; and student services. The forum said the award recognised a number of positive reforms at the university over the last year following a culture of "racial division, student failure and academic stagnation". Campus-wide student integration, reinvigorating academic culture and nurturing the most promising young students through the vice-chancellor's prestige programme are among the innovations made, according to university spokesperson Lacea Loader...

Southerners in North Sudan fear future after break
Washington Post -- The young mother of three bids her neighbors farewell as they pack up and leave the Khartoum slum where they have lived for years to return to their homeland in south Sudan, jubilant at the imminent realization of their dream of independence. But Ajak Majak is not joining the celebrations - she's staying. The 27-year-old Majak says she can't leave the north for the time being. Her kids are in school and she has a decent job. In the meantime, she's deeply afraid of attacks by northern Sudanese angry over the south's imminent secession. She has locked herself in the safety of her home for the week of voting in the independence referendum that began Sunday in the south and among southern Sudanese in the north...

New law to protect Congo indigenous people
IRIN -- The Republic of Congo is set to become the first country in Africa to provide specific legal protection for its indigenous peoples. Members of the Baaka, a minority indigenous tribe in the Republic of Congo"We are looking forward to the adoption of this law because we know it will change many things, especially with regard to our emancipation," Jean Ganga, chairman of the Association for the Protection and Promotion of Indigenous Peoples. Almost seven years in gestation, the government-backed bill was passed by both the senate and national assembly in late December and will take effect once signed into law by the president. Indigenous people, some of whom are known as Pygmies, make up about 10 percent of Congo's population and live in almost all regions of the country...

School meal makes learning possible for ambitious Haitian girl

A great post from the World Food Programme:

Marie Anika, 8, says she’d like to work in a bank when she grows up. She has never actually been in one but her aunt has told her about banks and she thinks they sound interesting.

For the moment, Marie Anika is living with her parents and her sister in a tent where their old home used to stand before the earthquake. It is located on a small hill overlooking the Ecole Rosalie Javouhey in Port-au-Prince. The earthquake claimed the lives of 21 pupils and damaged or destroyed many classrooms.

Like most of the students, Marie Anika does not always get to eat at home – there simply isn’t enough money for that. That’s why she so looks forward to getting a daily hot meal at school.

“It would be terrible if we didn’t get a meal at school,” she said. “I really wouldn’t like that”.

The basic ingredients – rice, beans and oil – are provided by WFP as part of its contribution to the Government’s Programme National de Cantines Scolaires (National School Meal Programme).

The religious order that runs the school tries to add some meat, fish or vegetables. The preparation is all done in a small, tin-roofed kitchen in the back yard.

With cholera a real threat, the children are made to line up and wash their hands with soap and water. The food is served by school employees, with some help from the children themselves, between 10 and 10.30 each morning. After saying grace, the girls eat sitting at their desks.

The rations are delivered to the school by non-governmental organization BND, one of 25 local and international partners that assist WFP with the school meals programme in Haiti.

“They’d simply be too weak to study if they weren’t able to eat something at school,” says the principal, Sister Bernadette. “It’s important for them to have a meal here, most of them come from very poor families”.

WFP’s target is to feed more than one million school children in the current school year in Haiti. Children also sometimes receive take-home rations to share with their families.

Coming soon: Better viewing from your mobile

I realise that quite a few of you like to check our blog on your mobile phones while you're on the go. I also realise that current settings do not make phone viewing very pleasant. I'm pleased to let you know though, that Blogger is working on the situation and templates to optimize mobile viewing will be available soon. I'll be experimenting; any feedback would be appreciated!

Thank you for your patience!

Five months later, the World Cup brings new hope to SA

South Africa and football governing body Fifa have unveiled a 2010 Fifa World Cup Legacy Trust aimed at boosting education, health, humanitarian activities and football development in the county following the successful hosting of the first Fifa World Cup on African soil.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup Legacy Trust was unveiled by Fifa, the South African government and the SA Football Association (Safa) in Johannesburg on Monday.

Making good on its pledge to ensure that the country continues to benefit from the 2010 World Cup, Fifa has injected US$100-million into the legacy trust. The trust will be administered by international auditing firm Ernst and Young, while trustees from Fifa, the government, Safa and the private sector will evaluate projects for investment.

Projects aimed at benefiting the public will be submitted to the trustees for review and will be selected in the areas of football, education and development, health care and humanitarian activities.

As a first project financed by the trust, Fifa purchased 35 of the World Cup team buses and a fleet of 52 vehicles, which were handed over to SAFA for transport of their regional teams.

You have outshined: Blatter
"We've achieved our goals with regard to the successful hosting of the Fifa World Cup event, and now remains a difficult but most important task - to ensure a lasting legacy and to build world-class national teams at both youth and senior level," Fifa president Sepp Blatter told journalists in Johannesburg on Monday.

"This is also a reward for South Africans for having been such great hosts," Blatter said. "In 2004, when we took a decision to give you the right to organise the World Cup, you were still a young democratic republic, but you've outshined in delivering a great event."

President Jacob Zuma said Monday's occasion "enables us to proudly look back on 2010 as the coming of age of our young nation".

As part of the bidding process for the 2010 World Cup, Zuma said South Africa had signed 17 guarantees with Fifa, and undertook that these were to be used as a catalyst to meet the developmental needs of the country.

Education 'a life-long investment': Zuma
"Being a developing country, we wanted the tournament to be about more than just football," Zuma said. "We wanted Africa's first World Cup to be a continental showpiece that was owned by all Africans, and we wanted it to leave a developmental legacy. We achieved our goals," he said.

One tangible legacy that had to come out of the World Cup was education, Zuma said, adding that the One Goal Education Campaign should not be seen as having been a once-off promotional campaign that died with the World Cup.

"Linking soccer with education takes the beautiful game to the youth and ensures its future. The game of football is in the main played by the youth, and education is in the main about investing in the youth, and therefore to put education as one of the key legacy projects is very important."

Zuma said education was a life-long investment that could break the chain of poverty in the country and in Africa.

"We want the children of Africa to remember the first Soccer World Cup on African soil as one that planted the seeds of true universal access to education and a better life."

(Source: BuaNews - Nthambeleni Gabara)

Mini Seminars this term

Morning all! It's that time of the year again... our first Mini Seminar of the year looms just over the horizon. As you know, this term also comes with our first mentor-mentee sessions. Exciting times! I want to give you a quick overview of this term's schedule. Most likely we'll be getting copies with more details to you individually as time goes on. For now though, here's what you can expect this term:

Friday 21st Jan - Mini Seminar: Overcoming negative peer pressure
Friday 28th Jan - Mentor-mentee session
Friday 11th Feb - Mini Seminar: Sex-Sense & Relationships
Friday 18th Feb - Mentor-mentee session
Friday 11th March - Mini Seminar: Managing your personal finances
Friday 18th March - Mentor-mentee session
**Wednesday 23rd March - Appraisal Forms due

Each Mini-Seminar and mentor-mentee session will take place at Kinbu and will start at three o'clock. Communication with your mentees is important at all times - especially so with the mentee-mentor sessions. Remember to plan ahead so at least one mentor in your group is able to meet with your mentees each session.