NAN

No fewer than 600 senior secondary school students in Lagos State have benefited from the Season 8 of a two-day Career Mentoring and Life Skills Seminar, organised by the Pyramid Educational Advancement (PEA) Foundation.

Mr Adedapo Conde, Executive Director of the Foundation, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sidelines of the seminar on Friday in Lagos.

Conde said that the beneficiaries of the event, meant to create an interface between professionals in various industries and the teenagers, were the less privileged children concentrated in under-served communities within the state.

“We had career mentors from different professions such as lawyers, journalists, cinematographers, accountants, among others, to interface with the young people, to help them to broaden their career options.

“Such interface will also help the students to get more information about the career they are interested in, and expose them to accomplished individuals that can inspire them.

“We bring individuals who started from poor backgrounds and are now successful, so that they can give the students the assurance that their situation is not hopeless, and that if the personality could make it, they too can,” he said.

According to him, the idea is borne out of the challenge of a lot of young people losing motivation in pursuing academic excellence, as it was in the past.

Mr Ganiyu Musa, Chief Executive Officer, Cornerstone Insurance, who spoke on theme: “Be Bold, Dream Big and Do Great things,” urged the teens to pursue acquisition of more knowledge.

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Musa described education as the bedrock of achievement in life, noting that it also propelled individuals to realise their full potentialities.

He charged the students not to stop dreaming or limiting themselves, but to be bold and believe that they could do and achieve whatever they set their minds on.

“If you do certain things consistently, you are certain of positive outcome; so, do not be deterred. Be very clear of your vision, work hard, create smart and achievable goals.

“You should not also consider your environment as a disadvantage, but build a very good support system, and associate with people that would share your vision and shape your life,” Musa said.

Mrs Enitan Solarin, Managing Director, YOA Insurance Brokers, urged the teenagers to organise themselves, get information and prepare for the future they want for themselves.

Solarin told the students that failing in an examination did not actually make one a failure, as failure is an essential component of success.

“So, the rule is, always get up because it is not easy; but once you set your mind at something and you are ready to work, then, there is nothing you cannot do,” she said.

NAN reports that PEA Foundation is a non-profit organisation based in Lagos, Nigeria, with a mission to encourage the pursuit of academic excellence.

The Foundation started in 2009 by organising a quiz and debate competition in its immediate community, Ijaye Ojokoro, a suburb of Lagos.