The Yargote Foundation for Children, Youth and Women Development will hold its Empower the Boy Child Summit on Nov. 18 to raise awareness of challenges affecting boys and promote greater support for their development.
The founder of the foundation, Anna Hussaini, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja.
She said the summit would bring together stakeholders to discuss issues affecting boys and explore ways of improving their upbringing, education and personal development.
The event will also feature the graduation of the third cohort of boys who completed the foundation’s six-month Empower the Boy Child Project, which begins in May and concludes in November.
Hussaini said the graduating participants would demonstrate what they had learned, while their parents would share observations about changes in their behaviour and development.
She explained that the summit would provide an opportunity to assess the programme’s impact and encourage wider participation in efforts to support boys.
According to her, the foundation has recorded improvements among participants, including better literacy skills, increased confidence and greater willingness to discuss personal challenges.
Some boys who initially struggled with reading and writing have made progress, while others have become more comfortable expressing themselves, she said.
Hussaini added that the foundation had already presented certificates to the graduating participants because of time constraints surrounding the summit.
The Empower the Boy Child Project provides structured lessons covering areas such as empathy, emotional intelligence, communication, critical thinking, adaptability, discipline, patriotism and personal hygiene.
The founder said the initiative was established in response to what she described as the often-overlooked developmental needs of boys, noting that assumptions that they would naturally find their way in life could leave them without adequate guidance.
She identified drug abuse, gambling, stealing, violence and other negative influences as challenges confronting some boys.
The foundation also uses practical, real-life scenarios and encourages participants to share personal challenges, including anonymously, to help identify areas where they need support.
Hussaini called on parents, communities and other stakeholders to take a more active role in boys’ development, stressing the importance of providing guidance before negative social influences shape their behaviour.
The summit is expected to provide a platform for further discussions on strengthening support systems for boys and encouraging collective responsibility for their growth and wellbeing.
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