The Climate and Sustainable Development Network (CSDevNet) is helping many young adults in Niger state to understand climate change, imbibe sustainability mindsets, and develop climate-smart skills.
In a training workshop held to commemorate the World Youth Skills Day 2022, CSDevNet trained secondary school students at Amale Royalty School Minna Niger State on July 15th 2022, in collaboration with a member organisation – Youth Voyage of Nigeria (YVN).
World Youth Skills Day (WYSD) 2022 is an annual event held on the 15th of July to celebrate the strategic importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship.
The training workshop aligned the WYSD global theme, “Transforming Youth Skills for the Future, ” and adopted the local hashtag #CatchThemGreen.
The event was geared to capture the minds of the younger generation towards understanding climate change and the importance of acquiring the skills required to provide solutions to climate challenges.
In a statement announcing the kick-off of the training, the Executive Director of YVN, Mr Richard Abubakar Umar said:
“CSDevNet and YVN are committed to driving more sustainability awareness to help protect the planet for future generations. We are therefore delighted with the partnership of all academic and finance stakeholders on this shared objective.”
“This training workshop is designed to equip the youth with the requisite knowledge and skills that will enable them to take responsibility in their learning environment and at home. Everyone, including young adults, needs to be involved in this huge task of protecting the environment,” he added.
Elaborating on the objectives of the training, Dr Aishatu Adamu, Consultant at Amaiza Enterprise Company, said: “Training youth on the importance of protecting our environment is a strong contribution towards ensuring more responsible management of post-consumption waste as they grow, taking us closer to achieving a waste-free future.”
She said that training learners on waste management and recycling will ultimately contribute positively to a safe and hygienic environment. She also stated that one of the expected outcomes of the training is an ignited enthusiasm for environmental sustainability in the youth and readiness to be champions in their respective environs.
During the workshop training, Dr Aishatu Adamu was one of the facilitators who trained the students on briquettes and bio-char production.
The Director of Amale Royalty School Minna, Mr Gideon Yusuf Kure, commended CSDevNet and YVN for the laudable initiative aimed at enhancing sustainable environment-friendly practices within secondary schools in the state.
In his comments, he appreciated the organisers for their consistent contribution and investment in education within the state. He stated that he envisaged positive behavioural change that would enhance planet conversation and the desire to be upskilled in the conversion of waste to useful items in every student.
He further affirmed that the school had an entrepreneurship club and would be sending some of its students to Amaiza Enterprise Company to learn briquette making to become young entrepreneurs and as well mentor other students in the school.
The workshop training was capped with a tree planting exercise.
