Celine
Onyawoibi Aju
Nigeria
YYAS as we popularly called it is the most intense program I
have ever attended. It wasn’t intense to the point of utter frustration but to
the point where I realized a limit is only a limit when you classify it as one.
In four days we had
six lectures, three seminars, four workshop sessions and project group sessions
that gave us homework mostly due the next day. That could have been classified
summer school as we were even allotted free time; that was our “recess” as
popularly called at school. But every
hour felt like free time to me because at every point in time we were
discussing and critically analyzing someone`s opinion never ignoring it or
marking it silly as most youths deem their ideas.
After discussing with
Rachael Adams and listening to Joyce
Agyare I knew that this program officially
just launched a network of actual
leaders who would be “leading from their
strengths” which is “Personal Leadership “ and not because of a
“sophisticated college degree” because
that is the only way one can work
exceptionally and effectively. On aspects
like the Financial Markets of Africa or Election and Governance or the
inequality in Democracy and Distribution and maybe even improve Gender and Asset
Ownership in the continent.
 |
| Last night of YYAS Ghana, at the talent show |
So, it wasn’t only about “how to be a good leader” it
affected every aspect of life even our individual talents. Apparently they had
one non-educational to the core event for us, the talent show. Recalling the event I know now that the hidden
agenda there was to teach us to be fearless because fear limits your abilities
and the amount of fun you`ll have as a person.
The beauty of all of this is, that I know 49 extraordinary
students, 7 youthful adults and 4 beautiful female directors on the surface of
the earth that are there to listen to my opinion on any problem no matter how
silly I might sound which to me is quite often or edit my college essay draft
as many times as I send it. Who will encourage me and my YYAS peeps when we
venture on our leadership journey and
watch us intently. I can stand anywhere today to say I know no matter how far
away I might go they will always be there because this was one of their many
many agendas I know this because Nicola said “please keep in touch “ with a
hint of beseeching as we walked out the
doors of Yiri Lodge.
“Think outside the
parallelogram”
# YYAS2014 #YYASWECAN #YYASWEARE
