By Ibrahim S.Bangura
A charitable organization,Soul of Africa Youth Leadership (SoAYL), has on Saturday, April 15, 2023, certified dozens of students after completed courses on leadership, modelling and personal development.
The certification ceremony brought together facilitators, students and well-wishers at the Council of Churches in Sierra Leone Hall in Freetown.
The students that were certified were selected due to their academic performance, among them are students from the Sierra Leone Grammar School, Annie Walsh Memorial School, Saint Edward Secondary School, Saint Joseph Secondary School, Methodist Boy High School, Methodist Girl High School; CKC in Bo and Harford School in Moyamba.
During the courses participants have the opportunity to gain knowledge on how to model new behavior, improve on personal development, and to become peer and program facilitators.
SoAYL which was founded in 2004 by Joy Cumming Jones is aimed at supporting youths to develop skills and a mindset for them to become responsible citizens with leadership qualities. The Sierra Leone Chapter is supported by it United Kingdom umbrella body.
The chairperson for SoAYL, Monica Greene, said that the people were trained on leadership qualities to enable that they change the narratives about governance in the country and world at large.
“So we have this leadership program at SoAYL to help solve some of these problems by preparing the youths for tomorrow. Leaders are supposed to be trained when they are young; this is what we believe,” she said.
Greene mentioned that students were taught on the principles of respect, responsibility, integrity, self-belief, positive thinking and service to others.
She recounted that the organization has trained students who are now doctors, lawyers and some of them are presently students in various universities in Sierra Leone.
One of the certified student of the St. Joseph Senior Secondary School in Freetown, Regina K. Turay, applauded SoAYL for the leadership cause, adding that joining the organization has being beneficial to him and others.
She added that they have been able to gain knowledge on leadership skills; critical thinking and they have had so much confidence in themselves than before.