Hello;
its been too long friends.
How many of us know what SDG stands for?.. For the unaware youth, SDG
stands for sustainable development goals.
 |
| Sustainable Development Goals |
Infact,
last week was the first time I got to learn more about SDGs in general and how
we youth relate to it.
Last
Wednesday I went to a seminar on SDG hosted by my state ministry of youth
development in collaboration with SDG body affiliated with the special adviser
to the Governor..….
So
basically what I want to talk about stems from a particular phrase from a guest
speaker said today.
He said,
"In This Generation, Youths See Problems Instead of Solutions And
Opportunities But If You Have Seen The Problem, You Have Seen Part Of The
Solution Already"
Another
speaker said today that "the youths of today are lazy! We don’t
think!!!….we don’t meditate or even try to come up with solutions to solve
existing problems in society and that is why we are backwards and being used by
politicians for their selfish machinations"
When I
listened to the lectures by this two great speakers, I flashed-back to an
incident I had with a friend a few days back on a WhatsApp group. so I am going
to describe the incident on here in detail.
Some few
weeks back, I posted about this seminar on a private WhatsApp group that
included a foray of innovative friends and colleagues; but I had this friend
that is very bright; but lately has been feeling discontent about the job
situation in the state. His anger at the world has spread so far that he no
longer saw opportunities instead he saw problems.
So after
my post, he went on a rant stating how these programs are just another avenue
for greedy politicians to siphon government funds instead of allocating them to
their proper use.
He
continued by stating how the economy looks and describing the day to day
struggles he goes through to meet ends meet. He discussed the state of our
detiorating economic and financial state and blamed the government for
virtually everything that has gone wrong in the state.
This
tirade of his aggravated me so much and I had to respond. I asked him what have
you done to better yourself.
A wise
man once told me, "Nobody Listens To A
Nobody"
And I really want to pose this question to the youths reading my blog
today, what have you
done to better yourself?
Lemme
tell you a short story about my experience this morning.
So I woke
up early this morning by 6:30AM needing to polish my shoes and a clean haircut.
I went
out to the Mallam on the road who was out by 6:40am and dropped my shoes. I
called my barber, he was not yet open so I walked a while to see if I could see
any barbing shops open.
Only one
was, so I went in.
While
having a my hair cut, I stroke up a conversation with this enigmatic young man;
I told him of what I went through that morning just to find a barber and he
told me he had been open since 6:30am.
I was
impressed with his dedication to his profession and commended him.
Basically
that young man was doing all he could to better himself so as to build a better
tomorrow. Every little thing you do to improve yourself goes a long way.
You see,
as youths, we are no longer leaders of tomorrow but of the present now. We exert our
influence over a large group of people whether it be social media groups,
church bodies, organizations or even a small group of friends; therefore, this
makes up leaders and puts us under the responsibility of monitoring over the
people we influence. We can no longer afford to show discontent in situations
as such largesse cannot be tolerated in today’s society.
I am
happy today as this seminar has given me the opportunity to connect and network
with vibrant hardworking youths working toward a goal of self-improvement and
sustainability.
The very first step to self-improvement is a something we all know but
do little of; and that is to learn. Learning comes in various forms and as the popular adage says,
“knowledge
is power”
The next step is to grow yourself by
relating with people that help you achieve your life vision. Relating with
people that push you forward as you strive to improve yourself. This is known
as "networking" and it’s the most important step that youths
have to follow.
Networking
ensures that you connect with the right people that help you in reaching your
goals.
And there
are many platforms that are open these days due to technology to make
networking easier. I implore you to make use of them.
The last step to growing is advocacy.
You have to advocate for something. You must have a passion and you must be willing to pursue it.
What is
it you like doing? What gets your blood pumping? Channel all of your energy
towards bringing awareness to that thing.
Make more
people interested in your interest and you will attract a great lot of growth
and investment.
As a
youth, from today I plan to work hard in other to make sure that the
sustainable development goals are achieved in my region and my state to the
best of my ability.
Are you
ready to take such a pledge with me?
Buckle up
then because I have a personal vision; that by 2030, I will contribute to the
eradication of poverty in The Niger Delta region.
We are
youths leading sustainability and we should always strive to overcome.
Good day
and remain blessed.
