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| Some of the participants displaying their certificate |
Christ Apostolic Church Worldwide Youth Fellowship (CACYOF) in partnership with LEAD Transformation Initiative (LTI) has conducted a one-week School of Ideation, from Monday 15th March to Friday 19th 2021.
The robust and impactful training is part of the Church’s Youth Capacity Development and Empowerment Initiative.
The training, which was facilitated by the Youth Officer of CAC Worldwide, Pastor Samson O. Gbuyiro, Pastor Titilayo Femi Kings and Titilayo Kemi Kings (Founders and Directors, LTI), is aimed at reducing the rate of unemployment, poverty and restiveness amongst the youths of the Church. It was focused on mind development and transformation.
The training took place at LTI’s transformation space located in Akure, Ondo State, an environment that is conducive and fully equipped with modern facilities to aid deep thinking, research, networking and learning.
Curriculum of the program was designed to keep participants abreast of the latest global trend in terms of social entrepreneurship and development by educating them on the current United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
The Youth Officer, Pastor Gbuyiro, represented by Assistant Youth Officer, Pastor S.O. Oke, mentioned in his welcome address at the opening event that the church is elated to kick off this empowerment initiative as a means to invest into the youths to guarantee their future and that of the church.
He also charged the youths to see themselves as being in this training for a purpose, and that they must seize this opportunity to conceive what they want to do, and use the learning from the program to launch themselves into empowerment for global relevance.
Director and Co-Founder, LTI International, Pastor Titilayo Femi Kings who has had experience delivering this curriculum to different audiences around the world, said that the knowledge gained in this training has catalysed the participants on how to access local and international funding opportunities, advance their ideas to sellable products, gain financial independence, access national and international business networks, identify problems and transform them into business opportunities amongst several others.
Pastor Kings who is also an ordained pastor is in Christ Apostolic Church emphasized that saving the youths of the Church from poverty and unemployment will require more than prayers and fasting, but an intentional investment in developing and transforming the mind, and empowering their hands with relevant skills which is what this vision has achieved.
The Director of Gender Inclusion, Titilayo Kemi Kings said the curriculum was designed to launch them into the process of ideation as they have been empowered with critical skills like problem analysis, idea generation, and project and business development and the gender curriculum has helped them to be gender balanced whilst conceiving their ideas and visions.
The CACYOF Empowerment and Capacity Development team, whose members are the steering committee for the programme were represented by Pastor J.O. Oluwasanmi and Pastor S. Oladele.
Pastor Oluwasanmi charged the youth to take the training serious and stay focused as they are the pioneering set and their result would determine the continuation of this training.
He further stressed to the participants that the church is taking this great and new step to change the narratives about the financial status of the Church and christians at large.
Pastor Oladele prayed for the participants as part of the opening activities.
LEAD Transformation Initiative saddled with the responsibility to raise transformed minds for sustainable development has over the years transformed the minds of over 600 youths with this training, catalyzed them into incubation and enterprise development and also spurred them into starting their own sustainable ventures.
The staff and management of LTI delivered an excellent workshop that took the participants through the journey of transformation and as validated by the nominated class rep of this cohort, Emmanuel Adebayo: "This training is more than we all envisaged, we have been exposed and taught the processes of innovation and creativity."
He furthermore said that the world should expect nothing less from them as they have been catalyzed and set on motion to innovate and become solution providers.
Adebayo expressed his gratitude to the CACYOF Empowerment and Capacity Development team for believing in this vision and investing in them, and also the management of Lead Transformation Initiative for this mind transforming curriculum and their excellence in conveying this training. He spoke on behalf of the class and promised that they will make CAC and LTI proud.
The one-week training ended with a graduation ceremony on Saturday 20th March 2021 and was graced by the Co-ordinator of the CACYOF Empowerment and Capacity Development Team , Pastor Abraham Ekebafe on zoom, where he congratulated the participants for being privileged to attend this training.
He expressed his gratitude to the organizing committee and LTI management. The speech ended with prayers for the participants and award of certificates.
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