Commissioner charges youths to focus on development of their communities at RYLA Camp in Lagos
Lagos State Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Honourable Bolaji Ogunlende, has charged youngsters at the Rotary Youth Leadership Academy camp in Lagos to contribute towards the development of their various communities.
Ogunlende gave the charge while delivering a keynote address during the opening ceremony of the leadership camp organised by District 9112 of the Rotary Club on Sunday, August 11 Lagos.
Youths were drawn from various parts of Lagos, and some parts of Ogun State, including Arepo and Sagamu to take part in the leadership training.
Ogunlende noted that the camp, tagged Rotary Youth Leadership Academy (RYLA 2024), is an effective platform through which young boys and girls from various walks of life gather under one umbrella to discuss, plan and jointly work for a better future.
He reckoned that all the 294 attendees at the week-long camp, which is located at Sea School, on an island off Liverpool Quay, Apapa, should return to their various bases with long life lessons that will benefit them, their communities and Nigeria as a whole.
Ogunlende added that the youngsters, now fondly called RYLArians, would eventually become future leaders in various aspects of life, which should help them make lasting impacts on the world at large.
He stated, “A lot is going to be taught. You are going to be taken through many educative things, and you are going to network.
“Nobody should leave here the same way they came in. That is the challenge you have for yourself.
“Tell yourself, ‘I am not going to leave this island the same way I came here.’ That’s because you are going to explore your mind and open your mind.
“Everybody here has a different value. A different way of reasoning, a different way of thinking, but you are now together under one camp to interact and exchange ideas.”
Ogunlende went on to buttress the productive aims of RYLA and added: “The intention is that you will go back as a better citizen of Lagos.
“You will go back as a better interactor, go back, and be a better individual in your community.
“Go back and give something new to your community. Go back and ensure you impact people in your community. That’s why you are here.”
The commissioner also used the opportunity to introduce some innovations that have been introduced by the Lagos State government to ensure students and youths in general find life and education easier to pass through.
The opening ceremony was graced by many dignitaries including notable Rotarians, including the incoming President of the Rotary Club of Arepo Longbridge, Dr. Olufunke Ayeni.
