The boy child development was the subject of attention at the maiden edition of the Making Kings conference which held in Ibadan on Saturday.
The need to bridge the gap between male and female gender empowerment and also shed light on the mental struggles and sexual abuse as it relates to the boy child informed the decision to host the conference as noted by Munachi Egbulonu, convener of Making Kings.
With a cross-section of Teenage boys and parents in attendance, the conference addressed the theme “Boys Becoming Men” cutting across several issues including mental health, career choices and financial intelligence.
Barr. Oyinda Ige, Founder of Nest Montessori Crèche and Pre-school and keynote speaker at Making Kings Conference emphasized that it was up to parents to ensure boys understand being told no is a normal part of life if we must reduce the incidences of sexual abuse.
“Kids need to know that they can’t take anything they want without asking and that it is okay to be told no. One way to lay a solid foundation is to teach them self-respect and respect for others.” She said.
Representing LYGEL Youth and leadership foundation, technical partners for the event, Micheal Ayodele headed the session on Drug Abuse. “Resisting peer pressure is at the core of curbing the menace of drug abuse. You need to be able to take a stand for what you want; you also need to have ready-made answers to give in resisting peer pressure,” he emphasized.
Kings Klub, a mentorship group for Teenage boys was launched at the event alongside makingkings.org.
Ms. Egbulonu described Kings Klub as a network dedicated to raising a generation of physically and emotionally intelligent boys who will grow to become reputable leaders.
“Kings Klub is going to be the biggest network of Teenage Boys in Oyo state. We are dedicated to raising a generation of physically, psychologically and physiologically sound men. Through a combination of mentoring, training and internships, we dismantle and prevent damaging practices on the BOY CHILD.” She explained.
She also thanked those who had contributed to making the first edition of the conference a success including Nustreams Conference and Cultural Center, Jericho Mall, Muna treats and Edalaf brothers.
