By; FUNMI ADERINTO, Kaduna
The 5th Cohort (Class of Phoenix) of the Kashim Ibrahim Fellowship has held its first Community Service Week (CSW) from December 5 to 8, 2022 with the theme, ‘’Advancing a Knowledge Based Kaduna.’’ which keys into the Kaduna State Development Plan 2021-2025 and the World Bank’s Four Pillars of a Knowledge Economy.
The week-long event had secondary school students from thirteen communities across Kaduna State and 10 finalists out of the over 300 applications received for the Young Innovators’ challenge, pitch their creative ideas on agriculture, environment and health issues in the state.
On the first day of the Young Innovators’ Challenge which was held at the KAD ICT Hub, students were educated on the importance of acquiring useful skills in a constantly changing world of work, intimated on the scholarship opportunities in the state, and enlightened on the dangers of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV).
The highpoint of the event was the competition, where each school took turn to reel out innovative and sustainable ideas, relevant to their communities.
Government Secondary School, Sabon Tasha emerged champions of the competition, while GSS Maraban Rido and GSS Rigachikun had the second and third place respectively.
Day 2 was held at Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation Hall with 10 finalists (teams) pitching their creative ideas, a panel session on ‘’Understanding the Future of Innovation and Technology’’ where the panelists demystified the common assumptions about the world of technology, and a talk on the use of education to transform Kaduna into a Knowledge Based Economy.
Team Craft Planet, ABU Clinic and Pet Toilet emerged first, second and third respectively.
The top three winners received cash prizes and fully funded training scholarships from Technological Hubs.
The Class of Phoenix kicked off Day 3 of the CSW with an online campaign to spread awareness on election matters before setting out to Kasuwar Barci Market, where Fellows urged the general public to collect their PVCs, noting that it gives them the power to exercise their civic responsibility and the opportunity to decide who takes over the mantle of leadership.
The people were also advised to shun vote-selling and electoral violence. The day ended with Fellows enlightening the public about civil rights and electioneering processes on Freedom Radio 92.9.
To mark the end of the first Community Service Week, Fellows commissioned their Legacy project-a block of two classrooms, set up and furnished a library, repaired school’s borehole and donated playground equipment at UBE Unguwan Kadara, Maraban Rido, Chikun Local Government Area to encourage re-enrolment and a conducive learning environment for pupils.
The Class of Phoenix expressed gratitude to their partners, sponsors, and donors; Flour Mills Nigeria Plc, KAD ICT Hub, Afex Commodities, UNFPA, Ihifix, CoLab, RUWASSA, KCTA, SWAG Initiative, Micromanna, Nigeria Breweries, Sarduana Memorial Foundation, KadaHive, Greysoft Technologies, SUBEB, KADFAMA and others for contributing greatly in making the Community Service Week a success.
