It's one thing to win the national Spelling bee, it’s another thing to gather again and recap life's milestones overcome as a result, or shall we add - ponder your future in light of your glorious past. Winning enjuba Spelling Bee is just one of the milestones our champions will reach in life. At enjuba, we vowed to walk the long journey with them through the valleys and mountains of life.
On the 16thof January, 33 past winners from 4 previous championships met for the enjuba Champions Club’s first engagement of the year. The Champions Club is an enjuba initiative to re-mobilize past winners towards progress, sharing ideas and assessing impact. Is there a better way to begin a year than to evaluate and set new goals? It was an opportunity to reconnect and begin the new year with the right mindset!
To achieve anything great, we have to cultivate a culture of goal setting and accountability. By the end of the session, each of our champions had set academic, career and personal goals. Half way through the year, we shall meet to review and hold them accountable to the targets they set to achieve. As we speak, our first champions sat for their A-level exams at the end of last year. We look forward to receiving the good news of their academic excellence!
One of my favorite sessions was when the champions were vulnerable albeit open enough to share the challenges they face both at school and at home. Even more, they were open to receive counsel from each other and pledged to continue to support one another in one way or another. Wisdom was in the room. They were one in mind; desiring to succeed together as a team – no one left behind!
We talked about sex thereafter. Yes, we did! What is a successful meeting with teenagers without deciphering sex? Who wants to pretend that the hormonal changes in the bodies of these youth are not affecting everything around them? We introduced the topic, and hope to expound on it next time.
We are convinced that all change begins in the mind. That’s why we wrapped up our January engagement with reading assignments. Each of our champions went home with a book; the kind that will challenge them to think critically, question all operating assumptions and strive to find solutions to everyday problems.
The work of developing authentic leaders and responsible citizens who are ready to change the status quo is not for the faint-hearted. It takes a long time, but enjuba has chosen to invest in the young generation.