Teenage-hood is a period where children need to be raised by their parent(s) as it is a crucial stage in a child’s life. Parent(s) need to be role models in their child’s life; if they don’t then, their role models will automatically become their peers.
This was evident during the just concluded career day held at the Kingdom Kids block in Umoja Sanctuary on May 5th 2012. The event which had about 90 teenagers in attendance was so rich and impactful to the teenagers as great learning lessons were instilled in their young minds.
“When God is pleased with the faith in our hearts, He will give us all what we want. It takes faith for us to please God (Hebrews 11:6) and for him to act, ” stated Albert Simiyu in his sermon message to the teenagers.
“It is good for you to know what you want in life. It is not easy but if you have faith in God and are persistent in prayer like the widow who kept on disturbing the judge for justice to be done (Luke 18:1-8), God will see your resolve and be able to give you what you want.”
He told them that it is time to start amazing God with our faith before we are hardened by many things.“It is never too late for God. Everything is possible. Leaving a corrupt life is not good. We should start seeking faith in God. Pray to God to give us a life that is pleasing before him.”
He challenged them to aim to be teenagers who can preach the word of God without fear and with deep conviction. “Let us be like Jesus who by 12 years, had a good insight of God’s words and amazed everyone,” said Albert Simiyu, a web content writer with TBN Family Media – A Christian Broadcasting Network.
Viola Ruth Wambui, a teenager noted that in everything we do, we should not give up, always have faith and be persistent for God will answer our prayers in due time. We should aim to please God in all our actions and always have faith that God will be by our side to guide and protect us. “The greatest lesson is that: if I please God, He will help me,” She concluded her response to the hearty sermon.
Deacon Francis Thuo was the main facilitator and led the other career teachers in performance data harvesting in which the students wrote down their examination results for their three previous terms and drew a graph with the help of the teachers to show the performance trend. The students were then divided into their respective classes for open fruitful discussions to take place.
In the discussions facilitated by the career team teachers, the students identified the learning inhibitors before coming up with improvement strategies they will put in place to change their performance.
All levels, from standard 7 to form 4 (Kenya 8.4.4 education system) were represented. Three out of the estimated 90 that turned out were friends to the church teens.
Deacon George Ouko, a counselor at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) took the students through the characteristics that can help them identify their career choice. He talked about different categories of people; the artistic, realistic, investigative, social, enterprising and convectional. However, time did not allow him to get deeper into the presentation .The reception from this topic was great as some students easily identified which groups they belong and looked forward to working harder in subjects that will enable them get into the right career.
According to the Chair, Deacon Francis Thuo, a don at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa, this was a successful career day. “The team Spirit was vibrant within the 12 career team members who showed up. Even though they were limited in number, the few teachers knew what they were doing and the students were attentive. They obeyed what they were told and the level of discipline among students was at an all time high.” Each group of the students felt that their needs were met and they were happy. During the group discussions the children identified the learning inhibitors. At the end, the students wanted each and every teacher to be their mentor as it was evident that the teachers gave their best within the short period. The kids Kingdom block also provided ample space as the main auditorium was in use.
Deacon George Ouko noted that out of the estimated 500 children, we only got about 90 yet we had expected at least 300 and those who showed up are the ones that mainly turn up in church related activities. “As parents we may need to improve on these by supporting our children and availing them on time. Most of them came late and it was clear that they did not get enough support from the parents”he said.
Career team has a lot in store and is planning a career day for parents so that they can understand their role in academic development of their children. “We have seen a need to reach out to the parents for them to understand the significance of career progress. In some houses that had two children, we only saw one child attending while the other remaining with the parent,” added George.
“Career guidance has many needy areas; the children who are out of school and those already in campus have still not been attended to. However, for this to be actualized, the team should bolster the numbers in career team so as to be able to meet the career needs in the church.”
He also pointed out that resources were a main challenge. The team will come with a budget which the parents can chip in to enable the team do a good work to help their children.
The team will also develop a strategic career plan for the church in the next five years and establish a career fund for those who have completed secondary school and want to join the universities. Professionals within the church are urged to come forward and offer what they can to these children.
The students in attendance will be assigned respective academic mentors and priority has been given to those who came in during this day. They will be meeting their academic mentors individually in August.
Belinda Achieng, a form 2 student at St. Angelic Meru (Kenya) stated that she wants to be a good example to the family and society. “I learnt about self esteem and I feel confident. My self esteem was low when I came but now I feel so encouraged that I can stand and talk before my fellow peers, “she stated. “It has also helped me to understand how I should handle my studies and make right decisions that may help me have a bright future.”
The writer can be reached at ostinmoriz@gmail.com
