“We would help build a world we want, if we each could take time to teach the little we know to those coming behind us”
Waheed Awonuga
You will only meet a few persons that are as multi-faced and interesting as Waheed Awonuga because the truth is you don’t get to meet Medical Doctor, a Creative Writer, a Photographer and a Graphic Artist and the list goes on all wrapped up in one person very often. His many sides cannot be summarized but suffice to say that he is sufficient proof of what an education that is not limited to the classroom walls can achieve and we are glad he is an ambassador for the Teach a Teen Campaign.
In his own words, “I feel much obliged to write on this not because it’s a hobby to write but rather because the topic is one that can help change and build our cities, our nations, Africa and ultimately, the world. Imagine a secondary school student who can formulate programs that can help the banking industry function better, imagine a student who knows and understands how to make a three-piece suit, imagine having a cross-section of students who can do things that would require a great deal of life learning to do. Yes, your thoughts are as good mine, wonderful!
Teaching is an age-long art of passing information. Teaching not only helps in the dissemination of new knowledge, it also helps in the sustenance of an idea. The new ideas of today were those of yesterday put in a more refined form. The young ones of today grow to become adults tomorrow, hence the need to teach them now in preparation for the future they yet seek.
Teaching can be in numerous forms. In this new age of fast modern technology, a lot of information are available to the young ones, a lot are unsolicited and end up corrupting their minds while there is an also an abundance of those that help shape their lives and the world in general. We can leverage on this information superhighway and use it as a tool to impact their lives. Of importance is the fact that the brain of these young ones can grasp information as quickly as possible and develop them into realistic tools. Hence, teaching them could be akin to arming them with the necessary arsenal to face life’s challenges.
I remember vividly after my West African Senior School Certificate Exam (WASSCE), my Father ensured that I was trained in Computer Appreciation which developed my interest in Graphics, an interest that was not only a money-making venture while I was in the University, but has also become a thriving business today! I went as far as imparting this knowledge in five other students who also went on to establish something worthwhile for themselves. While the school curriculum is designed to provide theoretical learning, teaching beyond the school walls, provides practical and useful skills needed to navigate daily through life’s ocean.
The Teach-A-Teen initiative and campaign is a welcome development which if replicated across the nation and Africa at large, will help develop the youths and it will make the very distant future arrive sooner and make the leaders of tomorrow become the leaders of today.
My name is Waheed Awonuga and I am an Ambassador for the #TeachATeen Campaign!
