Juvenile Career Education (JuCE) Africa, a non-profit organization, will be inaugurating its ‘Initiative for the African Child’ on March 30.
Adaeze Okeke, the founder of JuCE, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos that the initiative was to improve and complement education systems across the continent for children.
She said that the initiative was part of efforts to provide Nigerian and African children with vital career information and exposure.
Okeke said that the inauguration would be held virtually via Zoom (https://tinyurl.com/JuCEAfric), adding that it was open and free to Nigerians, schools, students, and parents.
She urged education stakeholders to leverage the initiative.
NAN reports that JuCE was incorporated in October 2023, with the aim of providing guidance via career information, exposure, and direction to secondary school students in Nigeria.
The founder noted that there was a need to fill the gap in the Nigerian educational system, whereby students could be exposed and mentored to make major career decisions even at a young age.
“This project is intrinsically linked to two causes I care deeply about: children and education.
“So, I am deeply excited that this project is finally at a stage where I can share it with the world and hopefully get the world to share in the execution of the vision.
“Our inaugural year 2024 is packed with exciting insights for children on how to choose a career, how to start preparing for university, and how to achieve their full potential.
“This doesn’t start from SS3 or even senior school; global competitors start grooming their kids for global opportunities as young as 8 years old,” she said.
Okeke added that the inauguration would feature educational psychologist Chika Ehirim-Nmor, who would be speaking and lending her professional credence to the necessity of the organisation’s vision.
On follow-up programmes, the founder said that, “In the course of the year, JuCE Africa will also be spotlighting some professions by having young professionals in medicine, law, tech, and the creative industry.
“This will create a forum where the professionals will be sharing their journeys into those professions and giving tips on how the Nigerian child can position themselves for careers in that field.
“With a vision to prepare young ones for the future, JuCE will share with the Nigerian child the impact of globalisation, technology, and the Artificial Intelligence (AI) revolution on today’s professions, positioning them for tomorrow’s realities.
“We want the Nigerian child to be globally relevant but also nationally conscious to contribute to building a better Nigeria in and outside of Nigeria.
“We will provide the much-needed insight and guidance that will help the Nigerian child navigate their career choices.
“The initiative will also provide guidance through our University Preparation Programme (UPP), preparing our children for global university opportunities.
“The vision of JuCE is to see an Africa where children’s career paths are intentionally thought through, developed, and chosen to set them up to excel in their desired paths,” she added. (NAN)
