Over the last few weeks, PRAI Nigeria has been visiting correctional centres for children (below the age of 18). Kids in these centres have either committed a crime, been regarded as children beyond parental control or were found homeless and wandering on the streets.
The visits by PRAI Nigeria commence with a brief introduction of what the Juvenile Justice Support Program is all about and the purpose for paying them a visit followed by brief sessions focused on encouraging the juveniles to take charge of their lives and determine to lead a better law abiding and successful life.
For instance, Suliat Subair, Adebara Adebimpe, Mr Victor & Mr Ahmad discussed “MAKING A CAREER OUT OF YOUR GIFT”, an interactive and story telling session as the panelist shared their personal stories on what gifts they have and how they have made it a source of income and in fact a career. The kids asked questions and got satisfactory answers.
Furthermore, the kids were divided into groups where each group partook in different activities like SCRABBLE, MONOPOLY and DESIGN THINKING SESSION. The kids showed exceptional knowledge and enthusiasm towards these activities,they picked up the techniques of the game real quick and even challenged themselves.
As feedback, the kids from the Design thinking session came forward to present what they had learnt. They dealt with various topics,identified key issues as well as feasible solutions to solving them.
To round it all up, the group played a final game tagged “YOU THINK YOU KNOW NIGERIA?” A game of cards with various questions and answers on the history,composition and other general knowledge about Nigeria. The kids at this point also did excellently well,they gave well thought answers and only missed few of the questions.
In all,it was a great experience as the kids responded pretty well to our one on one conversations with them. According to a participant “We saw promising leaders, who only need the right parental support,societal protection and guidance to excel in whatever field”.
PRAI hopes to do more for these kids and bring out the best in them and will be visiting the Juvenile detention centres at Oregun, Ikeja and Idi – Araba on the 4th of Januar, 2020.