People are asking for parents, the government, and the community to help the next generation, especially because of school and social problems.
They are worried because the help for young people isn’t done well or sometimes isn’t there at all.
They talked about this at the 4th Annual Scientific Roundtable Series of the Centre for Integrated Health Programme (CIHP). The theme was, ‘The missing link: Helping teenagers and young people through sustainable methods.’
Dr. Bolanle Oyeledun, who is the boss at CIHP, gave a speech. She said that many young people aren’t getting their needs met. She mentioned that helping young people is more than just making rules. It’s also about doing something to help.
She said, “Before we think of ourselves as government or important people, we are first parents and relatives. We all need to help young people learn how to handle life’s problems.”
“Young people need to learn skills to manage their mind, understand money, and deal with daily challenges,” she added.
Oyeledun also asked the government to make their plans real. She said, “Rules are good, but we need to put effort and resources into them so they really help young people.”
The main message is that the government, parents, and the community should work together to support the next generation, especially with the problems they face in school and society.
Dr. Chukwugozie Ujam, who is the Deputy Director of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), also talked. He said it’s important to have safe places where young people can talk about their problems and get help.
He also mentioned that communities should know where to go to report problems and that the police are working to respond better to these issues.
“The government should make sure that everyone has the right information and that there are safe spaces for young people to talk and get help,” he said.
Dr. Olujuwon Ibiloye, a Senior Technical Officer at APIN Public Health Initiatives, also shared his thoughts. He said that everyone needs to find out what problems young people are facing and work together to solve them.
He mentioned that we need a systematic way to help teenagers and young people. “From the beginning, we need to involve everyone in identifying problems and making solutions so that when the rules are ready, everyone is committed to making them work,” he explained.