Health
MS May Ikokwu, Chief Executive Officer, Save Our Heritage Initiative (SOHI) has advised Nigerian youths to strive to emulate right characters and attitudes from their mentors to make themselves better mentees.
Ikokwu said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja on the occasion of World Mentoring Day.
She described mentoring as an imperative aspect of human development which was required to mold enviable characters.
“Mentoring usually involves a more knowledgeable person sharing wisdom with someone who has less experience.
“Mentors share their skills in the workplace, schools, places of worship and professional organisations,” she said.
The Culture Advocate who called on youths to shun temptations of materialism, said character and integrity remain the greatest gifts.
She advised young people to always look up to people with impeccable characters than those with fraudulent and questionable characters.
Ikokwu added: “Wherever one might need guidance, there are usually mentors.
“Those who are mentors usually find the position to be rewarding too.”
She said that mentoring was also a great way to influence young people, urging elderly people to always lead lives of honour and integrity.
According to her, it is pertinent for older persons both in office and anywhere to strive to be good influences to the younger ones.
Ikokwu identified increased chance of graduating from school, healthier relationships with others and make better lifestyle choices as benefits of mentoring.
“Other benefits include improved self-esteem, self-confidence, and behavior, lack of drug abuse etc,” she said.
The culture advocate cautioned young ones to imbibe good qualities from their mentors without trying to be like them, because each person had been wonderfully and specially created.
The International Mentoring Day is celebrated yearly on Jan. 17.
International Mentoring Day fosters a global understanding of the mentoring movement throughout the world.
The day also raises awareness for the global contributions of mentoring. (NAN)
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