An NGO, The Raised for Excellence, says it has registered and commenced training for more than 2,000 youths to enable them achieve their dreams and contribute to societal development.
The Convener of the NGO, Mrs Juliet Ogunkunle, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Monday.
Ogunkunle said that the projects and initiatives were targetted at the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to impact and transform the lives of the youth and inspire them to become exceptional leaders and role models in the society.
“It is our vision to reach out to, at least, one youth in each home from Nigeria and other African countries.
“To achieve this, Raised for Excellence has rolled out a crime prevention campaign, with the aim of reducing crime rate in the society.
“This campaign is premised on designing communication targetted at the mental health of young people by helping them to understand how they can handle stress/pressure and make better decisions.
“The training will also help to raise awareness among the youth about the destructive tendencies inherent in crime and how they can be positive influencers,” she said.
According to her, the project is segmented into two: victim-oriented and offender-oriented.
Ogunkunle described the NGO as an all-encompassing mental health and empowerment campaign organisation, with the sole aim of reducing the rate of crime and continuous offenders in the society.
She said that the campaign had officially kicked off in July to support and promote effective partnerships with families, governments and law enforcement agencies in the fight against crime.
The convener added that the NGO had partnered with the Ministry of Youth in driving the project and by extension, impacting more than 3,000 youths through various platforms in Lagos.
“This campaign will mentor up to 2,000 youths, including ex-offenders, and empower them to be self-sustaining in order not to return to unsafe activities.
According to her, innovations are required to reduce crime and unsafe activities in the society, and particularly to support ex-offenders after they might have left correctional centres. (NAN)
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