A creative artist, Taiwo Adeleye, has tasked youths to develop resilience and perseverance in the face of challenges in order to succeed.
Adeleye, a foreign trained dancer, gave the charge during the public presentation of his book titled “Soil of Resilience and inauguration of the “Soil of Resilience Initiative Project” on Wednesday in Ibadan.
Adeleye said that the initiative would scale up its community youths empowerment programme in Ibadan with modern IT training, vocational skills, dance, drama and cultural storytelling skills, and other entrepreneurship training.
The author, a first Certified Movement Analyst in West Africa, said that the initiative in partnership with Oyo State Agency for Youth Development would train indigent youths in line with their passion and mentor them to achieve their dreams.
“Mentorship is a way to multiply impacts, it has transformative power which can make mentees grow into confident individuals who, in turn, give back to their communities, “Adeleye said.
According to him, the book is more than a story, but a testament to the power of perseverance, faith and an unwavering spirit geared towards walking the impossible road to breaking cultural barriers.
Adeleye urged the youths to use setbacks on their journeys to the top as opportunities to learn, grow, and become stronger.
“Resilience is not about being immune to challenges, but about being brave enough to face them head-on. Strength lies not in ability to avoid challenges, but in capacity to overcome them.
“This book is for dreamers, fighters and anyone who has ever faced a mountain and dared to climb.
“It is a reminder that resilience is not just about enduring but also about thriving,” he said.
In his opening remarks, the Chairman of the Oyo State Agency for Youth Development, Prince Adebowale Falana, said that youths must be ready to pick and transform themselves through skills acquisition and entrepreneurship training.
He reiterated the commitment of the agency to collaborate with any individual, philanthropists, organisation or group with good ideas or projects for youth development in the state.
The Book Reviewer, Ms Ronke Giwa-Onafuwa, the General Manager of the Dominion Television, Ibadan, described the book as an inspiring account of resilience, passion and story telling with authenticity.
She noted that the book contained 10 carefully structured chapters that would serve as inspiration to forge ahead for every reader especially when facing obstacles.
Giwa-Onofuwa charged the audience at the occasion to cultivate a habit of reading, noting that reading helps to learn from mistakes of the past, saves time and resources that could be wasted through repetition of the same process.
The event also featured panels sessions, lecture, cultural dance presentation among others.
