Over the last few weeks, we’ve been talking about choice: how seeing what is possible shapes what a girl dares to choose, and how a choice only matters once she acts on it.
On 10 October, at the seventh edition of Project LEAD‘s International Day of the Girl Child Conference, the girls took those ideas into the room.
New here? Catch up on the series first: Project LEAD at Seven: From “Dear Teenage Self” to “Her Legacy, Her Choice, Her Future: The Ripple Effect of Our Choices and Her Choice Starts With What She Can See: Why Exposure Matters.
A Hundred Girls, One Hall
Fantasia Hall at Eko Hotels & Suites, Lagos was filled with more than a hundred girls, all gathered for Project LEAD’s International Day of the Girl Child Conference.
Earlier editions gave girls information, exposure, and people to learn from. This year asked something bigger: what will she do with all she’s been given?
Twenty Girls, Ten Schools, One Stage
Twenty girls from ten schools took the stage to argue out loud. Does character matter more than academic excellence? How does social media shape the choices girls make? Does the pressure to fit in stop girls from forging their own path?
These weren’t just textbook questions; they’re what girls are living with right now, and the debate showed it.
The debate was sponsored by Alitheia Capital, with ₦1 million shared among the three teams that made the strongest arguments.
First place: Learn with Ease Islamic Academy, Idimu, ₦500,000
Second place: New Estate Baptist School, Surulere, ₦300,000
Third place: Ronik Comprehensive School, Isolo/Ejigbo, ₦200,000
Zainab Hussaini, a key speaker for the winning team, summed it up:
“Our words carried our conviction, our teamwork strengthened our voices, and our determination earned us the crown.”
Voices Worth Listening To
The girls also heard from people who have made their own choices count.
Hon. Mobolaji Abubakre Ogunlende, Lagos State Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, gave the keynote. His message was simple: be deliberate about today’s choices, because they shape tomorrow.
Mr Dami Emmanuel, Special Adviser on Blue Economy and General Manager of LASWA, had hosted 50 students from Project LEAD at the agency earlier this year. He came back to remind the girls to explore career paths beyond the familiar ones.
Hon. Dayo Israel added a line worth keeping: become a person of value, because in today’s world, value is what attracts opportunities.
Yemisi Vese led a session for World Mental Health Day on making decisions that protect the woman you are becoming. Then the Eko Hotels & Suites team sat down with the girls to talk about careers many of them had never thought about.
Honouring the Work Behind the Work
Project LEAD also presented an Award of Honour to Dr Aderonke Folorunsho, its Monitoring and Evaluation Consultant, who has been with the organisation since the very beginning. Because of her, every programme is measured by its results, not only its activities.
As Project LEAD’s PR partner, we at Pandora Global Agency loved being part of this story, from the first announcement to the last cheer in Fantasia Hall. A big thank you to everyone who made it happen.
A Note to the Girl Reading This
Not every choice will change the world. Some will shape a life. Some will quietly build toward something bigger. Some will need a second look later.
So if you’re a girl reading this, whether you were in the room or wish you had been, you don’t need the whole plan yet. Start with the next choice. What will you learn? Who will you listen to? What will you try, and what will you do when it doesn’t go as planned?
Make it on purpose, because the choice is yours.
So here is this year’s question, and it is yours to answer: What will you choose to do with what you know?
Leave a Reply