Animators currently undergoing training at the Osogbo Diocesan School of Youth Animators are gradually drawing close to Certification as candidates completes the forth training sessions at the close of August 2024. 

The six weeks’ programme spread over a period of six months commenced since June this year. At the 4th phase, Dr Ola Ibigbami on ‘Motivational Interview’ described MI as a therapeutic technique that is used to bring change in behaviour among young people or even adults.

He emphasized that the course is important in bringing about awareness about the need to change, because young people who are involved in drug and other vices do not see the need to change. 

Apart from the area of drug related, gambling, failure in academics and relationships and several others were enumerated among areas of application of motivational interview.

While he stated partnership, acceptance, compassion and invocation as essential spirit of MI; asking open-ended questions, affirmations, reflective listening and ability to summarize were prescribed as core skills in Motivational Interview. 

Dr Ibigbami educated that pre-contemplation, contemplation and relapse are the circle necessary for change. In order for an effective motivational interview, youth animators are encouraged to be patient and allowed the process to unfold, practice reflective listening regularly, use affirmation to build confidence in their clients and that they should cross-check and summarize. 

The lecture by Rev. Fr. Peter Akinola generated a lot of interactions and arguments as it would with the youths. On ‘’Youth Apostolate and Bioethical Issues’’ Fr Peter Akinola cautioned that youth ministers and animators should not be tempted to assume the position of a moralizing agent.

He described bioethical issues as the rightness or wrongness of issues that have to do with life. According to him, it is not enough to tell the youths about the wrongness and rightness of any matter, they should be told why it is either right or wrong. 

The priest highlighted the principles used by the Church in taking moral stands while emphasizing on stance of the Church on bioethical issues such as Abortion, Contraceptives, In Vitro Fertilization, Cloning, LGBTQIA+, BBL and body modification, Organ transplant, Euthanasia just to mention a few. 

The key notes of his topic is that the human dignity and life must be respected while caution must be taken not to turn life and human person to a commodity or an object. However, despite recording lots of bioethical issues in the current times, no one should condemn but rather enlighten the perpetrators. 

Fr. Felix Olaniyan on child abuse, focuses on abuse identification and detection, signs and symptoms of abuse and effects of abuse on the abused, the abuser and others; such as family, community and society at large. Though he recognized that signs of abuse are very difficult to detect, however a single sign should not be neglected as it is a call to further investigation. 

Dr Jumoke Omole on “Essentials of Positive Psychology for Young People” educated on concept of wellness and psychological well-being, stress and its management and embracing mental health awareness. She categorised and emphasized physical, emotional, mental, social, spiritual, environmental, occupational and psychological wellness as forms of health which must be achieved before anyone can claim to be healthy.

Her reason is that wellness is not the absence of sickness. The Youth Animators will conclude their training by October 2024 after two more sessions.