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The ORA USA Youth Development Initiative Committee was inaugurated on Sunday, November 22, 2010 by ORA USA president, Chief Chris Onwuzurike. The expectations (or terms of reference) for the committee are as follows:
1. Setup youth recruitment and retention framework.
2. Establish steps for youth development initiatives.
3. Develop creative youth programs.
4. Prepare youths as future leaders through transition activities and programs.
5. Assist in locating sponsors for workshops and seminars targeted toward Youth
Development at affiliate level and at ORA conventions.
6. Development of affiliate wide youth programs and assists in active youth participation
during ORA conventions.
7. Integrate and organize various sporting activities and games at ORA conventions.
8. Identify successful descendants of Orlu sons and daughters in mainstream sporting
professions/activitiesin US, Nigeria and around the world.
9. Maintain bi-monthly progress report to the ORA USA president.
The committee encourages representation from all the ORA affiliates. Meanwhile, not all the affiliates are represented because no one has either volunteered, been appointed or elected to serve in the committee. A few of the current committee members on the list have not been heard from inspite of telephone and email efforts to contact them.
Given the expectations of the committee, the committee's approach for this year and the future is incremental and targeted approach to its goals. The committee is planning to engage not just the youths but the adults too. Without parental involvement and involvement by other adults, activities targeted towards the youths and others will not succeed.
For the 2010 ORA USA Convention, the committee is already engaged in planning for the sporting activities and other games in collaboration with the host affiliate (New York). There were interests in soccer last year but there was not much time to plan and organize it. Soccer is in this year in addition to tennis, table tennis, volleyball, draught, and scrabble. Participation is encouraged from both the youths and the adults.
Besides sporting activities and games, for the 2010 Convention, the committee is planning to have a question and answer session for the youths to explore what the youths are thinking, a talent show, a speaker for a short speech targeted to the youths and a separate party for the youths where they can listen, enjoy and dance to the music of their generation in addition to other kinds of music.
In the long-term, the committee is exploring several other goals for the youths. The goals include cultural education and Igbo language, scholarships, and educational programs and activities focussing on issues such as peer pressure and how to handle it, communication, and other challenges and opportunities confronting the youths who are dominated today by the children of first generation immigrants (Nigerians).
The current members of the committee who have participated in our meetings or communicated their presence are:
Mr. Chukwuma Duruebube (Atlanta)
Nze Godwin Duru (Austin)
Mr. Obinna Ejiogu (Boston)
Dr. Salome Nwosu (Florida): Vice chairperson
Mr. Jonathan Iherobiam (New Jersey)
Mr. Bartholomew Ogbenna (New York)
Mr. Cletus Ogbenna (Baltimore)
Mrs. Chika Agwumezie (Washington DC)
Chief Louis Orji (Philadelphia).
Submitted by:
Ernest Amarachukwu Ndukwe, Ph.D.
Committee Chairperson (Michigan)
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