• Itsekiri NextGen Project: 2022 Session 21 Report
• Topic: Community Clean up
• Date: Saturday 04/06/2022 
• Volunteers Present: 5
• Total Number of Attendees: 83
• Timings: 9:00am – 1:00pm
• Venue: Former Caravan 4, Aja-Pessu (Pessu Town), Warri
• Main Topic/Activity: Community clean up
• Resource Person: ltsekiri NextGen team

Summary

The 21st session of 2022 focused on Pessu Community clean up. Involving our participants in community clean up was a great way to create awareness amongst the participants on the need to protect the earth and take care of our environment. The clean-up exercise also afforded us the opportunity to introduce ourselves to the members of the community. Furthermore, this clean-up exercise falls under our Leadership mandate as we aim to develop the next generation of Itsekiri leaders.   

Session Delivery

The session began with an opening prayer by Besinfe Etuwewe. Uwala tedeye provided an introductory discussion on the need to make our environment green and sustainable. The clean-up exercise was designed to celebrate World Environment Day (WED) on the 5th of June but was marked by Itsekiri NextGen on the 4th of June as our sessions hold only on Saturdays. 

The planet is ours and it is pertinent we safeguard it at all costs. The discussion focused on how the participants can actively contribute to making their environment clean and sustainable. This included; desisting from disposing of dirt indiscriminately, which may end up in our water body, harm the aquatic life, and be washed back into the land in the event of flooding. Plastic dirt is non-biodegradable and as such ends up in the bellies of fishes and other aquatic species.  

Pessu community clean up exercise

The participants were lined up according to their teams for a head count before the start of the community clean up exercise. Chants of “Itsekiri NextGen cleaning the environment” were heard from them as they marched down the street of Pessu Town to clean up waste from the environment. 

This is the first outdoor activity we have had and the participants were happy to showcase themselves to members of the Pessu community even as they render community service. 

The chief security officer (CSO) and a member of the vigilante group were present to guide and guard Itsekiri NextGen on the community clean up exercise. 

Other key activities during the session

Itsekiri NextGen seized the opportunity to pay a courtesy visit to the Olare-aja (the oldest man) of Pessu Town. Though, only the team representatives, volunteers and the coordinator could go in. They all knelt down for the fatherly blessings from the Olare-aja.

Participants borrowed books from the Itsekiri NextGen library.