JAN, Union Bank to raise Young Female Changemakers at LEAD Camp this July

Demonstrating its commitment to empowering the Nigerian girl child, Union Bank has once again partnered with Junior Achievement Nigeria (JAN) to organize the annual LEAD Camp; a week-long program designed to identify, convene and coach exceptional female students from across Nigeria.

The mission of LEAD Camp is to inspire and empower young girls to become high-achieving women leaders. In order to achieve this mission, the participants are taken through series of activities including leadership workshops, panel sessions and media projects administered by HOD Consulting, a global leadership development company that serves Fortune 500 companies in the United States and Nigeria.

The girls have the opportunity to engage in enlightening discussions with Union Bank employees and other leading women from the private and public sectors in Nigeria. They also participate in conceptualization and development sessions to discuss critical issues such as career, financial literacy, and health, including sexual reproductive health.

For the past 18 years, JAN has curated the event to nurture young girls in Nigeria on their journey to becoming successful women. This year will be no different as fifty girls are expected to be hosted at the camp from the 7th to 13th of July 2019, for the initiative sponsored by Union Bank.

Speaking on the program, Executive Director of JA Nigeria, Simi Nwogugu, emphasized the impact created by LEAD Camp thus far and thanked Union Bank for their unwavering support and commitment to the cause.

“The LEAD Camp’s effect on the participants is phenomenal. The girls arrive on Sunday unsure of what to expect but leave the following Saturday as confident young women ready to change the world. We now have several LEAD Camp alumni doing amazing things from running businesses to running non-profit organizations to make the world a better place.  On behalf of our stakeholders and Board of Directors, we wish to extend our sincere gratitude to Union Bank for continuing to partner with us to make this life-changing impact on our outstanding girls” Nwogugu said. 

Also commenting on Union Bank’s continued support for the LEAD camp initiative, the Head of Corporate Communications and Marketing, Ogochukwu Ekezie-Ekaidem said;

“Our partnership with Junior Achievement Nigeria through our sponsorship of LEAD camp aligns with our talent development efforts – one of our three Corporate Social Responsibility pillars at Union Bank. The program provides the opportunity for us to cultivate and encourage a strong leadership mentality in these young girls, preparing them to fill leadership positions in the future.”

In preparation for the event, Union Bank and JAN organized the LEAD Camp 2019 Press Conference on July 3rd^, 2019, at The Dover Hotel, Lekki. Aside from the conventional Q&A session led by members of the press, attendees were treated to a video detailing the impact of LEAD Camp as expressed by successful alumni of the program. The occasion ended on a positive note with remarks from Ololade Awogbade, Head Citizenship & Sustainability, Union Bank.

Union Bank is one of Nigeria’s most respected financial institutions, dedicated to enabling the success of Nigerians and impacting its host communities through initiatives like this.

Junior Achievement Nigeria (JAN) is part of Junior Achievement Worldwide (JAWW), the world’s largest and fastest-growing non-profit economic education organization with a 120country network dedicated to preparing young people for a successful future. Since inception in 1999, JAN has reached over 900,000 students in over 20,000 classrooms in 30 locations across the country through over 2,000 volunteers.

For more information on LEAD Camp and Junior Achievement Nigeria programs, please visit www.ja–nigeria.org and follow us on social media @janigeria.

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