Korte beschrijving van het project
Jongeren in een achterstandssituatie de mogelijkheid geven een (nieuwe) toekomst op te bouwen middels het leren van een vak. Pastorale zorg speelt in dit proces een rol.

Doel van het project
Middels onderwijs in een speciaal daarvoor nog te bouwen centrum met behulp van vakdocenten de doelgroep vaardigheden cq een vak leren.
Verder trachten de jongeren weer hun zelfvertrouwen terug te geven.

Huidige stand van zaken
Ten gevolge van de slechte economische omstandigheden en de daarmee gepaard gaande hoge (jeugd)werkloosheid geraken vele jongeren in het criminele circuit en vertonen immoreel gedrag.

Behoeften van het project
Er is inmiddels een bouwkavel gekocht. Het is duidelijk dat dit project erg kapitaal intensief zal worden.
Het centrum (klaslokalen, gebouw voor de administratie, kapel, hostel-accomodatie)) dient nog te worden gebouwd en gekwalificeerd personeel dient eveneens nog te worden geworven.

Contactpersonen van het project
Catholic Diocese of Ijebu-Ode
Holy Ghost Fathers and Brothers
Ekiti Region
Nigeria

Donaties
Indien U een donatie wilt geven ten behoeve van dit project, dan kunt U een bedrag overmaken op rekeningnummer 40.67.06.859 van de ABN-AMRO te Venlo ten name van B.W.G. Staarink en/of M.D.C.L. Pleumeekers te Venlo, zulks onder vermelding van de naam van het project: Spiritan Youth Empowerment Centre, Ijebu-Ode, Ekiti Region, Nigeria.

Catholic Diocese of Ijebu-Ode
Holy Ghost Fathers and Brothers (Ekiti Region).
Spiritan Project: Spiritan Youth Empowerment Centre
Nigeria, a land blessed in so many ways is presently beset with so many difficulties. Over years, our society had declined shockingly in quality of life. We live in a situation of social insecurity, governmental insensitivity, economic collapse and moral decadence. This ugly situation of our time appears to be staring the youths in the face. They are the worse hit by this unpleasant situation in so many ways.

A good number of the youths of our diocese in particular cannot afford to have the higher education, because they do not have the economic strength. Consequently, these young people roam the streets after their secondary school programme. On the other hand, even those who managed to go through the higher education, come out to continue to depend on their parents, because there are no jobs. There is a critical unemployment in our society that leaves many young people jobless. As a way out of this jobless problem, a good number of these youths involve themselves in many kinds of criminal acts and other immoral behaviours.

The Spiritan Missionaries working in the Catholic diocese of Ijebu-Ode feel so much concerned about the future of these youths and the attendant effects on the lives of the entire populace. After several studies on how to help these jobless youths of our diocese, it became obvious that the best thing they need now is an empowerment through education. An education that brings about an integral formation of a whole person.

In the words of the Vatican Council 2, "education is, in a very special way, the concern of the Church not only because the Church must be recognised as a human society capable of implanting education, but especially because it has the duty of proclaiming the way of salvation to all, of communicating the life of Christ to those who believe, and of assisting them with continual care so that they may be able to attain to the fullness of that life. The Church, as a mother is obliged to provide for its children an education in virtue of which their whole lives may be inspired by the spirit of Christ. At the same time, it will offer its help to all people for the promotion of the well-balanced development of the human person, for the good of the society in this world and for the development of a more human world".

It is in response to this urgent call of the council fathers and in response to our Spiritan Charism that we advocate for a Spiritan Empowerment Centre to educate our youths. This Centre will provide training opportunities in skill such as: Carpentry, Bricklaying, Hairdressing, Computer and GSM phone repairs and auto-mobile maintenance.

It will also see to the moral education of the youths and help to guide their spiritual growth.

Objectives
Specifically, our objectives are:
- To establish a youth empowerment centre that provides opportunities for skill acquisition for the youths;
- To engage in serious pastoral care of the youths;
- To make the youths become self-reliant and develop confidence in themselves;
- To acquire the facilities for this project and get the personnel for the youth animation programmes;
- To provide Hostel accommodation to university students, especially the sexual exploited girls.

Vision
Our vision is to foster and support the youths of our diocese especially the poor ones, have a balance development to face the societal challenges of this rapidly changing world.

Mission
To make the youths authentic and useful to themselves, their families, the church and the society at large through character formation, support and self-reliant programmes. To make them economically independent and crime free.

Programmes
- Basic training on different basic skills of their choice;
- Technical education/training on repairs of equipment such as computer, GSM, auto-mobile etc.;
- Training on low cost trades: These are trades one can start with a very little amount of money after training. This includes Hairdressing, Tailoring, Carpentry and bricklaying etc.;
- Practical texts of the trainees before graduation and the issue of certificate of merit to successful candidates.

Requirements for the project
1. Land
To begin this all-important project, a large acre of land is needed for the centre.
Through the combined efforts of the Catholic Bishop of Ijebu-Ode and the Spiritans working in this diocese, about 5.417 acres of land has been acquired for this project.

2. Finance
This project no doubt will be capital intensive.
There is need for finance to build the structures: workshops, equipment (machinery), tools, some classrooms, administrative block, chapel etc. Also tools and various equipments are needed for different skill training.

3. Personnel
Basic skill training of this kind involves some technical know-how on the part of the trainer. As a result of this, we shall require the great service of competent technicians in the various areas we intend to train our youths.