By Thandiwe Kubere
MASERU – Harvest FM this year hosts the third annual National Kids Seminar which was described as a platform for preparing children between the ages of 10 and 12 for the professional market scope. This is conducted by encouraging them to pursue their future career dreams.
Having a child who is talented or really good at certain things is one thing, but assisting them with relevant sources to discover and unleash their potential from that tender age is another.
Harvest FM Manager Likopo Koloi, enlightened that the seminar inspires children to rekindle their innate talents for their career ambitions.
“It instils a sense of leadership, and grooms their ability to handle the challenges and pressures of public speaking from a very young age. The Seminar also helps Kids with; confidence boosting, patriotism as well as leadership skills”, she said.
The seminar serves as a place where kids explore, learn and equally get entertained with their peers as well as their guardians. Here the kids compete and participate showing their each unique skills and talents in the ten selected categories. Those include Little Prime Minister, Little Speaker of the National Assembly, Little Chief Justice, Little Mayor, Little Commander, Little Compol, Little Commissioner LCS, Little Principal, Little Pastor, and last but not least Little Chef.
She further noted that this year’s Harvest FM Kids seminar comes after the first and second edition which took place in 2018 and 2019. The two, respectively, were successfully organized by the station alone, resulting in significant growth each year.
“Unfortunately, we were unable to continue due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, as the station celebrates its 20 years of industry-impacting and life-changing broadcast service to Basotho, it plans to make the 3rd edition of this exceptional initiative a grand event”, said Koloi.
The Seminar is scheduled for October 4th, 2023, at Avani Maseru and the goal is to ensure that all children participating in the 2023 Harvest FM Kids Seminar return home as better individuals who are well-equipped to face the future.
“While there will be ten (10) overall winners from each category, our plan is to ensure that all contestants receive a prize. This prize will not only be a source of pride for them and their families but will also set them on the right path towards their career development” she revealed.
It does not only end there. There will also be an Educational tour to Cape Town after the Seminar as part of the Edutainment and refreshing the minds of these young individuals.
Emphasizing on how the seminar impacts those who participate in it and how their perspective differs from before she declared most of the kids who have won the Seminar become School Prefects in their respective Schools. They are also called to be Speakers and Motivators on many kids Events.
Encouraging parents who are not aware of the impact of the seminar or rather take it lightly, she declared this is not a play event. “This is a very big initiative. I urge parents to allow their kids to take part in this. I also encourage companies and organisations to partner with us as we all strife to make the dreams of our future leaders a near reality as possible”, she said.
Additional benefits of kids attending seminars are that; from that tender age kids could discover inspiration in other’s ideas, which in turn may aid them in their space and dream careers. They might also come up with novel solutions or new thoughts that were not considered previously. Again, Networking and listening to others express their ideas could help them with creativity and good communication skills.
Events like these also have a potential of helping kids gain a new perspective from their peers as they can share their ideas and views on tackling the problem, which can provide a new perspective on how to address it as well as finding other ways of carrying out a task. They also enhance abilities through learning new skills which help in advancing. The prevailing significance of collaboration and networking in the modern-day society for improved economies says kids should be taught from a young age. Therefore, making new acquaintances and meeting new individuals can assist the kids in seeking direction and encouraging new ways of thinking.
Kids’ seminars are also a great space for exploring interests as engaging with and watching their peers show different skills might motivate them to explore. Additionally, they can help with developing Cognitive Skills as listening to a role model speak at a seminar or workshop might assist them in learning how things are done.
Seminars are also beneficial for those who have difficulty learning in a typical classroom setting where reading and writing are required. There is often a sense of friendship associated with seminar attendance, because everyone is attending with interest in learning and participating on things important to them.