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Ms. Aisha Zannah, a final year student of Mass Communication at Skyline University Nigeria (SUN), has canvassed greater protection of children and youth from inter-communal violence and insurgencies. She made the call on 18th January 2022, at the 25th Anniversary of the Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC) Mandate, where she was a panel speaker. “I’m calling everyone to commit to forming action plans and take concrete measures to protect children, especially girls”. The 25th Anniversary of the CAAC mandate was organized in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of Norway to the United Nations, United Nations Head Quarters in New York. The event provided the opportunity to look back at the progress for children, including the more than 170,000 children released from armed forces and groups, and highlighted the added value of the mandate as part of the human rights, development, and peace-building agendas. It also explored ways in which the CAAC mandate could further evolve and generate more progress for the protection of boys and girls in the coming years. While making her presentation online, on the theme of the event, Ms. Aisha stated that thousands of children and youth are paying the prices for inter-communal violence and insurgencies. According to her, world leaders must fulfill the wide gap in aid funding so that women and children can receive protection. “I strongly encourage actors and youths around the world to be involved in the peace processes. And to take concrete actions that prioritize the protection of children affected by conflict at the national, regional, and global level”, She stated. She posited that the world must be ready to do more, to recognize that children’s needs and rights must be considered during all phases of conflicts, from prevention efforts to mediation and recovery, to sustainable inclusive development in education. As she puts it, “Education is all we have to change our future and integrate children and youth into peace processes that can provide a concrete result for children and peace that can last decades. It starts and ends there. Without this, our futures are gone”. While delivering his remarks, the Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations and moderator of the event His Excellency (H.E.) Mr. Robert Rae, appreciated the contributions from Ms. Aisha for her impact at the event. “Aisha thank you very much your word is very profound and have such an impact on all of us. You are a great leader and we appreciate your inspiration today” he stated. The 25th Anniversary of the Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC) mandate featured participants with high-end professional portfolios. They include the Secretary-General of the United Nations – António Guterres, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway – H.E. Anniken Huitfeldt, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict – Ms. Virginia Gamba, UNICEF Executive Director – Ms. Henrietta Fore, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs – Ms. Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations – Mr. Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Advocate for Children Affected by War – Mr. Forrest Whitaker, Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations – H.E. Nicolas de Rivière, Permanent Representative of Mexico to the United Nations – H.E. Mr. Juan Ramón de la Fuente Permanent Representative of Niger to the United Nations – Ramírez, H.E. Mr. Abdou Abarry and Permanent Representative of Argentina to the United Nations – H.E. Ms. María del Carmen Squeff. 

Getting an early start can be the difference between having an alright year or a fascinating 2022. It’s not too late to say ‘Happy new year’ to your goals, to plan along with the year, and have so much joy doing so. It’s not too late to take it as a reminder to start your 2022 goals early. If you want to have the best academic year, it means you have to do more, organize more, plan more and schedule all. The following tips will help you kick start your new year’s goal. Write Down Your Goals Whether you are someone who likes to write down the list of your goals or otherwise, form a mental list in your head, it’s important to set that goal so that you have something to fall back to. Check your goals to make sure they are realistic, achievable, and not too thin within a time limit set by your university. For example, instead of planning to study 4 hours daily, you can set a realistic goal, start slowly, reading two hours per day, and gradually increase the time as you make progress. Take Action The next tip after setting your goals is to make a decent attempt to start them. Just because it’s not the first day of the year doesn’t mean you can not set yourself up for an incredibly successful year. Start with one thing at a time and keep a resolutions journal! In this manner, you’ll recall all that you have accomplished and refresh your goals come the next academic semester! Give Yourself a Break While you’re starting your goals early this year, bring it to mind that there will be plenty of distractions to lure your attention away. Give yourself a break and work within the areas of what you would like to achieve in your goals. For example, if you fall sick and miss an exam, don’t beat yourself up! the important part is that you’re simply making an endeavor to start the year on a decent note! Cheers to a contented and healthy year 2022!

Apart from skills and experiences, students’ academic performance is one of the key requirements of employers in the marketplace. Because employees will be accountable for the organization’s development and overall growth, it is required that they have a sense of responsibility and discipline, which are associated with academic performance. Hence, students are expected to put in much effort within their studies to get good grades and prepare themselves for future opportunities in the workplace environment. Here are some common problems affecting students’ academic performance. Skipping Classes The temptation to skip classes is also high every now and then, but after you do that, you may likely spend your money gathering information given during class times and you’ll not receive the good thing about the instruction. Moreover, information regarding grading, future assignments, and opportunities outside the classroom will be missed. Unable to balance social and academic life While college promotes both social life and academic experience, these must be balanced to maximize success in both areas. Procrastinating may be accepted in Secondary/High school but will likely become a challenge within the university. Feeling overwhelmed University can cause you to feel overwhelmed with the wants of life (Friends, daily pressure of campus life, texting and talking as well as socializing). You ought to not let this opt for long. Consider seeking advice from an expert to assist you to organize, prioritize and manage the pressure being placed on you. Having Poor Sleep Habits You can become ineffective in your studies as an undergraduate student due to poor sleeping habits. The effect of sleep deprivation on your health can challenge your current study, likewise your physical and psychological state. Procrastination When we don’t spend time with classmates, professors, and other academic advisors, we lack academic support and an area to travel for ideas and answers when an issue does arise.

Final year student of Mass Communication, Skyline University Nigeria (SUN), Ms. Aisha Zannah has been nominated to participate as one of the Panel Speakers at the 25th Anniversary of the Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC) Mandate. The invitation was contained in a mail signed on 4th January 2022, by Virginia Gamba, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict. The mail read in part, “I would be honored if you could join us on this important occasion as a panel speaker and share your experience and work as an activist for the protection of children affected by conflict and for the promotion of girls’ education”. Buoyed by the tradition of success in the University, Ms. Aisha has distinguished herself and featured significantly in high-level events that have continued to make the University proud. It will be recalled that she was amongst the participants that emerged first place, following their presentations at the First Fire Summit in Kano State, in November 2020; For taking giant strides in service to humanity and commitment to uplifting the internally displaced persons in the society, she participated as a speaker at the International Forum 2020, in Montréal, at Centre Mont-Royal; Made Huge Presence at 3rd Annual Knowledge for Prevention Symposium K4P Symposium, Rwanda in November 2021; amongst others. The event will feature other high-level participants who will contribute to the debate by sharing their insights and best practices. The 25th Anniversary of the Children and Armed Conflict Mandate is organized in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of Norway to the United Nations and will be held on 18th January 2022 at the United Nations Head Quarters in New York. The 25th Anniversary of the CAAC mandate is an opportunity to look back at the progress for children, including the more than 170,000 children released from armed forces and groups, and highlights the added value of the mandate as part of the human rights, development, and peace-building agendas. It is also an opportunity to look forward and explore ways in which the CAAC mandate could further evolve and generate more progress for the protection of boys and girls in the coming years. The 25th Anniversary of the Children and Armed Conflict Mandate is organized in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of Norway to the United Nations and will be held on 18th January 2022 at the United Nations Head Quarters in New York.

The comfort zone experience indeed puts us in that comfortable position in which our ability and determination are not being tested. The more we feed our comfort zone, the more we starve ourselves of creativity, innovation, and progress. But, we can break free, and start to make changes to our daily routine, learn something new, face our fears, and up our game. If you look back into the past years and all you see are things you could have done differently, like having that bachelor in IT/Communications or learning new skills in Content Marketing, Graphic Design, Entrepreneurship, etc. that could have moved your life ahead or required for that promotion, then you are in a place where your ability or determination is not being tested. That is a comfort zone experience. While most people don’t realize that they are in their comfort zone, they sit down and sleepover those ideas they never achieved or are afraid of making a move for. In the university, for example, students make excuses about poor grades in their semester’s exams or failure in university’s courses, while other people are moving around making first class and second class grades. While most people are comfortable with what they already know, they rob themselves of the opportunity to meet new people, people that could take them to a new level in their different courses, career, or that could connect them to new opportunities. The comfort zone, therefore, can cost you new skills and knowledge; rob you of your purpose and passion, and finally of your growth. What you need to break free of the comfort zone experience: First, you may need to recognize your position. What have you been doing lately to better your position in the university’s courses, job, career, or that person you want to become. It’s time to pick be focused, show some determination, and delegate some time a day doing something about it. Second, try new things and be consistent with them. For example, you want to be a Graphics Designer; what kind of designs do you want to specialize in? What do you need to start doing now? Any IT subjects in particular? If you had started before, why did you give up? Did you ask for help from a professional? Unless we answer these questions, we will be jumping from one thing to another. Third, you must not accept excuses. People who make excuses are those who allow fear to drown their capability. That you are not there yet doesn’t mean you’ll never get there. Fail, but try again and keep working harder. Finally, have a personal goal and development plan and stay committed to it. No procrastination on that big idea, just DO it!

At the beginning of the year 2021, we talked about some commitments, goals, and progressive actions. These goals were a continuation of our tradition of making resolutions and staying through with achieving them in order to boost our chances of having a better fulfilled year. Although 2021 turned out to be closely related to 2020. Where 2020 saw the rise of the COVID-19 Virus outbreak, 2021 witnessed the rise in vaccination against the COVID -19 virus. Surprisingly, 2021 was a good year for many individuals and organizations alike. Not many people were able to meet up however with their goals in 2021. This is not because of the struggles associated with 2021 but of having the zeal to push through, set new goals, and carry over some from the previous years. So, as the New Year begins, the first important step to making new and exciting goals is to sit back and reflect on the year that was (2021) and ask the question, what are the things that worked? What didn’t work? What do we want to continue doing in 2022? And what are the negative attitudes we have to say goodbye to? Here are a few punch lines that will help you improve academic performance, develop soft skills, and be career-ready as an undergraduate? Continue to Study Smarter Quizzing yourself is a highly effective study technique. Make a study guide and carry it with you so you can review the questions and answers periodically throughout the day and across several days. Identify the questions that you don’t know and quiz yourself on only those questions. Say your answers aloud and the result will be evident in your grades. Communicate Differently The world is a big network of connections. Some of them are of better quality than others, and your time on this earth is limited. Smart learners understand that they need high-quality connections — people around them who will inspire them, shake their worlds, and ask good and deep questions. We learn best when we are relaxed and have real friends and mentor around. Try new things. To be able to learn, our brain needs stimulation and then a good rest. Just look at how a small child explores the world, looks at everything with curiosity, then tries to put the pieces together and checks the taste. Later, the child “sleeps like a baby!” Smart learners possess that spark of curiosity and often try something new. Take part in some workshops or skill acquisition training and meet new people.