Gwendolyn Brooks, an American Author, Poet and Teacher once said; "we are each other's harvest; we are each other's business; we are each other's magnitude and bond". At Coaches of Influence Foundation (COIF), one of our core values is 'empowerment' thus, we are committed to educating young people and women to carefully recognize factors that create barriers to living a fulfilled life and equip them to adapt a more realistic culture of self-belief and motivation.

In this vein, on November 27^th, 2020, our team of leaders in The Gambia accompanied five mentees on a school visit to St. Andrew's Lower Basic School in Berending - a rural community in the Kombo South District of the West Coast Region of The Gambia.  Besides posing for photos, the focus of the visit was centered on the vision to ignite hope and joy to the vulnerable population through inspirational talks and donation of face masks; dolls and pillows which were hand-made by the five mentees (Awa Bah, Agnes Gomez, Adama Ceesay, Adama Mendy and Antoinette Inger Preirra) under the leadership of their mentor – Rudo Thomas.

The team led by our Coordinator - Bishop Sylvester James Sambou were officially welcomed by the administration and later introduced to an assembly of students whose faces were radiant with joy, excitement and a hunger to glean from our positive influence.  Mr. Samuel Mendy - Assistant Coordinator opened the session with remarks centered on the purpose of our visit and the organization's mission which includes positively influencing identity in the younger generation by nurturing and developing their passion and talents that will move them from the place of "dreaming to becoming".

The hearts of the audience lit up as Mr. Abdou Karim Badjie - Assistant Coordinator spoke about the importance of discovering one's passion and the role that COIF plays in helping young people achieve their desired goals in life – the very goals that align with their passion. In his words; Abdou stated; "if you don't know what your passion is, you will find yourself wondering in a career that is not meant for you. You will become ineffective in your role simply because you don't find passion in the job. COIF helps young people like us to transform our dreams into reality by setting goals that are realistic and attainable - which is achieved through its mentorship program".

Their eyes brightened and smiles widened as Mr. Jacob Fernandy Mendy – Public Relations Officer emphasized on the importance of discovering one's passion and potential in order to identify the career field one belongs to. He encouraged them to passionately pursue their dreams and added that it is normal for them to be unclear about their goals at their age.  He buttressed the point by sharing his own experience of discovering his passion after high school graduation which led him to the field of education as a teacher. He continued to urge them; "your dreams are possible, your friends and even your family members may tell you that your dream is unachievable but you need to be resilient and committed to pursuing what you love".

Jacob did not stop with the students, he turned to the teachers and admonished them to commit to motivating the students to thrive through positive reinforcement rather than undermining statements.  He ended his address by inspiring the teachers with a quote by Dr. Margret Ellis which says; "Your workplace is a place of worship. God has used others to impart so much in you and is expecting you to do the same for others you encounter in your place of work. Man may not repay you for your good works but your reward lies in God's hands".

Ms. Antoinette Inger Prierra spoke passionately about the impact of the Covid-19 and what motivated her team to make the donated items. In her own words, she stated: "It is a year defined by a pandemic. We are students like you and we understand how you feel in these hard times. That is our motivation to embark on the giving back initiative with the inspiration of our mentor. COIF loves you and we want you to know that we think about you."

To round up the session, Ms. Awa Bah proceeded to advise the students to take the Covid-19 seriously amidst the second wave which has already affected several countries. She urged them to make good use of the face masks and to follow the WHO Covid-19 guidelines so that the spread of the virus can be prevented.

The day could not have ended without the participation of the school administration who were represented by the Acting Deputy Head Master of the School - Mr. Malang B. Jammeh. He expressed gratitude to COIF for this laudable initiative and promised that the items would be fairly distributed among the students.

The trip to the village of Berrending was well worth our time.  Not only did we bring smiles and joy to the children of St. Andrews's Lower Basic School, but we also lit a fire in them to dream of a future that appears far, yet so close.  This giving initiative is one of the most rewarding moments of 2020 for myself and the team of leaders and mentees who traveled with me.  As you step into 2021, I want to encourage you to "be kind to everyone and be kind to children.  Use your influence to make a difference instead of being indifferent". 

Author: Samuel Mendy