Martin Endjala
The International Youth Fellowship (IYF) Secretary General, Sidney Hanstein, has called on young people to focus more on finding their character and building on it, adding that character is more essential than talent.
He made these remarks during the IYF Dream Camp held over the just concluded long weekend, with 100 youth in attendance under the theme and Talent Character.
“To ensure long-term and sustainable success, the SG said that one should know how to find and build character, “we hire for character and train for skills,” he said.
He stated that if young continue to participate in events of this nature (IYF), they would be able to create and sustain the proper character needed in the workplace, as the International Youth fellowship operates under the motto of change, challenge, and coherence, which guarantees the correct character needed by the youth.
Hanstein further focused on the types of characteristics that are unacceptable in the workplace, such as a lack of respect for authority or peers, a lack of integrity or honesty, a lack of ambition, a lack of humility, a lack of dedication, a lack of loyalty, and poor attitude.
“Who you are, determines where you will go, it determines what impact you’ll make, and what impact you will make depends on what characters you possess,” he explained.
Meanwhile, the Country’s representative Sangbin Kim, said that the power of our minds is very real because it influences the outcome of what we believe in our mind, which then becomes our reality.
Kim urged young people to shy away from entertaining negative thinking and only think of positive things, adding that only then can they truly bring out their best to succeed in life.
Hanna Hipangelwa (23), a student at the International University of Management, said that the dream camp has impacted her so much and has changed her perception of how she sees life now.
She learned that life should not be about complaining or just looking at challenges, but rather focusing on positive possibilities that can come about from the circumstance.
“Challenges are not determinants of the outcomes of one’s life. I learned that if I shift the way I think, I will be a better individual and I will change a lot in my life and society at large. It is a principle that I will carry throughout my whole life,” she noted.
Meanwhile, Nelago Mpuka (22), a UNAM student, who was one of the participants, said that she developed the ability to communicate with individuals of various backgrounds, including racial, religious, and other differences. How crucial kindness is, and how important it is to maintain the proper attitude even when things are difficult.
Mpande Fatima (20), IUM Student, further said that it is important for one to know their personality and character to know where one belongs in life, adding that for a person to achieve greater goals in life, they should know their potential and the greatness they possess within.
The International Youth Fellowship is a global Non-Governmental Organization established in 2000 with the spirit of Christianity to cultivate the youth to become leaders with an international sense through youth education, social service, domestic and international exchanges, and cultural activities.
The IYF-Namibia is registered with the Ministry of Health and Social Services and the Ministry of Sport, Youth, and National Service. They work to provide opportunities for the youth to have self-improvement, teamwork, and critical thinking through mind and leadership training and be able to inspire them to be leaders of the next generation with strong hearts and an upright mindset.
Its main programs include Mindset Education Training and Conferences, Teambuilding Recreations, Dream Camps, Culture Exchange programs, Academies (Foreign Languages, Dance, Martial Arts, Arts and Crafts, Piano and Community Services.
