ABOUT THE MILLENNIUM FELLOWSHIP - CLASS OF 2022
United Nations Academic Impact and MCN are proud to partner on the Millennium Fellowship. Over 31,000 young leaders on 2,400+ campuses across 140+ nations applied to join the Class of 2022. 200+ campuses worldwide (just 8%) were selected to host the 3,000+ Millennium Fellows.
UNITED NATIONS ACADEMIC IMPACT AND MCN PROUDLY PRESENT JENNIFER OBIANUJU OKEREKENWA, A MILLENNIUM FELLOW FOR THE CLASS OF 2022.
University of Uyo | Uyo, Nigeria | Advancing SDG 3 & UNAI 9
" Leadership, teamwork, creativity are what catches my fantasy. Being a part of the Millennium Fellowship will help enhance these skills perfectly and moreover the skills I will acquire from the Millennium Fellowship will make my social impact effective.
Am super excited to be part of the Millennium Fellowship as that will grease my commitment to promoting sustainability through education. "
Millennium Fellowship Project: Team Mental Milestone
Mental health has been a major problem encompassing Nigeria at large. Across 37 studies published between 2008 to 2020 and spanning 97,616 adolescents, the researchers found the following prevalence: depression (26.9%); anxiety disorders (29.8%); emotional and behavioural problems (40.8%); PTSD in one study (21.5%) and suicidal thoughts (20.8%).
Experiencing a traumatic event, especially in childhood can trigger a mental health condition, like depression. It could also lead to poor coping mechanisms and result in early experimentation with substances and lead to an addiction over time. Drug abuse has been a cause of many criminal offences such as theft, burglary, sex work, and shoplifting.
This project which seeks to promote the SDG 3: Good health and well-being aims at creating an awareness among about 200 high school students in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, about substance abuse, and mental health disorders and the correlation between both.
This awareness will provide a way out for victims of addiction and mental illness, as the students will also be educated on how to achieve milestones in their mental health which affects their entire well being. We would cooperate with the health prefects to provide the necessary facilities .
Placards containing mental health information, help-lines and contact numbers of trusted counsellors from rehabilitation centers or psychiatric clinics will be set up at strategic points in the school.
They will also be educated on the importance of seeking for counseling and building strong bonds and relationships with trusted adults and friends in school which will provide them with a sense of connectedness and can protect them from poor mental health.
Conclusively, one on one counseling, distribution of questionaires before and after the awareness and collaboration with the school's counselor and health prefect will be effected, to measure the impact of the project.
About the Millennium Fellow
Okerekenwa, Jennifer is a 4th year level students' pharmacist of University of Uyo, Nigeria. She is committed, smart and has always been passionate about creating social impact, and volunteerism. Her interest in public health has open her up for volunteering with several health organization in order to combat health issues and improve access to health care system. Jennifer aspires to be in a professional field where she can cultivate these advocacies further and provide her own contributions in the development of the United Nations' sustainable Goal(SDG 3- Good health and wellbeing).
