Big Brother Africa returns!

Following the shocking inferno at the Big Brother Africa house about five days to the presupposed launch, MultiChoice and Endemol are proud to announce that the show will still hold. After having to look through national and international books for an emergency replacement for the Big Brother Africa house, Big Brother is said to be relaunching on Sunday, October 5, 2014.
 Big Brother Hotshots will commence at 19:00 CAT with Ik Osakioduwa hosting the show for the sixth season. Brace yourselves and follow the drama, the intrigue, the suspense, the chaos, the Big Brother Hotshots.
  You can follow the program on DSTV Channels 198 & 197 for the live view. Or you can watch the catch-up show on Africa Magic at 20:00 CAT. Keep up!

African Leadership Academy Global Scholars Program

Leaders Of Tomorrow? True or False?

What It Feels Like To Be 16.

16 is the age most youngsters dream of. It even comes with the prefix 'sweet'. Of course it feels sweet to be 16. 16 is the age when we get to experience identity crisis in its full potency. When we get to have the adequate knowledge of good and evil. When we get to choose what we would become. When some of us at some parts of the globe are able to get our driving license. When we are able to go on as many dates. When we get to have parties and sleepovers. When we can be young, wild and free.

Now, the question is " is that all there is to being 16? Is that what it all sums up to? Being young, wild, and free? I don't think so. There's a lot more to being 16 than that.
Turning 16 has been the best and the worst thing that has ever happened to me. It has been something that has made me feel somewhat like an adult. I am now expected to make my decisions myself. No one bothers to ask how I'm doing. They just ask what I'm doing. I am expected to discover myself all by MYSELF. I am expected to seek out my flaws as well as my power buttons, which never seemed to be 'my business' all these years, to enable me become a better person. I am left to choose between good and evil, with my conscience as my only adviser; somehow, the propensity to choose evil over good comes with the age 16. At 16, I am expected to discover what it is, what vision, what ideology, what movement, it is that I'd be willing to give my life up for to achieve its realization. At 16, I am expected to discover what I'll do with the age 16.
Should I go partying or stay up studying? Should I go to the movies or attend a church program? Should I watch 'Two and a half men' all day or watch Professor Chang teach Chemistry? Should I go to school or attend a midday Beyoncé concert? Should I obey mum and dad, or should I just get out there and get drunk, drugged, and done? So many questions.
At 16, we are left to answer these questions and many more, usually within a split second.
There's more to being 16 than being 16. At 16, choose your habits properly; choose your friend carefully; carve out opportunities diligently. Let your principles stand as a firewall against the growing immorality and irrationality. Make your decisions without ignoring the counsel of your conscience. Stand up for something. I stand up for change.
Make the right choice before you read the next sentence. If you have, have a happy life at 16.

@AfricanStudents: Do you want an all-expenses-paid trip to Paris?

The DSTV Eutelsat Star Awards is back. The awards are positioned to be Africa's leading satellite technology for young minds. The primary aim is to stimulate interest and passion for satellite technology amongst young people. The competition is organised by MultiChoice Africa and Eutelsat. Entrants are required to write an essay ir produce a poster on the given topic for the year.
The overall essay winner gets a trip for two to Paris and onwards to watch a live rocket launch. The overall poster winner gets a trip for two to Paris and onwards to a satellite construction site. The runners-up for each category get a trip to MultiChoice, South Africa in Johannesburg and the South African Space Agency at Hartbeesthoek.
The respective schools of the winners also get amazing prizes.
For more information on the competition including the topic, rules, prizes and locations for submission, visit the award's website.

My Secret SAT resources. Want them??

The SAT is an international examination taken by students who hope to study in the United States of America. There are a lot of resources that can aid students prepare extensively for this examination such as Kaplan SAT Guide, Barrons SAT Guide, Princeton SAT Guide, and the Official Collegeboard SAT Guide. All these are quite resourceful as they provide books, audio, and visual tools to aid students ace the SAT. For people that are new to the concept of the SAT, the perfect score is 2400. Getting a high score could fetch you a scholarship into top American universities. Getting the perfect score makes you somewhat competitive for Ivy League universities like Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown, Duke etc.

If you find this interesting, but you are not registered for the SAT or you don't know how to register, no need to worry. Here is The Collegeboard SAT website to enable you register or check test dates and other information.
If you are already registered for the SAT and you need resources to aid you study for the test, visit my secret resource centre for assistance. Bon Chance!!!

News: Aba (The Magic City) hosts 2014 marathon.

The Aba Township Marathon is a medium-distance running event. It is an annual event on the Calendar of the Athletic Federation of Nigeria (AFN). The second edition is slated to hold on December 21, 2014. rounding up the 2014 athletics calendar of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN).
Overview
Magic FM 102.9, the first private station in Aba, Abia State, which began operations on May 15, 2013, inaugurates the race. The race will begin at the gate of Magic 102.9 FM at Kilometre 3, Aba-Opobo Road, head to Opobo Junction, before it courses left to Enugu-Port Harcourt Express Way. At the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, the runners will head back into town, through MCC Road, Faulks Road, and Azikiwe and finish in the Enyimba International Stadium. This is a 21.1 Kilometre course, which makes the competition, a half-marathon.
Categories
In terms of classification, the following have been identified.
◾Men
◾Women
◾Seniors
◾Groups
Accordingly, there will be prizes for men, women, girls, boys, seniors (men) Seniors (women) and then group runners (gangs) that already exist in the city.
Social Value
Aba is a popular commercial and manufacturing centre. It is the biggest market in the old Eastern Region. It has a population of about 2 million people. States like Ebonyi, Enugu, Rivers and Bayelsa States depend on the Aba markets for supplies of fast moving consumer goods (FMCG,) locally processed textiles, and hardware.
However, all sorts of problems have stunted Aba’s growth. The most devastating was the recent breakdown of security. That has been overcome with the strident efforts of the state government and contributions of the private sector. With that overcome, the city is in transition, rebuilding itself. Confidence is at the highest peak. Prospects for growth has been buoyed by the construction of two huge power plants. It is projected that power will be stable in Aba earlier than in other cities and areas.
Secondly, Aba people love sports. It is home to the Enyimba Football Club, the first Nigeria Club side to win the prestigious champions leagues (twice). Beyond soccer, Aba people are crazy about athletics.  On weekends, especially Sunday mornings, the streets are filled with runners. These runners are potentials professional sportsmen, who if given the chance, can make or break record.
As an organization, Magic FM wishes to provide platform of opportunity for these youths to be discovered by the AFN. This is why we have chosen the theme “Running to Reignite the Aba Magic”.
If you are interested and you want to find out more about the program, or you just want to drop a note to the organisers, click this spot to do so.

Attention!! 2015/2016 ALA Admission Forms are now available.

The African Leadership Academy (ALA) has just released its application forms into the 2015/2016 class. All African students that are not older than 19, and still in Secondary School are considered eligible for application. If you do not meet the stated basic criteria, do not apply. The earlier you submit your completed forms, the earlier you receive your status of qualification for the next selection stage into the South Africa- based academy. Eligible applicants are required to sign up to the ALA database before the form can be made accessible. To sign up, click here. Goodluck!

Update: Apple set to launch iWatch?

The iWatch has been the song on the lips of most tech lovers for quite a while now. Reports from Apple's exclusive event in Cupertino say that the iWatch is to be released in early 2015. The UV sensitive device is said to be a 'wristed iPhone'. The design of the watch is still kept low-profile by Apple and its employees. The sapphire-glassed iWatch is said to be able to tell the time and weather condition of its environment as well as update the date and time itself. Apple faces name issues for the iWatch as employees state that it cannot go by the same ' iWatch' name in the UK judging by the outrageous publicity and anonymous leaks of the iWatch concept. Want more information on prices and release dates, click here.

News: Anzisha Prize 2014

The Anzisha Prize supported by African Leadership Academy, MasterCard Foundation, and Donors Circle For Africa is here again. The prize features African youths within the ages of 15-22 that have achieved extraordinary feats in every sector. Finalists for the 2014 Prize are awaiting the grand event to be held at the African Leadership Academy in South Africa on September 23, 2014. The finalists also get an all-expenses-paid trip to South Africa where they get to attend an entrepreneurship conference at the African Leadership Academy. The Anzisha Prize has a net value of $75000. The judges for the Anzisha Prize are established African entrepreneurs who have developed their craft due to their passion for Africa. Registration for the 2015 Anzisha Prize will be open as soon as the 2014 Prize has been awarded. For more information on the finalists and more, visit: http://www.anzishaprize.org/

African Leadership Academy

There comes a time in every continent when there is an urgent need to breed leaders for the next generation. For this reason, the world-class African Leadership Academy was established.
The African Leadership Academy (ALA) is a residential, secondary institution located in the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa for 15–18 year-olds, from all 54 African nations and around the world.
Founded in 2004 by Fred Swaniker, Chris Bradford, Peter Mombaur, and Acha Leke, ALA officially opened in September 2008 with an inaugural class of 97 students. To achieve this goal, ALA teaches a two-year curriculum in African Studies and Entrepreneurial Leadership, as well as the usual academic core subjects.
The founders of ALA, around 2004 launched Global Leadership Adventures, a summer program that would be a precursor to ALA.
In 2006, Swaniker and Bradford were recognized, by Echoing Green, who described them as two of the 15 best emerging social entrepreneurs in the world. In 2007 the initial campus was confirmed, and Christopher Khaemba was announced as the inaugural Dean of the School.
The African Leadership Academy uses certain criteria for admission. To find out if you have what it takes to get into this first-class academy, the following must be in the affirmative:
LEADRERSHIP POTENTIALS
Take leadership roles in family, school, or community.
Assist peers or family members when they need help.
Is your advice sought when others make important decisions?
ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT
Do the you often think about how you can improve the world around you?
Do you act when you see a need in your community?
Do you enjoy thinking about new ideas and creating new products?
PASSION FOR AFRICA
Do you have an African dream?
Are you excited about spending two years in a community of individuals from a wide range of cultural, ethnic, socioeconomic, and religious backgrounds from across the continent?
Are you excited about playing a role in making Africa a peaceful and prosperous continent?
COMMITMENT TO SERVICE
Are you passionate about uplifting your community?
Do you dream of a world in which all people are able to realize their dreams?
Have you demonstrated this passion at school or in your community?
ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
Applicants are expected to be in the top 10% of their class academically.
Information of academic prowess will be gotten from National Examinations, marks and comments made on applicants’ school reports.
Finalists are expected to write an entrance examination.
Students are encouraged to participate in a fitness activity.However sport is not a strong part of the Academy, neither is it done competitively nor invested in as other aspects of ALA.
Student clubs and organizations
Students participate in a variety of clubs, and each student is expected to create or run either a “Student-run Business”, an “Original idea for Development”, or a “Community Service Project”.
Student run businesses (SRBs)

The student run businesses only operate on campus, and include:
◾Rub-a-Dub-Dub – laundry service
◾AgroExperts – Supplies chickens and eggs to the dining hall
◾Chani’s Café – gourmet snacks
◾Midas Touch – Men’s grooming
◾GigaVault – student-run bank
◾Footprints – merchandising – t-shirts, coffee mugs, etc.
◾Duka Bora – tuck shop
◾Papa Mustafa’s – a pizzeria
◾iALA – ALA’s own student-run tech support group (internal)
◾ALAMedia – ALA’s media network (external)
◾Ten50 – student-run on-campus barbershop and hair salon
Community service projects
ALA students are involved in local schools and communities through Community Service Projects (CSPs). Projects include tutoring programs on campus and community clean-up campaigns. CSPs tend to be multi-year projects that get managed by successive students.
Current CSPs include:
◾Farm enlargement and roadside market outlet design
◾Biodiesel production for sustainable electricity
◾Library redesign and management for a poor school
◾Recycable art – art from trash project
◾Creche education program – reading and colours
◾Youth gardening project – building vertical gardens so that schools can feed their students
◾After school soccer league for at-risk youth
◾Day care redesign and development
◾Youth empowerment Finding the Good in Us
Original Ideas for Development
Original Ideas for Development (OIDs), are projects that have a wide scope and run beyond the students’ time at ALA. Current OIDs include:
◾GSIE – Global Strategy on Inclusive Education – helping children with disabilities gain access to education
◾HACA – cancer awareness campaign
◾Baobab – capturing oral histories online to preserve and facilitate cross-cultural understanding
◾Greendorm – environmentally friendly living on campus (internal)
◾Almas (formerly Nique) – using a beauty creme to fund the creation and distribution of an anti-malarial creme
◾MathmaHelp – production of educational math DVDs
◾Oyama – A crowd-sourcing platform for young African entrepreneurs
◾African Baccalaureate – Africa’s own curriculum design
◾Cyca – A social networking platform to alleviate misleading preconceptions about the African continent
◾Radio Skika- A radio station geared towards sparking intellectual inquiry amongst African youth by exploring some of the continent’s most pressing issues
Supervised trips

Students explore the local community, Africa, and the world, by participating in an excursion program. Outdoors enthusiasts participate in weekend hiking trips in the Drakensberg mountains and longer excursions during holiday periods, while scientists may apply to attend the American Association for the Advancement of Science conference in the United States.
Summer Program

The Academy offers high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors, from across the world, the opportunity to apply to spend three weeks of their summer as Global Scholars.
As well as the Board of Governors, the Academy’s Board of Advisors is composed of African and global luminaries in business, leadership development, secondary education, and social entrepreneurship. The Advisory Board provides strategic input and guidance to the ALA management team.
Get more information about the African Leadership Academy @ http://www.africanleadershipacademy.org/site