A few weeks ago, Nigerian parents in the Bay Area initiated the “4 the NextGen Naija” project. Parents were concerned about the fate of their American born children in the American melting pot. They realize that they had not built a bridge between the first generation immigrant Nigerians and their American born children, such that the children would be able to continue the legacy of building a diaspora Nigerian community in the US. Through this NextGen project, it is hoped that Nigeria/American children could get together a few times a year to meet, greet and mingle and thus develop friendships and build bonds that would lead to the building of civic organizations and unions, much like their parents are presently doing.
The maiden Meet, Greet and Mingle event was held last Friday night, July 28 at the Royal Banquet Event Center in Antioch, California.
The majestic facility was donated by a Nigerian family, The Nwosu family for free to host this event. It saw the gathering of over 300 children and young adults, ranging from 16 years to 30 something. The event was deliberately a “children only” event and parents were expressly discouraged from attending. A handful of select parents were in attendance to handle logistics and as chaperones for the children.
The event was grand and successful, as attendees attest, and as pictures and videos of the event show.
The plan going forward, is to organize events such as this, several times a year, in order to continue to cement the bond and friendship the children are building. The events would be financed through parents donations and hopefully, in future, sponsorships could come from local businesses and nonprofit organizations.
Dr. Dozie Ezeife
Member
Board of Trustees
