On June 9^th 2018, Coaches of Influence Foundation (COIF) hosted its first youth seminar in The Gambia.  The event was held at St. Peter's Junior & Senior Secondary school in Lamin with participation from more than 250 youths across the country.

The theme of the day "Turning Followers into Leaders through Civility" focused on teaching the young people of the nation the importance of leadership and civility in light of "treating people right and easing their experiences in life".  At COIF, we believe that civility and effective leadership must be embraced in all spheres because they are key ingredients to the advancement of communities, societies, nations and the world.  Our founder, Dr. Margaret Ellis emphasized COIF's belief that every human life has value and purpose and when that individual has an encounter with 'self', they welcome 'self-discovery' which leads them to the limitless world of walking in their purpose.

The participants were inspired as they discussed, dialogued and presented their views on leadership, the state of the nation and the roles they should play in national development.  Additionally, they were motivated as they learned some valuable lessons about career development, commitment and responsibility from Mr. Muhammed Trawally - Manager, Client Due Diligence Operations (CDD Ops) at Standard Chartered Bank (SCB).  Trawally urged the youths to invest in their personal and career development in order to turn from followers into effective leaders that will transform the organizations and society as a whole.

The day ended with positive energy in the room as the participants committed to utilize the knowledge acquired to influence changes in their personal lives, their families, communities and ultimately their nation.