Civic Education – Self Reliance

Civic Education JSS1 Week 4

Topic : Self Reliance

Content:

1. Meaning of Self Reliance
2. Attributes and Basis of Self Reliance
3. Benefits of Self Reliance
4. Processes of Identifying, Nurturing and Perfecting Talents and Skills
5. How to Nurture the Identified Talent
6. Consequences of Wasted talents and Underdeveloped Skills
7. Possible Areas of Specialisation for Talent Discoveries

A. Self Reliance

This means being independent, which is being able to depend on oneself without assistance from others.

According to Emerson (1841), Self Reliance is an essential part of which is to rest one’s present thoughts and impressions rather than those people or of one’s past self. Emerson stresses the need to believe ones own thoughts, while actively searching one’s internal mind in order to capture the flash thought that one may or may not come across. “Self–reliance is the ability, commitment, and effort to provide the spiritual and temporal necessities of life for self and family”. Self reliance is the ability to depend on yourself to get things done and to meet your own needs, confidence in your own abilities rather than depending on others.

B. Attributes and Basis of Self Reliance

• Independence: This implies that a self reliant individual or group does things freely without the assistance of others.
• Confidence: This implies the ability to be bold. It could also be the ability to face challenges.
• Persistence: This involves the determination to do something despite difficulties and challenges.

C. Benefits of Self Reliance

1. To Oneself
   a. Ability to satisfy one’s needs
   b. It makes one to be self productive
   c. It makes one to be fulfilled
   d. One is able to discover his/her own talents and challenges
2. To Family
   a. It helps the family to satisfy their needs
   b. For family fulfillment
   c. Members of the family are able to discover their endowed talents
3. To the Society
   a. The society is self-regulated and peace is maintained
   b. The society is portrayed as important to other societies
   c. It leads to societal development
   d. It helps to ameliorate the problems of the society
   e. It helps to reduce crime rate in the society

D. Processes of Identifying, Nurturing and Perfecting Talents and Skills.

1. Through day-to-day exploration
2. Through Self conviction
3. Through what people say about you
4. Through those things you find joy and fulfillment doing
5. Through constant practice (Rehearsal)
6. Through the process of teaching and learning
7. Through one’s perception

E. How to Nurture the Identified Talent

1. Motivation: Always find opportunity and reason for doing it regularly
2. Reinforcement: Make effort to get everything you need to develop your talent
3. Rehearsal: Put the activities into constant practise to ensure perfection
4. Inquiry: See information about your chosen field of skill and learn

F. Consequences of Wasted talents and Underdeveloped Skills

1. It brings drawback in one’s social development. When a person is not self reliant, he/she will not be able to meet up with social responsibilities and as such will not be able to show interest in the affair’s of one’s society
2. It leads to poor actualisation of one’s intended needs or desires in life. Human needs are too numerous and the satisfaction of such needs become a problem. This problem becomes more intense when the individual is not independent, that is, he/she cannot do things on his/her own
3. It brings about pre-delinquency among individuals or groups
4. It leads to idleness
5. It tends to increase the dependency rate in the society.

G. Possible Areas of Specialisation for Talent Discoveries

1. Tent Making
2. Bead Making
3. Carving
4. Farming
5. Drumming
6. Pottery
7. Hair Making
8. Fashion Design
9. Shoe Making
10. Cake and Confectioneries