Why I founded Star Rising Talent Hunt–Kay Ovia
Kay Ovia is the CEO of Quantum Markets and initiator of Star Rising Talent Hunt for children and young people. Very unassuming, the lovely woman has great passion for children, especially the less privileged who are talented but disadvantaged. The amiable woman said she embarked on the project to help Nigerian children who are creative and talented but don’t know how to explore their God- given talents. In this interview with Sunday Sun, she elaborated on the talent hunt which grand finale will take place in Lagos on December 20, 2014.
Excerpts:
Where do you intend to take your passion for the project?
I intend to take it as far as possible. It is a passion that I have had over the years. I actually found out that through it, I can help children. I have been helping some by paying their school fees and mentoring those who come to me. I do have a lot of children on my sponsorship. I learnt that from my husband and his foundation, The Jim Ovia Foundation.
I realised however that I could do my own reaching out to a different group to make a difference. At the beginning, I asked myself how to do this and that was how things began to fall in place. By the time we have one centre opened, we intend to take about 200 people and attend to these children on first come, first served basis. The centre would be full of activities. We also intend to have a studio and library as well as resource persons from abroad who would coach them in the areas of singing and dancing. In addition, we would also be working with celebrities in Nigeria and it would give us a total package.
What’s the vision behind Star Rising Talent Hunt?
This is a long-term thing and not just where only prizes are given. We plan to equip the children with knowledge to restore what some of them may have lost as well as make them believe in themselves. Most talent hunt projects attract a fee but this one is free. We’re not into it for money; so the entry and audition is totally free. It is an opportunity for kids to showcase their talents. We are here to mentor as well as coach them and at the end of the day they would become great patriots.
We also have an academic exercise for students of senior secondary school bracket. Contestants would be quizzed on Mathematics, English, general knowledge, current global affairs and the sciences. There would be free counselling and mentoring programmes for children within the age bracket of seven years and 17 years. Sadly, a number of projects others have for children are actually for teenagers only.
It would not just be about singing and dancing but developing their talents in different areas.
The team would therefore be providing talent development classes. We would also provide a well-equipped modern library. In making our selection, we did not go to schools for the rich and famous. There are lots of children that do not have the opportunity that need to be reached. These are our targets and that’s why we are going to government schools and the orphanages. You would be amazed at the raw talents that we found in these schools and I know that the judges would select the best.
People like Zuriel Oduwole and Malala Yousafsai are making waves all over the world. Where do you want to take the young talents you are grooming?
You can see that Malala and Zuriel are making a difference in the world today. Malala is not a singer, she is not a dancer but she stands out. She is an orator, she talks and people listen. If I had a child like that, I know I would push that child far. Here I am not talking about my biological children. Of course, I have children who can speak very well for themselves.
I strongly believe that every child needs to be able to speak what’s on their minds; they should be able to talk and express themselves. They need to be able to say this is my talent; I want to show the world what I can do. It’s not just five minutes of glory or 15 minutes of fame. They should say to themselves, ‘I also want to see, what the rest of the world wants to see.’
What were your dreams while you were growing up?
I was a tomboy. I was always climbing trees and on one or two occasions my mother had to pull my ears and sit me down. As a young girl, I wanted to be a lawyer because my father was a lawyer. However, I liked to take something on and the easy thing for me was to do the Mathematics and get it done. That was how I chose Finance.
Having a reality show for children is a great idea but it also comes with a number of complex issues that include the welfare and security of these children. How do you intend to handle these?
All those who are working with us are vetted. We would as much as possible go through the proper process. People who would work with us must be people others can vouch for. We can only do so much but I know God would do the rest. We would get people to monitor the process and avoid jeopardising their lives and that is something we would not tolerate at all. If we have a CCTV there, it would caution people, especially if they have any ulterior motives or anything like that. If I cannot leave my child with just anyone, then I won’t leave other people’s children with just anyone, so all these issues would be taken care of.
In Nigeria, one other talent children, especially boys, would like to develop is football. Are you doing something in this area?
Yes, somebody did mention football, but I don’t have football coaches or experts on board at the moment. Maybe, if we get introduced to a couple of footballers, then we can take them on and by next year we could add football to our programmes. It would therefore be easy to take such children on and mentor them.
It would be easier for them to give the children a head start , show them the way and that’s the only way they can learn. We would also provide the funds and if they need to be flown abroad, we would get a sponsor for this. I am going to put in my best for these children, not just in terms of funding but getting the right mentors; mentors who would be able to discover their talents. We already have a number of fantastic talents out there and we would be going to them to mentor these children to be like them.
What’s the secret to your good looks?
There is really not much to it. Believe it or not I am over 50 years. Sometimes, you wake up in the morning and the bones are not working, but you ask God to give you the grace to move on.
Tell us about your beauty regimen?
No, I won’t tell you that. It’s nothing really. If you are diligent with your hygiene then you would be beautiful. Cleanliness, they say, is next to godliness. Then you have to be good on the inside, have the word of God in you and then everything would be great. That is one thing I tell my children. You don’t have to be beautiful for the sake of being beautiful or wanting to be like the next Miss World. The truth is that beauty comes from within. It entails eating healthy, good hygiene and just doing the right things.
How would you describe your husband?
He is a very wonderful person. I would also say that my husband is very romantic. He doesn’t miss my birthday or any other important date. Even if I am abroad you can be sure that he is coming with a massive bunch of roses. Women need to teach their men how to be romantic. A man may not be naturally romantic but you can guide him. You need to step-up the game.
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