Penultimate week, Otunba Wanle Akinboboye’s recently announced tourism product, Youth African Tourism Expedition (YATE), came alive for the students of the University of Medical Sciences in Ondo state at La Campagne Tropicana Forest, Hills And Cave Resort, Ondo.
The popular Youth African Tourism Expedition (YATE) programme was rolled out for the full benefit of the students who came out in a large number, to have fun as part of the curriculum activities of the University and the student body.
YATE according to the Founder, Otunba Wanle Akinboboye, is a youth programme aimed at encouraging youth to travel, have Tourism experience and explore Africa. YATE is designed for undergraduates, young business executives and other fun seekers through creation of a camp in an eco friendly African themed environment, spiced with team bonding exercises through games like swimming, aim the basket, catapulting, table tennis, live roasting-grilling of yam, plantain, barbecue, snooker and many more.
For the students of University of Medical Science, Ondo, who came out for an evening of YATE experience, it was an executive styled Cave clubbing with DJ mixes that set off the students in a relaxing evening mood, away from the rigours of the classroom.
And the students had great fun! But that was just the beginning of the welcome to YATE experience. The fun moved to the resort’s swimming pool section, where a live band was already on hand to entertain the students and some of the University’s principal officers who arrived a little while later, to a traditional live band anchored by the Lakers band, giving the YATE guests an opportunity to take off the stress on the dance floor.
The YATE evening experience was not complete without dinner, a buffet affair and live barbecue synced with flavoured different genres of music including the re-birth of the legendary Orlando Owoh’s music!
The YATE evening of fun ended with good memories to take back to the campus, the thriling hair-raising drum performances of Atunda Entertainment Star, Olo Omidan Bata and the energetic dancer cum singer T’Asa revved the youths into another round of dancing and whistling into the cool night, before Atunda Models took over the entire space of the swimming pool section for a runway. A showcase of different fashions and styles of Africa.
Lots of selfies taken. Group photographs. New friendships made. Filled stomachs, the good times re-activated. All thanks to a YATE evening experience.