The second cohort of Ashoka Young Change makers (AYC) Nigeria, unveiled by Ashoka Africa Foundation in Lagos, have solicited for partnership in reducing incidences of the Almajiri syndrome, illiteracy and other societal malaise among young people in the country.
The AYC is a carefully selected network of young people under the age of 21, who demonstrate inspirational leadership in their communities by creating innovative solutions.
They are leading a team to implement their changemaking ideas, and are ready to take on roles as youth influencers and co-leaders of the “Everyone a Changemaker” (EACH) movement.
They are Abeedah Alabi of Project Climset, 18, Victor Eyo of Wegodigiteens, 20; Ruth Egbedi of Young African Foundation, 19; Muhammad Usman of Young Developer Foundation, 18; Magnus Imam of ZeroUp Academy, 19; Joshua Ejiofobiri of TechPlug IT Academy, 17; and Amara Nwuneli of Preserve our Roots, 15.
The group of young people, drawn from the six geopolitical zones of the country for their impact in the society, will co-lead Ashoka’s core “Everyone a Changemaker” movement.
The new cohort of Ashoka Young Changemakers addresses a wide variety of issues, ranging from climate change and environmental sustainability, to access to education, gender equality, and tech, among others.
Founder of Young Developer Foundation, Mohammad Usman, said he was focused on helping the less privileged and Almajiris by providing them with proper education and a sustainable life system.
He hinted that growing up as a child, during which he lived with some Almajiris and less privileged ones, he realised that most of them face so much societal menace, such as lack of parental care and exposure to social dangers without help.
This, according to him, was the driving force behind his foundation’s project of making a difference.
Also, 18-year-old Magnus Imam of Zero-Up Academy said he was focused on discovering talents with positive ideas since ideas rule the world in today’s generation.
He added that once the talents are discovered, the foundation helps them shape their mentality into utilising their ideas in becoming a better version of themselves, as well as contributing immensely to the growth and development of their environment and the country at large.
Executive Director, Ashoka Africa Foundation, Pape Samb said the programme was geared towards talent discovery among young people, from age 18 and above, who are affected by certain environmental challenges and are passionate about addressing them.
Samb said: “Nigerians are gifted entrepreneurs capable of scaling up solutions to any problems. With the partnership of relevant stakeholders in the country such as individual funders, government agencies, private and public organisations, and the media, among others, more talents could be discovered with a view to enhancing their productivity.
“I am very proud of all projects I am seeing here with young people, and I hope we can bring in more partners to work with us, so we can identify more talents and also provide more solutions to our various social challenges such as high poverty rate, economic depletion, lack of jobs, premature deaths, and insecurity, among others.
Samb listed the criteria for selection of talents by the foundation to include: “Persons aged 18 years and above, with different change making skills embedded with empathetic care about their environment. Also, someone who is not money-driven but possesses collaborative and horizontal leadership qualities.”
Speaking, Youth Years Vice President, Ashoka Africa, Okey Uzoechina, noted that young people were powerful, solution creators, and the new world belonged to them.
He said: “AYC represents the undying ingenuity of young people to thrive in the new world, which is defined by rapid change, complexity, unpredictability, and interconnectedness.
“A young person selected as an AYC gets inducted into a core community of co-leaders of the “Everyone a Changemaker” movement in Nigeria. Together with other leaders and influential partners in government, the media, publishers, teachers unions, and schools of education, the AYCs equally contribute their ideas, inspiration, and action in ways that help millions of other young girls and boys across Nigeria to see that they too can own their power as changemakers and contribute to creating a thriving society for the good of all.”
