United Way Greater Nigeria (UWGN), Ashoka Africa and others have called for an end to singling out individuals or groups for blame over national issues.
They made the call during this year’s Ashoka Young Change-makers (AYC) Festival held at The Zone, Gbagada, Lagos.
The festival, with the theme: “Inspire, Enable, and Activate Youth Change-making in Nigeria, aimed to enable and inspire young individuals to positively impact their communities and the world. The event provided a platform for learning, networking, and showcasing the incredible projects and ideas led by young change-makers in Nigeria and other countries.
The festival brought together 300 participants, including students and educators from Lagos State and others.
Executive Director of UWGN, Deola Durodola, who spoke on the programme, said: “The United Way Greater Nigeria firmly believes in the power of collaboration. We partner with non-profit organisations, firms, governments, and individuals to help people and communities thrive. Over the years, we have consistently worked to improve the quality of education and learning outcomes for students and young people.”
Additionally, we provide grants and support to young people making a difference in their communities through our yearly International Youth Day Grant. Our partnership with Ashoka Africa on the CTEACH initiative, and by extension the Ashoka Young Change-makers Festival, aligns with our mission and goals. We are incredibly proud to inspire these young people to recognise their potential as agents of change and motivate them to take tangible actions to address social, environmental, and economic challenges in their communities.”
Also speaking, Regional Director, Ashoka Africa, Josephine Nzerem, said: “Our vision is to build a world where everyone is a change-maker; we must know that no one can build the world if we don’t have young people and teachers involved. We need to change the mindset of teachers that education is about passing Mathematics, English and other subjects.
“This is a pilot programme that started on September 26, 2023. Now, this is celebrating all the teachers and students that were involved. We have had boot camps and others before the festival. So, it’s a celebration.”
On her part, CTEACH Director, Angelou Ezeilo, said: “We are interested in inspiring teachers to inspire the children by bringing in change-making attitudes like collaboration, and empathy. Twenty-one-century skills are essential for young people to thrive in this changing world.
