The Stand Up Speak Out (SUSO) project has recorded huge impact and successes in youth development.
The SUSO project has existed for over 12 months, working with 20 youth activists to improve the space for youth led accountability in education, employment, governance, peace and security, with mission to support young people with the right tools and resources to Speak Up; and Stand Out by calling attention to issues in their various communities and at the same time collectively creating impact specifically on governance, education, employment, peace and security.
This was contained in a statement issued after a virtual meeting, attended by stakeholders, SUSO activists and media.
According to the statement, the project started off by training and empowering 20 activists with the knowledge, skills, and resources to organise activism with which they challenged issues affecting youth and developed innovative ways to engage other young people and social actors to campaign and drive social change.
Activists created a mini-project with the support of their advocates within 12 months of implementation.
The statement reads in part, “Our influence extends beyond our activists and their advocates. We empower our activists to empower their advocates, who will inspire local inhabitants to take charge of the development of their communities.
“Based on the foregoing, the Speak Up, Stand Out program held a one-day convening as the project was brought to a close officially.
“This convening will bring together 17 activists, their advocates, the project team, and the press. Using methodologies that facilitate inclusive dialogues, the convening discussed the project goal, the faces behind the project, a video documentary of the outcomes, and the best practices in addressing community mobilisation at the grassroots within the following thematic areas; Education, Employment, Governance, Peace and Security and hopefully help facilitate an overall understanding of the goal of the project.
In a keynote address, The Programme Lead for Voice Nigeria, Ijeoma Okwor, called on young people to act as agents of change to change the narrative as demonstrated by SUSO activists as Africa depends on Nigeria, hence negative or positive happenings in Nigeria affects directly and indirectly Africa, and other African countries look up to Nigeria.
Okwor also stressed that young people should be in the front lines to galvanize the socio-economic and socio-political events in Nigeria.
She added that the need to train young people on how to organise, moblize and influence social change in the local communities became a top priority and that is the motivation for Voice to fund and support the Speak Up Stand out Project.
Earlier, the Executive Director, Nigeria Youths SDGs Network, Joshua Alade, gave an overview of the SUSO programme.
According to Alade, the SUSO Programme greatly impacted and equipped youth activists in Nigeria.
He pointed out that despite the success story of the project there were challenges in the co-creation and implementation of the Speak Up, Stand out Programme.
Meanwhile, some stakeholders made some remarks concerning the Programme; Member, advisory board of the Nigerian Youths SDGs Network, Oluwakemi Gbadamosi, tasked and charged SUSO activists and advocates to keep taking action regardless of the project and funding cycle as the work of influencing social change will not pause.
“Thus we need to continually lend a hand in pushing the country and the space forward”, Gbadamosi said.
Chioma Agwuegbo, spoke extensively on the importance of self-care for activists even as activists continually take care of other people.
“Mental health and burn out have become top priorities amongst activists, thus self care should be given utmost importance as we continue to collaborate, volunteer and work together in influencing social change in local communities.
“Speaking up is just the beginning, we must be able to speak up in this day and age to demand the things that are significant to us, our society, and our nation.
“In addition to speaking out, we ought also to be able to demonstrate our willingness to serve by acting. Speaking up is simply the first step, but we must at least do so to have a voice, stand out, and be heard”, Agwuegbo said.
The activists also shared the many challenges faced in the course of implementing the Speak Up Stand Out programme and how they were able to navigate to overcome and deliver on their projects.
