Yiaga Africa with support from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), has hosted 35 to 40 entry-level community organizers and young leaders in Nigeria and Cameroon who received training on direct action organizing, leadership, policy advocacy, non-violent change, storytelling and public narrative, coalition building, community mobilization, and digital organizing.
During an experience-sharing session at the ongoing YOS 2021, which kicked off on 15th April 2021, some of the young Nigerians who expressed excitement at the gesture revealed how they started their own organizations after attending the annual Youth Organizing School (YOS) organized by Yiaga Africa.
In her welcome remark, Yiaga Africa’s Director of Programs said, Cynthia Mbamalu said the organization believes in building movement and investing in community.
She said historical events like the struggle for independence have revealed that movement-building has never been about individuality, but collectivity and interconnection of different sectors of the society, across generations and borders.
According to her, to demand for social transformation, we cannot engage from a single person approach but as a movement”.
She said the YOS will expose participants to organising for social change and how young people can influence conversations around elections and take leadership.
“At the YOS, we will approach leadership as a practice that everyone has been blessed with specific potentials to provide leadership at different points in time within their community.
“We believe organizing is about action. We cannot just complain or get frustrated or angry without doing anything, as taking action is what makes you different,” she said.
Also, a community organizer based in Cameroon, Nancy Saiboh said she registered her Civil Society Organisation after attending the Youth Organizing School (YOS) in 2019.
Nancy revealed this at the ongoing annual YOS organized by Yiaga Africa, saying she returned to her country and applied all the knowledge gained from the annual organizing and advocacy program.
She said, “YOS 2019 was a turning point in my career and for me as a leader. YOS changed the way I see myself. As a leader that can contribute to my community, I now run campaigns and effective advocacy in my Country (Cameroon) because I understand my purpose.”
She said, “I took time to understand my purpose and reorganized the strength I have to help build my community”. She urged the 2021 YOS cohort to take this seriously and act on it; saying, “it is not a coincidence that you are.
During her own testimony, Olanike Uge, YOS Alumni 2017 said she came to YOS open to learn, and she got more than expected.
What stood out according to her is the storytelling, leadership models, and how to convert the resources you have into power. The resources received from YOS enabled me to register my CSO in 2018 and it made the development of my mission and vision much easier.
“Under 12 months of full operation, we got mini-grants from International organizations including ActionAid Nigeria and Ford Foundation. This is because we were able to organize effectively as we learnt that before causing social change, you must be able to organize”, she said.
Another beneficiary of the program, Maureen Tare Amanana from Bayelsa state said, my experience at the YOS 2017 turned my advocacy and activism around.
Speaking during the introductory session of the 2021 YOS, Head of Governance and Development, Ibrahim Faruk said, over 240 young women and men from across Nigeria and six different African countries have benefitted from this program. “We are proud of the change they are making in their communities,” he said.
