YIAGA AFRICA has trained over 240 young Nigerians on direct action
organizing, leadership, policy advocacy, non-violent change.
The participants were also trained on storytelling, public narrative,
coalition building, community mobilization, and digital organizing.
Executive Director, YIAGA AFRICA Samson Itodo said, through this
training, the group has strengthened the institutional and technical
capacities of youth organizations in formulating policies,
implementing advocacy activities, promoting democratic values and
principles in West Africa.
According to Itodo, the Youth Organizing School is a place where young
organizers learn how to build strategic capacity by mobilizing people
to use their collective power to solve social problems.
Itodo said it will grow into a community organizing institute from
2020. “The institute will provide top-notch research and training on
community organizing and building for diverse range of stakeholders
within the African continent.”
He said YIAGA AFRICA will launch an online networking platform to
connect the alumni of the Youth Organizing School adding that it also
plans to strengthen this community of advocates and community
organizers in Africa.
During the training, YIAGA’s Programs Manager, Cynthia Mbamalau
introduced the young community organizers to a distinct approach to
leadership, organizing and learning while identifying the core
leadership practices for organizing policy advocacy and civic
engagement.
According to Mbamalu, organizers should know their constituents enough
to know the kind of story they can connect to.
Meanwhile, in a conversation on Global Perspectives on new forms of
collective action led by Chris O’connor from National Endowment for
Democracy (NED) exposed organizers to best global practices in social
movement and community building.
According to him, the Nigerian political terrain has experienced
successful movements like the Not Too Young To Run but there is much
to be done to also improve women participation in the political
process.
He urged the organisers to intensify efforts in building movements
saying, the future of democracy and inclusion in Nigeria is bright but
it is not happening as fast as it should.
