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.
“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.
During her own testimony, Olanike Uge, YOS Alumni 2017 said she came to YOS open to learn, and she got more than expected.
“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.
