Like many other young people, I am at a stage in my life where there are so many issues affecting not just me but also the community I live in. This helps me see the need for collaboration and partnership in discussing ideas that will positively impact the world.
The National Youth Service Corps has allowed me to experience firsthand how people live in the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja, Nigeria. This made me realize my passion for helping people. It has also encouraged my dream to join an organization that works with young people and, eventually, start my own to contribute to youth empowerment.
During my service year, I attended the Nigerian launch of U-Report. I felt honored to have been part of the event, and the lessons I learned then are still useful to me now. In my opinion, I believe young people should be involved in U-Report because the platform has been launched for us. It allows us to share our voices on issues affecting our day-to-day lives and communities.
Interacting with U-Report and the knowledge received during my Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) lectures gave me the idea to build up young minds. This is why I also serve in Educating Nigerian Girls In New Enterprise (ENGINE), a group dedicated to transferring knowledge and required skills. With this background, if I could give a bit of advice to youth to cope with the pandemic would be to come together through U-Report and lead youth empowerment in their communities.
As we unite to share our ideas, our voices will be heard, and in so doing, the youth will be empowered; and our recommendations will be listened to by the media, the government, and others. I am a U-Reporter, and I am ready to share with my fellow young people what I have learned about U-Report, what U-Report is all about, and how important it is to us as young people. Become a U-Reporter now!
Credit: Collins Chinonso, U-Reporter Nigeria
