LEAP Africa, a leading local ‘first-generation’ social enterprise whose alumnae have gone on to birth numerous such organizations length and breadth of Nigeria and now Africa, is engaging gear to further amplify its impact amongst the young people of Africa.
LEAP, short for Leadership, Effectiveness, Accountability, and Professionalism, a nonprofit organization committed to leadership development and youth empowerment in Africa, recently announced the fifth edition of its Youth Day of Service (YDOS) social impact initiative. This Pan African endeavour which, as in other years, is in partnership with Dow Africa, a global leader in materials science, (as headline sponsor), will kick off on August 12, 2024, coinciding with the United Nations International Youth Day.
The Youth Day of Service is a youth-led social impact campaign that empowers young Africans to drive tangible progress towards achieving on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). What YDOS does is simply provide the resources, skills, and a platform for their voices, thereby equipping young people to become catalysts for positive change in their communities.
Africa’s growing youth population, (the much talked about youth bulge), presents a unique opportunity for accelerated development. However, the continent is still facing significant challenges in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
According to Kehinde Ayeni, Executive Director of LEAP Africa, “Africa’s youth have so much potential but face challenges on their path to a brighter future. Recognising this, LEAP Africa uses the Youth Day of Service (YDOS) to inspire young leaders across the continent to take action towards the actualization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030”.
Kehinde says LEAP Africa is of the view that “simply throwing resources at these problems is not enough”, reason why “YDOS seeks to empower young leaders with the skills and knowledge to tackle social challenges head-on”. Going by the experiences of the past and the preparatory efforts put into YDOS 2024, Kehinde has cast iron belief that “through capacity-building support, recognition and financing, the Youth Day of Service will equip young SDG leaders with the tools for transformational change on the continent”.
The icing on this is in the fact that “ultimately, YDOS goes beyond individual empowerment, fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing across African regions and countries, creating a vibrant network of changemakers united by a common purpose.”
Sami Mainich, President of Dow Africa voiced his organization’s conviction that: “Young people are the architects of our future, and their creativity, innovative thinking, and energy are essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals”.
It’s for this reason, he says, that “Dow is proud to partner with LEAP Africa once again on the Youth Day of Service. By empowering young leaders across Africa, we are investing in a sustainable future for the continent and creating lasting positive change.”
The plan for this year is that LEAP Africa will kickstart the initiative with a Pan-African stakeholder event to engage key partners and regional allies to develop a comprehensive strategy for achieving the SDGs through YDOS. This will be supported by other activities for participants including workshops, panel discussions, and grassroots project support, all designed to drive the integration of sustainability into every aspect of SDG implementation.
Remarkably, in 2023, YDOS mobilized over 10,000 young people across 28 African countries to implement 301 projects which spanned across all 17 sustainable development goals. The projects which included four climate action rallies, the planting of 7,893 trees across nine countries, and the collection of 812,951.51 tons of waste across eight countries, directly benefited 139,245 people and indirectly benefited 696,225 across Africa.
Participants interested in the 2024 initiative can either register their own project, volunteer for an existing project or sponsor the execution of a project.
