Carrington Youth Fellowship Initiative

Creativity Abounds at CYFI Board's Visit to YEC-Academy

2012-09-27T10:36:00.000-07:00

Trainees in the YEC-A filmmaking class set up a scene.

Representatives from the Public Affairs Section at the U.S. Consulate General, Lagos spent Saturday afternoon learning about shoemaking and photography with trainees of the Youth Entrepreneurship & Creative Academy in Ibadan.

The academy, YEC-A, is a project of CYFI's Vocational Training team. The fellows designed YEC-A as a way to combat youth unemployment in Nigeria; the academy selected over 50 YEC-A trainees, all of whom are under- or unemployed young Nigerians, and teaches them marketable skills, such as shoemaking and photography. Over the academy’s two-month duration, trainees have the option to learn shoemaking, photography and ICT. When the training phase of the academy is complete, trainees will be paired with local businesses, where they will be able to build on their freshly acquired skills.

The CYFI Board observed shoemaking and photography/filmmaking lessons. In the shoemaking workshop, trainees were busy putting the finishing touches on sandals, slippers and dress shoes that they had learned to make the week before. In the program’s opening three weeks, trainees said had already learned to make several varieties of shoes. Some trainees were showing creative flair, making sandals out of Nigerian ankara fabric and designing sandals with a fun leather embellishments. Some trainees, who could not afford to buy leather to make their shoes, practiced their shoemaking skills using denim from old pairs of jeans, making shoes that looked distinctive. Creativity also abounded in the photography and filmmaking course, where trainees were reviewing photographs they had taken the day before and learning about film direction.

A trainee hard at work making shoes he created and designed.

The academy’s subsequent weeks will include trainings in ICT and entrepreneurship. The four CYFI
vocational training fellows – Tunde Aboderin, Obinna Echendu, Olawale Sunday Olaniran, and Ebenezer
Akinrinade – lead the trainings in conjunction with professional shoemakers and filmmakers that they
had contacted. Trainings are held at the facilities of the Ibadan Northwest Local Government Area at
Onireke Dugbe, which has generously agreed to provide space for YEC-A.

Apply now for CYFI 2013!

2012-09-26T14:37:00.001-07:00

The CYFI Board is very pleased to announce that we are now accepting applications for CYFI 2013!
This year, applicants can apply as individuals or as groups. See the Application page on this blog for more information.

Remember: Application Deadline is December 15, 2012!

From the Drive - U.S. Embassy Nigeria Blog: Nigerian Youth Discuss Future of Urban Development...

2012-09-24T14:27:00.001-07:00

From the Drive - U.S. Embassy Nigeria Blog: Nigerian Youth Discuss Future of Urban Development...: Carrington Youth fellowship Initiative U.S. Consulate General Lagos In its quest to turn Lagos into a megacity of the future, several N...

Project Update: YEC-Academy In Photos

2012-09-20T14:08:00.001-07:00

YEC-A trainees learned skills in lighting for photography and film.


An example of a lighting effect practiced by the YEC-A trainees.

Trainees worked with filmmakers and photographers to learn product lighting techniques, like in the photo above.

YEC-Academy's shoemaking trainees display their wares.


Filmmaking and video production is another subject offered at YEC-Academy.

YEC-Academy, the vocational and employment skills academy established by CYFI's Vocational Training group, is on fire in Ibadan this week! The fellows shared some photos of YEC-Academy's participants and their latest accomplishments, which include work on a drama series as part of the filmmaking module, photography lessons on lighting, and shoemaking.

A product of the YEC-Academy photography training.

Following the completion of YEC-A's training, participants will intern with area craftsmen to gain experience.

Project Update: Oga De Law Recording Completed

2012-09-18T17:28:00.001-07:00

Team Civil Liberties has completed the recording for their radio drama series, Oga De Law. The radio series, which aims to use pidgin English and relatable, real-life scenarios to educate the public about human rights and civil liberties, is now in its post-production and editing phase while the group works to determine a suitable radio station for it to air. View and listen to the soundtrack above!

CYFI Fellow Wins UK Award for Scholarship

2012-09-16T06:02:00.002-07:00

Olawale Sunday Olaniran, a fellow on the Vocational Training team, has won a "Graduate Scholar Award" from the Institute of Education at the University of London. Olaniran was one of 17 scholars, and the only Nigerian, to be honored by the university at its August 2012 International Conference on Learning. His research focuses on adult illiteracy and the role of literacy-by-radio programs for literacy promotion in Nigeria's rural communities.

Read the full article here: http://pmnewsnigeria.com/2012/08/23/nigerian-bags-varsity-award-in-uk/

CYFI congratulates Olaniran on this accomplishment!

Project Update: YEC-Academy Enters Week 2 with Photography, Shoemaking Training

2012-08-31T08:41:00.001-07:00

YEC-Academy, the vocational training and internship program established by CYFI's Vocational Training team, enters its second week this weekend. Following its opening ceremony on August 17, the Ibadan-based academy has continued, offering lectures and hands-on training in subjects like photography, cinematography and shoemaking.

Students of the YEC-Academy observe a shoemaking practical session.

The team writes: "We believe that the journey of a thousand miles begins not just with a step in any direction, but rather with a right step taken towards a right direction. After several months and weeks of planning and
strategizing, the YEC-Academy was finally unveiled. .. The photography/film-making and shoemaking training commenced on Friday, August 24 at the Ibadan North-West Local Government premises with a total number of forty-seven students (out of the fifty-seven selected students), three volunteers and a representative from the local government were in attendance. All the students present had high expectations about what YEC-Academy has to offer them, so they came prepared with an open mind and writing
materials. A brief opening was done by CYFI Vocational Training fellow Ebenezer Akinrinade to better prepare the students for the task ahead and also to introduce the YEC-Academy team and other volunteers present. Shoe-making class was anchored by CYFI Vocational Training fellow Obinna Echendu and assisted by Mr. James Onyebuchi (OJamesFootWears), while the photography class was anchored by Mr. Oladipo O’Fresh and assisted by Mr. Oloyede Abiodun (both from FreshProNig). Ebenezer Akinrinade monitored the two sessions and also took pictures. Facilitators were able to connect with the students which was evident from the number of questions asked during the sessions. Students in the shoemaking section had fun learning about shoe-making equipments with a practical demonstration on how to make palm-slippers. The session lasted for five hours."

We wish YEC-Academy the best as they enter their second week!

YEC-Academy photography students will later have the opportunity to intern with professionals.

YEC-Academy enters its second week.

Project Update: Health Team Conducts Malaria Education Initiative

2012-08-28T10:50:00.002-07:00

The CYFI Health Team spoke with youth in Ilaje as part of their malaria outreach program.

The CYFI Health Team continued their health empowerment initiative in the Ilaje community with a day-long effort to educate residents about malaria held on Saturday, August 25. Joined by 20 volunteers recruited from various NGOs (including the LiveWell Initiative, ACT, and HACEY's) and from the medical community, the team began the day, which was also Environmental Saturday in Lagos state, by leading the residents in cleaning the community's rain gutters. After a meeting and training with their volunteers, the fellows and volunteers went out into the community, going door-to-door to educate residents about malaria prevention. They distributed flyers, written in English and Yoruba, and spoke with residents about the importance of keeping one's environment clean, staying inside during evening hours, using mosquito nets, and other steps one can take to prevent malaria. One man they spoke to listened with interest and told the fellows that his wife was currently hospitalized with malaria. Other residents, the children especially, were eager to take the team's flyers and receptive to their message.
The CYFI Health Team plans to continue their malaria awareness initiative by distributing mosquito nets to the community next month.

The team's malaria outreach program will feature a distribution of free mosquito nets next month.

A CYFI fellow speaks with children about malaria prevention.

The CYFI Health Team recruited 20 volunteers from local NGOs.

Project Update: Build A Village Advances Fishery Plan, Partners with Government

2012-08-23T05:12:00.001-07:00

Build A Village seeks to turn fish into financial freedom for the women of Ilaje.

Build A Village, the project of CYFI's University Outreach team, has conducted several meetings, community outreach activities, and needs assessments over the past few weeks, as part of their efforts to economically empower the women fishing community of Ilaje, Lagos.

With the assistance of the Director of Fisheries at the Ministry of Agriculture, the team is working to run and train the women to use an under-utilized fish-smoking facility in the area. This, along with a fish packaging unit that the team hopes to establish, will help the women to better process and market the fish they sell, thus increasing their profits. The Build A Village team, which consists of the CYFI fellows and volunteers recruited from University of Lagos, has also been meeting with women in the community to assess their needs and interests. In the coming weeks, the team hopes to finalize a logo, to be used with the packaging and marketing of the fish.

"She'd have made more profit, if only she knew how." - caption written by CYFI University Outreach fellow

A CYFI University Outreach fellow speaks with a community member.

The University Outreach team has spent the past several weeks connecting with the Ilaje fishing community.

Project Update: YEC-Academy Selects Participants, Holds Opening Ceremony

2012-08-22T09:31:00.004-07:00

Over 100 applicants attended interviews to be a part of YEC-Academy.

The Youth Entrepreneurship and Creative Academy (YECA), the skills and training program designed by CYFI's Vocational Training team, concluded the application and interview process and held an opening ceremony on August 17 in Ibadan. The selected participants and trainers in the program attended the event, along with representative from the local government, including Mr. Olaniyi Emmanuel (ICT Director for Ibadan North-West Local Government, Onireke Dugbe) who represented Chairman Wasiu Olatunbosun.

A CYFI Vocational Training fellow speaks to trainees at the opening ceremony of YEC-Academy.

The Vocation Training team writes: "We are delighted to announce to you that YEC-Academy is fast making progress in Ibadan, Oyo State. On August 9, more than a hundred prospective candidates were interviewed by the YEC-Academy team at the ICT/ Vocational Training Centre in Onireke Dugbe."

A CYFI team member interviews a prospective YECA trainee.

Keep posted for updates as the team's trainings get underway!

Be a Mentor with the Education Team!

2012-08-21T03:45:00.000-07:00

CYFI's Education Team is looking for young professionals to mentor high school students during the upcoming phase of their project. The Education Team will train all mentors. Please see the application and details here (click the link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHBhX2lRMTVBbG44OXdhTWs2UEFHLXc6MQ).

Deadline: September 15
Questions? Email the CYFI Education Team at cyfimentor@gmail.com

Project Update: University Outreach begins to Build A Village

2012-08-01T23:47:00.001-07:00

CYFI's University Outreach team is well on their way to the successful implementation of their project, Build a Village, which seeks to empower the female fishing community of Ilaje by helping them to brand and market their product.
The team writes in: "5 months down the line; the University Outreach team has completed 5 of our 14 scheduled tasks. For a quick recap, itemized below are the tasks:

§ Pre-test Analysis/Need Assessment and Project Proposal Drafting

§ Project Web Publicity - the creation of the team's Facebook page

§ Meeting with Stakeholders on existing Fish Smoking Facility

§ Recruitment of Student Volunteers

§ Brand Creation"

The team's efforts have included the recruitment of 20 student volunteers from 8 different departments at the University of Lagos, as well as connecting with the Lagos State Director of Fisheries to discuss how an existing fish smoking facility in Ilaje can be used for the project.

Most excitingly, however, the team has created a brand for the fish: "At Lagoon Front Garden in UNILAG, on July 27, our team had the brand creation brainstorming event. The product of the event is the proposed Ilaje fish brand.

Details of the conceived brand are:

Name: LagFish

Catch phrase: ….savour the taste!

Brand colour: Green, Aqua blue, and Brown

Stay tuned for more updates as Build a Village enter the next stage!

Call for Volunteers - Malaria Outreach Forum

2012-08-01T10:03:00.003-07:00

The CYFI Health Team plans to host a Malaria Outreach program for the women of the Ilaje community on Saturday, August 25, and they are seeking volunteers. To join the Health Team in their efforts, click HERE.

Project Update: Team Civil Liberties Begins Production of Oga De Law

2012-07-27T07:06:00.001-07:00

CYFI's Civil Liberties team has begun production of their radio drama series, Oga De Law.

Oga De Law is set to hit the airwaves later this year.

The team has been holding rehearsals and recording sessions, including night sessions to accomodate the busy student schedules of their cast members. Stay tuned -- and check the team's Facebook page -- for more details on the production and airing of Oga De Law, the team's radio series that seeks to discuss issues concerning rights and law in pidgin English.

The Civil Liberties team leads a rehearsal of their radio series.

YECA Accepting Applicants, for a limited time only!

2012-07-26T14:23:00.000-07:00

CYFI is pleased to announce that YECA, the youth entrepreneurship training academy designed by CYFI's Vocational Training team, is now in the final days of accepting applications. Motivated youth in the Ibadan area are encouraged to apply! The YECA program will be run and coordinated by CYFI's Vocational Training fellows, and feature practical training and hands-on interaction in the areas of film making, photography, ICT, and shoemaking. Participants will learn useful skills, and have a chance to complete an apprenticeship and showcase their wares.

Please click HERE for the YECA application form. Email yec.academy@gmail.com with any questions.

Project Update: Health Empowerment Initiative Selects Schools, Plans Upcoming Programs

2012-07-06T02:13:00.000-07:00

The Health Empowerment Initiative advanced into the implementation stage of their project this week, completing the selection of schools and planning upcoming meetings and programs. The team writes: "We have completed our selection of schools that will be participating in the program -- St. Luke's Junior Secondary School, Bariga Junior Secondary School, and Jagunmolu Senior Girls Secondary School -- and have started meeting with the students. We have selected the girls in St. Luke’s secondary school who will be part of the training.

The Health Empowerment Initiative will work with three schools over the course of their project

Our next meeting with the women of Ilaje community will be held next week. We will address the majority of the women population who live and trade in the community. We will invite an experienced malaria griot who will speak with the women. The environmental sanitation with the community is scheduled for the last Saturday in August. Members of the community are looking forward to participating in the program as they will be provided with proper gear to carry out the sanitation.

The date of the health empowerment workshop, the final event for our project, has been set for October 11, as part of The International Day of the Girl Child event that our partnering organizations, HACEY’S Health Initiative and the Beyond the Classroom Foundation, will host. The girls who have been trained during the project will be presented at this event, and it will also launch the ‘Girl Sexual Health Promotion’ group, which will be formed by the trained girls.

We have received financial support of $100 and material support of 100 branded pens from The Youth and Gender Network to assist us in achieving our goals. They have also given their full support of the program and will be available to render assistance when we need it.

The team plans to train pre-teen girls, who will then educate their peers on womens' health issues

Several community-wide trainings events are in the works over the next several months

Project Update: Project N.E.W. Hosts Peer Pressure Training

2012-06-25T08:53:00.001-07:00

The CYFI Education team entered its sixth week of activities, as their Project N.E.W. held another training with students at Ikeja Senior High School.
The team writes:
We had another opportunity to hold our mentoring session with the students on Wednesday, June 20, our 6th week with them. The topic for the week was 'Handling Peer Pressure.' We discussed how dealing with peer pressure appropriately can help them stay focused on achieving academic success. Four of the students participated in a role play to illustrate how they can say no to peer pressure. The students submitted their write-up on Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, which was the activity for week 5. Students were picked randomly to verbally share what they learnt from her story and the responses were impressive and encouraging.

Project Update: Education Team Hosts Trainings, Parent Forum

2012-06-03T23:57:00.002-07:00

The Education Team sends the following update:

The Education Team poses with their mentees at Ikeja Senior High School.

"First session was an opening ceremony which was held on May 18, 2012 at the school ICT hall. The CYFI Team had an ample time to interact with young people, sharing the aims and objectives of CYFI and holding a mentoring training session. It was a good beginning.
May 23 was another exciting day to meet with parents and guardians of young people. We, the CYFI Education team, were invited by the High School Authority to address the parents/guardians of the students on the collective roles and responsibilities of everyone towards the resurgence of our education sector and inform them of the mission and vision of the Carrington Youth Fellowship Initiative and Project N.E.W.

On May 25, we had our second training session with the students. One team member spoke extensively on the essentiality of having a mission and vision as a youth. At the conclusion of the session, many students asked questions on career choice and related topics.

On June 1, we held another insightful session. Another team member spoke on the “10 tips for Student Success.“ She summarized these tips as follow: attend classes, be organized, use a daily planner, prioritize your responsibilities, use of school resources, take care of your health, get involved in school activities, keep your eyes on the prize etc. after the training session, those students who could intelligently summarize what they learnt from the session were awarded a motivation book, titled: making the most of life."

CYFI Education Team fellow addresses parents of the students that the fellows will mentor.

Put your hands together for educational empowerment!

Education team members meet with parents and school administrators.

CYFI Education Team fellow speaks to students about the necessity of vision and mission in life.

Project Update: Health Team Makes Contacts in Community

2012-06-03T23:51:00.000-07:00

The CYFI Health Team has been working to lay the groundwork for the project in their target community, Ilaje.

CYFI Health Team meets with community leaders in Ilaje, Lagos.

In their own words: "We have made an adjustment in our project due to a need in the community that affects our project. We realized that the community had no women association whatsoever and to reach the women every time we would have to keep going through the various associations. With the full support of the Baale and chiefs in the community, we will be helping them start the Ilaje Women's Association to make it easier for health, empowerment and government aid to get to the women of the community.
We held our first meeting/outreach with the leaders and women in Ilaje community. We have also fixed the date of our next meeting. We have been promised a much larger crowd and the presence of more elders and chiefs in the community. We have confirmed one school, St Luke's, and will be starting our health initiatuve with them in June.
On a better note, HACEY's Health Initiative and Beyond the Classroom will both be increasing the scope of our final event. It is set to hold on the 11th of October, International Day of the Girl. Preparations are already on the way for the event."

The health team connects with local women and community leaders.

Team Update: Project N.E.W. Launched at Ikeja Sr. High School

2012-05-21T13:14:00.001-07:00

The Education Team sends this update from the field:

"On Friday, May 19 we stormed Ikeja Senior High School, Ikeja GRA for an inaugural session of Project N.E.W. It was such an exciting session, meeting with young people of diverse culture, orientation and aspiration. We met with young poeple who were selected randomly from Art Class, Commercial Class and Science Class. And, we had one GOAL, to inspire, empower and equip them with necessary Personal Development Skills towards achieving excellence in life. It really was an exciting time as discussed with them our objectives and roles they have to play to be successful.

In attendance were our target students, as well as the school counselor and the members of our team."

The CYFI Education fellows celebrate the first day of Project N.E.W.

CYFI project proposals are in!

2012-04-14T03:48:00.000-07:00

CYFI fellows met yesterday to present their project proposals. The creativity and ideas were flowing, as the fellows now work to refine their proposals befor moving on to the implementation stage of the projects. This year's projects include: health outreach on malaria prevention, young women's health and other related issues in an urban slum community; an effort to partner with university students to teach fishsellers how to better market their product; the production and airing of a radio series and public service announcement about Nigerians' constitutions rights under the law; a creative academy that aims to educate youth in skills like film and shoe making; and a mentorship project of secondary school students.

Stay tuned for more updates!

Introducing... the CYFI Fellows

2012-03-16T16:12:00.002-07:00

Welcome to the new blog of the Carrington Youth Fellowship Initiative, or CYFI!

Now that the selection process and interviews are over, the fellows are getting to know each other and hashing out the initial plans and stages of their projects. The CYFI Board and fellows met potential sponsors and honed their 'pitches' and networking skills at an event hosted by U.S. Consul General Joseph Stafford this evening.

2012 CYFI fellows before a networking event

Note that this blog is a work in progress. As CYFI works to increase its web presence, please check back frequently for updates and new material.