Country of Residence
Nigeria
Age
19
Project title
ENER-DUCATE
Project Summary: Describe your project in one sentence
ENERGY+ EDUCATION = ENER-DUCATE How can we achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 if people are not aware of them? ENER-DUCATE comes in to bridge that gap and support the 2030 goal!
Website URL(s) or social media handles.
www.linkedin.com/in/eunicetolulope
Project Category
My project is a brand new / emerging idea
Project Stage
Idea (We’re hoping to get started in the future)
Founding Story: What was the spark that led you to start your project? What was the "Aha!" moment that led you to get started and see the potential for this to succeed?
My interest in educating people started in my second year at university, when I began volunteering as an Academic Tutor under the NSChE LASU Chapter. Over time, I have taught more than 70 students in Chemical Engineering courses, and it has been rewarding to hear students say the tutoring helped them pass their tests. That is where I first noticed my knack for helping people understand concepts. Two months ago, I was appointed Academic Director of SPE LASU, largely because of my active volunteering as a Tutor, Petrobowl Volunteer, and Sustainability Volunteer. As a Sustainability Volunteer, I have gone on outreaches to secondary schools to teach students about sustainability and to run mini experiments on density to show them the fun side of science. My actual "aha" moment came last month, in August. As Academic Director of SPE LASU, I organized daily sessions, Monday to Friday, 8 to 9 pm, to prepare for the Petrobowl competition. During one session, we were studying the SDGs, and it hit me that 2030 is less than four years away, yet there is still so much work left to do. That realization, together with my outreach and tutoring experience, is what birthed ENER-DUCATE.
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve? Why does it matter to you and your community?
I asked 10 kids, ages 4 to 13, whether they knew about the UN SDGs. Only 1 of them did. This is alarming. If the goal is to be achieved by 2030, how can Gen Alpha be unaware of it? This is just one case. Beyond Gen Alpha, there are more generations who are not aware of this cause. To answer the question directly, the problem is a gap in knowledge of these goals. Whether it is Sustainable Cities and Communities, Clean Energy, Life Below Water, or even Partnerships for the Goals, if people are not first aware, how can these goals be implemented? One example of why this matters to me: during an outreach to a secondary school, we were discussing proper waste disposal, and a girl said that waste is not collected where she lives, so burning it is her only option. Awareness creates a ripple effect. Now that she has heard this, she can question her parents or teachers, and that kind of change can spread outward. What I am trying to show is that she believed burning waste was fine simply because that was what she was used to, until she became aware. I am not trying to plant all 17 goals word for word in people's heads, but to paint, in some way, the picture that the UN is trying to achieve.
Your Solution: How are you solving this problem? Share your specific solution.
Since this is an idea just starting out, here is my plan: 1. Digital Awareness: I am building my LinkedIn page, starting with 18 posts over 18 days, one introductory post and then one for each SDG, to sensitize people and bring the goals into their everyday knowledge. This then pivots to WhatsApp status fliers for 17 days, one per goal, designed to be reposted so the reach compounds beyond my own network. 2. The Capstone: Secondary School Outreaches. This will not be a solo effort. SPE LASU already runs an outreach called "Energy 4 Me," which uses experiments to introduce students to energy concepts. As a member of the executives, I am incorporating ENER-DUCATE into this existing structure, rather than starting from zero and seeking new school permissions. I will also mobilize members of NEX (Network of Engineering Xcellence), which I co-founded to organize engineering students around exactly this kind of community initiative, so the outreach is delivered by a trained team, not just by me. 3. The Multiplier: Drawing on my two years of experience tutoring 70+ students, I will train fellow SPE and NEX volunteers to explain SDG concepts simply, the same way I break down Chemical Engineering topics. This turns ENER-DUCATE from one person's outreach into a repeatable model other student volunteers can carry into their own communities.
Impact: How has your project created impact / made a difference so far? Or, if at an early stage, what will impact look like?
ENER-DUCATE is early stage, but it builds on impact I have already created. Through SPE sustainability outreaches to secondary schools, I have reached over 300 students so far, and it was during these outreaches that I saw the gap this project addresses firsthand, most recently when I informally surveyed 10 students aged 4 to 13 and found only 1 knew what the UN SDGs are. Through NSChE tutoring, I have also taught 70+ students, many of whom came back to tell me it helped them pass their exams, which is where I learned that simply explaining things clearly changes outcomes. What I hope ENER-DUCATE achieves: first, digital reach through 35 LinkedIn and WhatsApp posts covering all 17 SDGs. Second, and more importantly, in-person reach through the Energy 4 Me outreach structure and NEX volunteers, so instead of one person teaching, I am training a team to carry SDG awareness into more schools than I could reach alone, building on the 300+ students already reached.
Your Innovation: What is different about your project compared to other programs or solutions already out there? How is your project new or innovative?
Most SDG awareness efforts I have come across are either large-scale campaigns run by NGOs with paid staff, or one-off school visits that end once the visit is over. ENER-DUCATE is different in two ways. First, it does not build new infrastructure, it plugs into structures that already exist and are already trusted. Instead of founding a new outreach body and spending time seeking school permissions from scratch, I am embedding SDG content into SPE's existing "Energy 4 Me" outreach and mobilizing NEX, a network I co-founded, so the delivery system is already in place before the idea even started. Second, it is designed as a train-the-trainer model, not a one-person campaign. Rather than being the sole person teaching, I am using my tutoring experience with 70+ students to train SPE and NEX volunteers to explain the SDGs simply. This means the outreach can keep expanding into more schools even without me personally present at each one, which is different from most youth-led initiatives that stay limited to what one founder can physically reach. The digital layer is also built for spread rather than just posting. WhatsApp status content, unlike a single social media post, is designed to be reposted by whoever sees it, so awareness moves outward through people's existing networks rather than staying contained to my own page. Combined, this turns awareness building from a single person's effort into a repeatable model other student leaders could adopt in their own chapters or communities.
How many people are on your team?
1
Your team: What role(s) do your team members play? How do you share leadership with them?
Right now, I am the sole founder. As ENER-DUCATE grows, I want to bring in SPE LASU's Energy 4 Me volunteers to co-lead school outreaches, and NEX members to help manage the digital campaign, since NEX already handles community engagement. I would share leadership by having each group own a lane, in-person delivery or digital reach, and I would train them using the same simplifying approach I use as a tutor, so decisions on content and outreach are not bottlenecked through me alone.
What’s Next: What are the next steps you plan to take to grow or strengthen your project over the next year? If your project is still in the idea stage, describe the steps you will take over the next three months to launch or begin developing it.
Since ENER-DUCATE is still at the idea stage, here are my next three months: Month 1: Launch the digital phase. Publish the 18-day LinkedIn series introducing ENER-DUCATE and covering each SDG, then run the 17-day WhatsApp status series. Alongside this, formally pitch the idea to SPE LASU's Energy 4 Me team and NEX, to secure their buy-in and agree on how ENER-DUCATE content fits into Energy 4 Me's existing school outreach structure. Month 2: Build the delivery team. Recruit and train a small group of SPE and NEX volunteers using the same simplifying approach I use in tutoring, so they can confidently explain the SDGs to secondary school students. Also finalize a simple outreach format: what gets taught, materials needed, and how long each session runs, so it can be repeated across schools. Month 3: Run the first outreaches. Deliver ENER-DUCATE sessions in at least 2 to 3 secondary schools through the Energy 4 Me structure, using the trained volunteer team. Collect feedback from students and volunteers to refine the content and delivery, and track how many students are reached, so I have real numbers to show growth beyond this application. By the end of three months, the goal is to move ENER-DUCATE from an idea I hold alone into a small, repeatable program that other SPE and NEX volunteers can help carry forward.
How do you encourage other people to join your project or learn about the problem you’re working on? If you have a new idea, tell us how you will do this in the future.
So far, engagement has been informal since ENER-DUCATE is new. The 10-student survey I ran was itself a form of engagement; it opened conversations with those students and their teachers about the SDGs, and talking through the idea with SPE and NEX peers has already sparked interest in getting involved once it launches. Going forward, I plan to activate others in two ways. First, through storytelling: my LinkedIn and WhatsApp content will not just explain the SDGs, it will document the project itself, so people watching can see how to start something similar and ask to join. Second, through direct recruitment inside spaces I already lead: as Academic Director of SPE LASU and a Founding Executive of NEX, I have direct access to volunteers already showing up weekly for Petrobowl prep and community activities. Rather than recruiting strangers, I will invite people already demonstrating commitment to get involved in something adjacent to what they already do. I will also make joining low friction, one training session using my tutoring approach, then volunteers can co-lead an outreach, so people see a clear, quick path from hearing about ENER-DUCATE to actively shaping it.
