Age
7
Country of Residence
Nigeria
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?
Many students in my school want to learn practical skills, but learning a skill outside school can be difficult when training costs money and families already have other expenses to handle. I don't think students should have to wait until after secondary school to start learning practical skills. We already spend years in school, and we can use that time to discover what we are good at and develop skills that can be useful later in life. I wanted to create a space where students could learn different skills, practise together, and use what they learn to create something useful. I also wanted the learning to go beyond the students themselves by giving them opportunities to use their skills to help people around them. That is how G.A.S. came about. The idea is simple: learn a skill, create something with it and find a way to serve someone with what has been learnt. The project will start small and grow based on the skills students are interested in learning and what is useful in our communities. My goal is to help students leave secondary school with more than academic knowledge. I want them to also have practical abilities they can continue developing.
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.
G.A.S. will encourage students to join by showing them that they do not need to be experts before they can learn a skill or contribute to something useful. Students will first be introduced to the need for practical skills and given the opportunity to share the skills they would like to learn. They can then choose how they want to contribute, whether through training, production, communication, documentation, organising or community outreach. The practical activities will make participation more meaningful. Students will not only listen to talks. They will learn, practise, create and work with others. Students who already have useful skills can also teach their peers. Exhibitions and the products created will help show other students what is possible and encourage them to join future activities. Community service will also show that the purpose of learning a skill is not only personal benefit but also being able to create or do something useful for someone else. G.A.S. will grow through student ownership. Students who join today can become peer teachers, team leaders and mentors who introduce others, share what they know and help organise future activities.
How many people are on your team?
3
Impact: How has your project created impact / made a difference so far? Or, if at an early stage, what will impact look like?
G.A.S. has not started yet, so these are the changes the project aims to achieve in its first three months. At least more than 20 students will participate, with the aim that each participant can demonstrate a practical skill learnt through the project and explain how they can continue developing it. G.A.S. also aims to increase students’ confidence in creating things, working in teams and taking responsibility for practical tasks. Participant feedback will be used to assess these changes. Students who already have useful skills will have opportunities to teach others, helping create a culture where students see themselves as both learners and people who can contribute. At least some participants will also take leadership responsibilities during the first activities. Through community service, students will begin to understand that a practical skill can have value beyond personal benefit and can be used to create or provide something useful for someone else. Over time, G.A.S. aims to help more students leave secondary school with practical abilities, experience and the confidence to keep developing what they have learnt.
Project Category
My project is a brand new / emerging idea
Project Stage
Idea (We’re hoping to get started in the future)
Project Summary: Describe your project in one sentence
Get a Skill (G.A.S.) Initiative helps Nigerian secondary school students learn practical skills, create useful products, and use what they learn to serve their communities.
Project title
Get a Skill (G.A.S.) Initiative
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve? Why does it matter to you and your community?
Nigeria has a large and growing population, while formal employment opportunities remain limited. Many young people leave secondary school and university hoping to find jobs, but education does not always lead directly to employment. This makes it important for young people to develop practical abilities alongside their education. Many students in my school also want to learn practical skills, but training outside school can cost money that some families cannot easily afford. Some students may finish secondary school without discovering a skill they enjoy or can continue developing. If students do not get opportunities to learn and practise practical skills early, they may leave school with academic knowledge but little experience of creating, making or providing something useful. They may also miss the chance to discover abilities that could support them later in life. The problem is not that students do not want to learn. It is that affordable opportunities to learn practical skills are not always available to them while they are still in school.
Website URL(s) or social media handles.
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.
In the first three months of G.A.S. launching, the focus will be on building the student team, introducing the first skill, testing the learning model and putting it into practice. Our first Month: Interested students will be introduced to G.A.S., its goals, and the available roles. The team will be formed, responsibilities will be shared, and students will help identify skills they would like to learn. Second Month: The first practical training will take place, beginning with soap making and other skills based on students' interests. Students will practise the skill in teams and learn how to work together to create a product. Third Month: Students will apply what they have learnt through team production and a first community service activity. A small exhibition will also give students an opportunity to display and explain what they created. After the first activities, participants will give feedback on what worked and what needs to be improved. Students who already have useful skills will also be encouraged to share them with others. G.A.S. will grow through student ownership. Students who join today will be supported to become peer teachers, team leaders and mentors who can help new students learn, organise activities and keep the initiative growing.
Your Innovation: What is different about your project compared to other programs or solutions already out there? How is your project new or innovative?
Practical skills are already taught in many places. What makes G.A.S. different is that it brings practical learning into the secondary school environment and connects it with student leadership, peer learning and community service. Many young people start looking for practical skills after leaving school or when they are already thinking about employment. G.A.S. starts earlier, giving students more time to practise, make mistakes, improve and discover what they are capable of. Another difference is that students will not only receive training. A student who becomes good at a skill can teach another student, while students can also work together to create something and decide how it can be useful to others. This makes the students part of the learning system rather than only participants. G.A.S. also does not depend on one particular skill. One school may begin with soap making, while another may choose catering, fashion, digital skills, crafts or another skill that fits its students and community. The model can therefore adapt to different places without losing its purpose. The project connects three stages that are often treated separately: learning a skill, creating something with it and using it to serve someone else. G.A.S. is designed so that students can gradually move from learners to peer teachers, team members and leaders. This creates a model that can grow through the students themselves and be adapted by other schools and communities.
Your Solution: How are you solving this problem? Share your specific solution.
G.A.S. will create a structured, student-led skills platform where secondary school students can learn practical skills, practise them, create useful products or services and use what they learn to serve others. The project will begin with a practical skill and hands-on training, followed by team practice where students apply what they have learnt. Soap making will be the first activity, but G.A.S. will not be limited to soap making. Students will help choose other skills based on their interests and what is useful in their communities. Students who already have useful skills can also teach others, creating a cycle of peer-to-peer learning. This means students can be learners in one activity and teachers or mentors in another. G.A.S. will organise practical training, team production, skill-sharing sessions, community service and exhibitions where students can show what they have learnt and created. The project will also help students understand how different skills can be useful beyond the training. Depending on the skill, students may create products, provide simple services or use their abilities to support people in their communities. Students will have defined responsibilities in areas such as training, production, communication, documentation, membership and community outreach, with guidance from the project coordinator and trusted adults where needed. The model is simple: Learn a Skill. Create Something. Serve Someone. The goal is to give students practical experience they can continue developing, while helping them see that what they learn can be useful to other people.
Your team: What role(s) do your team members play? How do you share leadership with them?
G.A.S. is currently at the development stage and is building a student team for the launch. The structure will include roles for training, production, communication, documentation, membership and community outreach. A project coordinator will oversee the teams and keep activities aligned with G.A.S. goals. Students will have specific responsibilities and opportunities to lead, with guidance from trusted adults where needed.
