Age
17
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?
I have seen a lot of students with brilliant ideas and most times, they don’t get implemented because they couldn’t find someone who believed in the vision of the idea or they didn’t hear about an opportunity that could make them heard. I also struggled with this at some point until I got to meet some certain persons who opened my eyes, this was when I realized that I must pay it forward and ensure no dream is lost because of lack of engagement or validation
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, I've engaged people in two ways: direct organizing and content. Through the first meetup we had in my campus, I brought together 20 registered attendees, and used a Water Promise Wall to turn attendance into a personal commitment. People didn't just listen, they signed up for an action. As Marketing & Outreach Director at Techbridge, I already run outreach for a youth education nonprofit, and I also produce video content for different organizations I have volunteered with, which I will use to make this initiative visible beyond people I meet in person. I'm also active in the Planeteer Alliance and Zero Plastic Straw Community, which gives me a network of climate-active young people I can pull in as early members, mentors or guest speakers. Going forward, I will activate others by: Recruiting faculty reps who promote the initiative within their own departments, so growth doesn't depend on me alone. Using short-form video content to explain real campus climate problems and show what teams are building, not just announce events. Giving early members visible roles, like leading a session or mentoring a new team, so the people I bring in become the ones bringing in others.
How many people are on your team?
5
Impact: How has your project created impact / made a difference so far? Or, if at an early stage, what will impact look like?
The project has been running for some months now, we have organized a meetup on helping youths recognize the issues in their environment on how they can make a difference even at an individual scale, we were able to gather 20 young people and the feedback we got was that, more of these opportunities should be opened for youths, as the conversations we had were very necessary and relatable to everyday life. How would I measure impact? I would say, when we have been able to train individuals to look beyond the problems and actually see the solutions they could implement, so the goal is to change the mindset of an everyday Nigerian and help them through financing and bringing their projects to life
Project Category
My project is an existing project that I started
Project Stage
Pilot-Stage (We’ve tried an activity or two)
Project Summary: Describe your project in one sentence
A campus pipeline that takes students from ideas to funded, implemented projects.
Project title
Idea2Impact
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve? Why does it matter to you and your community?
Most people on my campus care for the environment, but very few know what to do with them. Many are waiting for the government to act, or have never seen where they could fit into the solution. Those who have ideas are stuck because no one ever taught them how to write a grant proposal or how to pitch to a panel of judges. This matters to me because, I have lived both sides of this, I remember when I got selected to pitch my solution to a panel, I was going through different videos and articles, it was so messy and there was no proper structure. I remember my heart pounding so hard because I wasn’t confident if I had prepared enough. In Lagos, floods, waste and water access are a daily reality and I believe students are the best people to work on the solutions. They just need the skills, knowledge and community to start
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.
Over the next three months, I will: Finalize the curriculum, covering environmental literacy, grant writing, pitching and project implementation, drawing on what I've learned from my own pitch competitions and applications. Recruit a founding team and at least one representative from [12] faculties, so the initiative is campus-wide from the start, not built around one department. Launch our first cohort of 30 students and run the first full cycle, from problem identification to a working pilot. Build on my existing network to bring in a mentor for the founding cohort Over the next year, I will: Support each team through at least one real submission, to a hackathon, pitch competition or grant, so the curriculum proves itself through outcomes, not just training. Formalize partnerships with NGOs or investors who can mentor teams or offer funding Document our results and use them to expand the initiative Apply for further funding, including future stages of this challenge, using our first cohort's results as evidence.
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 climate efforts on campus stop at awareness: a talk, a cleanup, a social media post. Most entrepreneurship initiatives teach pitching and grant writing, but they are not built around climate and environmental problems. Nobody on my campus connects the two, so students either learn about climate issues and do nothing with that knowledge, or learn business skills with no environmental focus. Our innovation is treating climate literacy as the start of a pipeline, not the end of one. We are combining environmental education with practical skills most students never get taught, like grant writing and pitching, and pointing all of it at one outcome: a running project. We are also solving the "one faculty" problem that most climate initiatives have. Because we recruit across faculties and build teams around what a project actually needs, a law student might work on policy, an engineer on the technical build, and a creative on communication. Climate work actually becomes the role of everyone because they can find how they fit into the context. Finally, we are building toward something most student climate clubs never become: a visible talent pipeline. NGOs, investors and competition organizers rarely know where to find capable, climate-conscious students on a specific campus. By helping our teams apply to hackathons, pitches and grants, we make UNILAG a place partners can find talent, not just a club that meets occasionally.
Your Solution: How are you solving this problem? Share your specific solution.
We are building a campus climate pipeline at University of Lagos that takes students from awareness to funded, running projects. It works in four stages: Learn. Short sessions on the environmental problems around us, like flooding, so students understand what is happening in their own environment, not just global issues Build skills. Hands-on training in grant writing, pitching and turning an idea into a sustainable project plan. Implement. Students form small teams, pick a real campus or community problem, and follow our curriculum from idea to working pilot. Get visible. We help teams apply to hackathons, pitch competitions and grants, and connect them with NGOs and investors looking for climate talent. To reach every part of campus, not just one faculty, we will recruit a representative from each faculty and pick problems that need different skills, so a law student, an artist and an engineer all have a role. We have already tested the first step. In June 2026 I organized a meetup on lack of access to clean water in Nigeria, The Ripple Effect, with 20 registered attendees. Through a Water Promise Wall, people committed to a personal action on water. That showed me that students are actually interested in having these conversations. Over time, this becomes a trusted community on campus where climate ideas get developed and where partners know to look for talent.
Your team: What role(s) do your team members play? How do you share leadership with them?
I don't have a formal team yet. I'm building this with support from Zero Plastic Straw Community, and the team will be: Curriculum Lead (myself and the NGO I partner with) — designs the program and training. Content & Outreach Lead — visibility and recruitment. Programs Manager — runs cohort logistics and team check-ins. Faculty Reps — one per department, extending reach. Leadership is shared by giving each person real ownership of their area and a voice in planning.
