Age
14
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?
My spark began in JSS1 when Miss Adejoke, a Teach For Nigeria Fellow, introduced us to waste management. Before then, I mostly saw plastic bottles, bottle caps, cartons, and old materials as things to throw away. Her lessons made me pause and see them differently. I began wondering, “What if this waste could become something useful?” At the same time, I noticed that many of my friends had creative interests but few opportunities to develop practical skills. I started experimenting with recycling and upcycling, trying to turn discarded materials into simple, useful, and beautiful things. I also began sharing what I was learning with friends. What really clicked for me was seeing how naturally other students became interested whenever I worked on a creative project. They would gather around, ask questions, and want to try it themselves. That made me realize that this could be more than a personal hobby. It could become a space where students learn by creating, while also learning to see waste differently. That moment gave me the idea for Rethink Creative Club: a student-led space where we can turn everyday waste into creativity, develop practical skills, and explore how those skills can create opportunities. I want to show other students that what we often throw away can have another life, and that their own creativity can have one too.
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.
I will activate others by making creativity something students can participate in, not just watch. I have already engaged 40+ students through informal training, demonstrations and peer learning. Students gather around my projects, practise what I teach and some come to my home to learn. I will build on this by creating simple roles within Rethink Creative Club. Students will help collect and sort reusable materials, learn creative skills, support demonstrations, teach peers and help display or sell finished products. I will encourage students to bring clean reusable materials from home and invite friends to join practical sessions. Students who master a skill will become peer facilitators and teach others, creating a chain of student-to-student learning. Teachers will support with space, guidance and school activities, while parents and community members can contribute materials, skills, mentorship or links to potential customers. We will also organise exhibitions during school events where students can display and, where permitted, sell their creations. This gives members a reason to participate and shows others what is possible. My goal is to move from one student creating, to students creating together, to students teaching and activating other students. That is how I want Rethink Creative Club to grow beyond me.
How many people are on your team?
1
Impact: How has your project created impact / made a difference so far? Or, if at an early stage, what will impact look like?
I have reached over 40 students directly through informal training in creative arts and upcycling, both at school and at home. My work has also reached the wider school community of over 600 students through creative projects and classroom beautification. During the third term of the 2025/2026 academic session, I worked with friends to support classrooms across my school to create at least one creative artwork for each classroom. We used materials such as PET bottle caps, cardboard, and other reusable materials to create designs that made the classrooms more welcoming while showing students that waste can become something useful. I am also regularly involved in creative artwork for school activities. I designed placards for our Mental Health Day and created eco-art for our African Child Day celebration. These activities allowed creativity to become part of how students communicated ideas and celebrated important school events. The most meaningful part has been the students who gather around me when I am working. They ask questions, practice what they see and, in some cases, come to my home to learn. Rethink Creative Club will build on this existing momentum by giving these activities
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
Rethink Creative Club turns everyday waste into useful, beautiful products while teaching secondary students practical creative and entrepreneurial skills. Starting at Yewa Secondary School, Igbogila, we upcycle plastic bottles, bottle caps, cartons and other materials into eco-art, beautiful decor and functional items, while training students in beadwork, Adire, knitting and cardboard crafts. The goal is simple: reduce waste, build skills and turn creativity into opportunity.
Project title
Rethink Creative Club
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve? Why does it matter to you and your community?
At Igbogila, Yewa North, Ogun State, waste such as plastic bottles, papers, cartons, bottle caps, and old materials can become litter instead of useful resources. This is part of a wider challenge: UNEP reports that the world generated about 400 million tonnes of plastic waste in 2024, while the World Bank estimates Nigeria generates at least 1.5 million tonnes of plastic waste annually. Recycling and recovery systems don't capture everything, especially in communities like mine, where resources and awareness of waste management are limited. At the same time, many students spend their free time without access to structured opportunities to develop practical creative skills. The problem is therefore two-sided: waste is treated as something to throw away, while young people who could learn to create useful products have limited opportunities to practice. This matters because students need learning that connects school to real-life problem-solving, creativity and future livelihoods. UNESCO highlights practical skills, creativity and problem-solving as relevant to decent work and entrepreneurship. Rethink Creative Club responds to both needs by helping students see waste as a resource and creativity as a skill they can develop and potentially use to earn income.
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, with guidance and support from the school administration, I will move from informal training to a structured club. First, I will work with the school to agree on club membership, meeting times, safety guidelines, and a simple leadership structure. Second, I will recruit interested students, with deliberate inclusion of girls and students who want practical skills. Third, I will run introductory sessions on waste sorting, safety, recycling, and upcycling, followed by practical training in Adire, beadwork, knitting, and cardboard crafts. Fourth, students will form small teams to develop products from collected materials. We will document attendance, skills learnt, materials reused and products created. Finally, we will organise a small school exhibition where students can display their work, receive feedback and, where permitted, sell selected products. I will also seek support from teachers, local creatives, recycling organisations and other partners who can provide mentorship, materials or market connections. The long-term goal is a sustainable student-led club that can continue beyond my direct involvement.
Your Innovation: What is different about your project compared to other programs or solutions already out there? How is your project new or innovative?
Rethink Creative Club is designed for the reality of a rural community where waste management and recycling knowledge is very limited. The project does not depend on expensive equipment or a specialised workshop. Students will work with materials they can easily find around them, including PET bottles, bottle caps, cartons, old clothes and other reusable materials. Simple, affordable tools such as adhesive, scissors and cutting tools will be used to transform these materials into useful and decorative products. What makes the project different is that it connects waste management, creativity and income generation in one student-led model. Students will first learn how to identify, collect, and safely reuse suitable waste. They will then learn creative skills such as beadwork, Adire, knitting, cardboard craft and upcycling. Instead of stopping at learning, students will create products that can be displayed and sold during school events, anniversaries and within their communities. The model also uses peer learning. Students who develop a skill can teach others, allowing knowledge to spread beyond the club. I have already trained over 40 friends informally, showing that students can learn from one another when given the opportunity. Most importantly, the project changes the question from “Where do we throw this away?” to “What can we create from this?” It gives students a practical way to respond to waste in their community while developing a skill that can potentially become a source of income.
Your Solution: How are you solving this problem? Share your specific solution.
Rethink Creative Club will be a student-led structured school club. Students will meet regularly to learn, practise, create and showcase products made from recyclable, reusable and locally available materials. Training will cover beadwork, Adire (tie and dye), knitting, cardboard craft, recycling and upcycling. We will collect suitable waste materials such as PET bottles, bottle caps, and cartons, clean and sort them, then redesign them into eco-art, functional or decorative products. Examples include pen holders, placards, classroom décor, bracelets, bags, necklaces and other useful items. I will lead practical demonstrations and peer-to-peer learning, building on the over 40 friends I have already trained. Students will work in small creative teams, document what they make, and display products during school events, anniversaries and approved community activities. Where appropriate, finished products can be sold, with proceeds helping students recover material costs and support club activities. The club will combine environmental action with practical skill development, creativity, teamwork and basic entrepreneurship. Progress will be tracked through membership, training attendance, products created, waste materials reused, and students who can independently demonstrate a skill.
Your team: What role(s) do your team members play? How do you share leadership with them?
I currently lead the project, designing and demonstrating creative activities, training students, coordinating materials, and guiding peer learning. As the club becomes formally established, I plan to involve student members as peer facilitators, materials coordinators, documentation leads, and sales/showcase leads.
