Country of Residence
Nigeria
Age
20
Project title
Skill Up Beside School
Project Summary: Describe your project in one sentence
Helping students in my campus learn a real skill while still in school, so after graduation they have something to fall back on if a job doesn't come right away.
Website URL(s) or social media handles.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chosen-gen-oruche
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?
Me and two of my close friends have a small WhatsApp group, just three of us, we started it as a reading group where we give ourselves a timetable and ask each other questions about school work but with time it turned into something more because outside school each of us was already learning a skill on our own, one does data entry, the other does virtual assistant work and graphic design, and me I do community management and product work for tech, we did not plan it that way it just happened because deep down we all knew school alone is not enough, around the same time I started posting things about what I do on my LinkedIn and WhatsApp status and people I never even schooled with started messaging me asking how I do certain things, even my classmates started sliding into my DM to ask me questions, I never called myself a mentor but I noticed people really wanted this kind of help and nobody was giving it to them in a simple way, that was when it clicked to me that what my friends and I already do for ourselves could help a lot more students if we just gave it a small structure.
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve? Why does it matter to you and your community?
Many students on my campus focus only on their main course and don't think about building an extra skill while still in school, when they eventually graduate, some struggle to find work in their field, and only then start learning something new, years later than they should have, I've watched this happen to people around me, and I've also lived the other side of it, my friends and I built skills alongside our studies which is in high demand currently, instead of waiting to see what happens after graduation, some students only realise they need a backup skill after they've already left school, by then they're starting late and under pressure with nobody to guide them. The skills I and my friends have currently is preparing us in the outer and major space we find ourselves, not only health, but also in tech, digital spaces and Ai inclusion. It will really be a thing of interest where students are not just preparing for the outer world through their course alone, but they also have an added high skilled course at the same time. We are students building soft skills that will be relevant after school.
Your Solution: How are you solving this problem? Share your specific solution.
This is the solution, and it is good, take what me and my friends already do for ourselves and open it up to more students, it works both online and in person, online through WhatsApp, Telegram, and X groups where students ask questions and share what they're learning, and in person too, since me and my friends already gather during weekends or after classes to talk about digital skills, tech, and AI, we want to turn that same small gathering into something other students can join, for students that doesn't have a laptop or big device to practice on, we can teach them together using our own laptops first, then point them to places in school like the cyber cafe or computer center where they can go and practice what they've learned on their own, once a student learns something from us, we encourage them to turn around and teach or guide someone else, so the knowledge that we taught keeps moving instead of stopping with just the people we reach directly, doing it this way will not just be about me and my two friends only, I believe it can grow into a real community, and since it is mostly on WhatsApp, Telegram, and X, there's nothing stopping students from other schools from joining in and starting the same thing on their own campus too.
Impact: How has your project created impact / made a difference so far? Or, if at an early stage, what will impact look like?
Although as an early stage project, it has not been run as a real project yet so I do not have numbers, but the proof is already there in a small way, me and my two friends have been gathering informally during and after classes, and separately, students who saw what I post online have reached out to me asking me to guide them the same way, which I have been doing, if I put a small structure around this, both online and in person, I believe the same thing will happen but on a much bigger scale, starting with students on my campus to get real and simple guidance and hands on practice even without their own laptop, then growing into a wider community on WhatsApp, Telegram, and X, since it will be mostly online, I expect students from other schools to eventually join and even start the same thing on their own campus, long term I want students, not just only my campus but beyond it, to leave my school with something extra in their hands, so not having a job right away does not mean they have nothing to fall back on.
Your Innovation: What is different about your project compared to other programs or solutions already out there? How is your project new or innovative?
Some skill programs for students need fixed classes, fixed time, and often a laptop or device of your own, so that leaves out a lot of students who genuinely and really want to learn but can't afford the setup, what me and my friends do is fully different because it combines both online and physical support, online through WhatsApp, Telegram, and X where students ask questions anytime, and in person too, small gatherings during weekends or after classes where students without a laptop can learn alongside us using our own devices before practicing on their own at the school computer center, it's also different because we don't force everyone to learn the same skill, some go into harder skills, others into lighter ones, and once someone learns from us, we push them to teach someone else too, so it keeps spreading student to student and doesn't end with us, instead of depending only on the three of us, that same structure is also what makes it easy for students in other schools to pick up and run with on their own campus.
How many people are on your team?
3
Your team: What role(s) do your team members play? How do you share leadership with them?
There are three of us, I handle community and product work, and I am usually the one people come to first because I already do this on my own through my status and DM, one friend is good in data entry and helps students who want to go that way, the other does virtual assistant work and graphic design and guides students who like creative or admin skills, we also run the online spaces together, WhatsApp, Telegram, and X, and take turns showing up for the physical gatherings during weekends.
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 next three months I want to move this from something small between I, my friends and other students into something with real shape, first I will start a proper group on WhatsApp and Telegram just for this, separate from our own private group, so students on my campus can join freely, second each of us will put together very simple beginner guides for our own skill, and start holding small physical gatherings during weekends or after classes for anyone without a laptop to learn alongside us, then continue practicing on their own at the school computer center, third I will start sharing this more on purpose through status updates, Flyers and word of mouth, encouraging everyone who learns something to turn around and guide someone else too, so it keeps spreading student to student, I will also implement a referral system, the first 3 set of students to get 5 students each, will receive a prize from me, once this is steady on my own campus, the plan is to grow it beyond just my school, since it runs mostly online, students from other campuses across the country can easily join our WhatsApp, Telegram, and X community and start the same thing where they are.
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.
This has honestly been happening on its own already, students found me just from seeing what I post about my work, and started asking questions without me advertising anything, I plan to keep that same natural way, by sharing real examples of what each of us does, running physical gatherings for anyone who wants hands on help, implementing the referral system which I know will play a bigger part, since students love prizes and gifts attached to hardwork, and answering questions publicly online so other students can see and learn too, not only the one person who asked, once someone learns something from us we encourage them to teach someone else, so it keeps moving on its own, and since our WhatsApp, Telegram, and X community isn't limited to just my campus, the same word of mouth that worked once here can easily reach students in other schools too.
