Country of Residence
Nigeria
Age
19
Project title
Work It Out
Project Summary: Describe your project in one sentence
Work It Out is a free youth program that helps young people, including primary and secondary school students and community youths, to discover their purpose, build leadership, communication, teamwork and life skills, and learn practical digital skills and eco crafts. Through training, group activities, debates and creative projects, participants turn what they learn into action, create solutions to social and environmental problems, and use their voices to make a difference in their communities.
Website URL(s) or social media handles.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pvyfoundation?stkn=MTZxenJrMTd1Nm9nOA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pvyfoundation?_r=1&_d=f23kh2e8k2e1gd&sec_. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pvyfoundation/
Project Category
My project is an existing project that I started
Project Stage
Growth (We’ve moved past the very first activities and are beginning to have consistent weekly or monthly impact)
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 registered my foundation in December 2025, in January 2026, my team and I started visiting schools through our Wake-up School Outreach Program. As we visited schools, I noticed a need. Many students did not know about the Sustainable Development Goals, and many needed support to build confidence, public speaking and leadership skills. They were curious about how they could use their talents to create solutions to problems around them. We could not reach more schools because the school session times clashed with our university schedules. We needed longer training. I was surprised by how the students responded after our outreaches. We taught them how to make crafts from used cartons, and they would ask for our contacts so we could mentor them, ask what else they could create, and want to learn more. I realised two hours was not enough. They were curious and wanted more. They needed time and space to practise. I did not want students to leave with notes and knowledge. I wanted them to take action, learn leadership and life skills, and turn knowledge into action by creating centre tables from old tyres, picture frames from used cartons and AI videos that raise awareness about social issues. That realization led me to create Work It Out Training Program and Exhibition Day, where young people could learn, create and see they can contribute to solving problems around them.
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve? Why does it matter to you and your community?
Many young people in my community in Kaduna want to be great and make a difference, but many are confused about where to start. We spend time in classrooms learning Mathematics and English but some students still do not know their purpose or how they can use what they learn to help make a difference in their communities. I also noticed that many young people lack the skills to turn their ideas into action. They may have good ideas, but they are not confident enough to speak about them. They struggle with public speaking, communication, teamwork, emotional intelligence and other leadership skills. They also have limited opportunities to learn practical and digital skills that can help them create solutions. This matters to me because I believe young people do not have to wait until they graduate from university before they can make an impact. Before someone becomes a lawyer, doctor, or anything else, they are already a young person with a voice. They can speak up for a classmate being bullied, raise awareness about an issue or work with others to solve a problem today. Kaduna and Nigeria have many issues that need young people to be part of the solution, from waste pollution to unemployment. I have also tried to create small solutions in my community and realised that I cannot do everything alone. We need more young people to rise with purpose and skills to make impact.
Your Solution: How are you solving this problem? Share your specific solution.
I am solving this problem through the Work It Out Training Program and Exhibition Day, a free two-week holiday program where young people learn purpose, leadership and life skills, while also gaining practical and digital skills they can use to create solutions From August 10–21, 2026, my team and I trained 133 students with the help of lecturers, the Nigerian Red Cross Society, a senior nurse at psychiatric hospital and other professionals. They learnt about purpose discovery, leadership, the SDGs, social-emotional intelligence, human rights, climate action, entrepreneurship, career awareness, first aid, mental wellness, public speaking and debates. We did not want them to only sit and listen. We made them practise. They took part in debates and impromptu speaking, wrote and presented poems and spoken words, and worked in groups. They were encouraged to improve their work and try again, helping them build confidence, communication, teamwork and resilience. We also taught them how to turn knowledge into action. They made centre tables from old tires, picture frames from used cartons with messages about peace, child rights and climate action, and AI videos raising awareness on social issues particularly on disability inclusion, youth empowerment, gender equality and proper waste management. The training ended with an Exhibition Day on August 29, where the students presented their work, poems, spoken words and a debate to over 300 people, including parents, partners and invited guests, where they demonstrated their confidence and public speaking that have been built We are continuing the work through the Work It Out Club series and our podcast, giving the students more opportunities to learn, practice their skills and share what they have learnt with others
Impact: How has your project created impact / made a difference so far? Or, if at an early stage, what will impact look like?
So far, Work It Out has trained 133 students from different government and private schools. 91 students who consistently attended, participated and engaged throughout the program completed the training. Beyond the numbers, I saw changes in the students. Some came shy and struggled to speak clearly or structure their thoughts. Through constant practice in public speaking, debates, poems and spoken words, they became more confident, communicated more clearly and learnt to think critically and respond on their feet. They also learnt how to work with others and respect different ideas. Through purpose discovery, many students began to understand that they do not have to wait until they become adults or professionals before they can make a difference. They can use their voice, knowledge and skills to help solve problems now. The impact was also seen in what they created. Students made centre tables from old tyres, picture frames from used cartons and AI videos raising awareness about disability inclusion, youth empowerment, gender equality and proper waste management. They learnt how to repurpose waste and use digital tools to raise awareness on social issues. They also learnt about the SDGs, child rights, human rights, first aid and practical skills. Most importantly, they are taking the knowledge back to their schools and sharing it with their friends and classmates.
Your Innovation: What is different about your project compared to other programs or solutions already out there? How is your project new or innovative?
What makes Work It Out different is that we are not just organizing a training where young people sit, listen, take notes and leave. We first went to schools through our Wake-Up School Outreaches, talked with students and got to know their interests. We realised that short school visits were not enough, so we created a two-week holiday program where they could learn, practise and create. Many programs focus mainly on theory or on teaching practical skills. We wanted to bring both together. Students developed their purpose, leadership, public speaking, teamwork and other life skills while also learning practical and digital skills they could use to create solutions. We taught students how to use AI to create videos, but not just for entertainment or random stories. They used AI to raise awareness about issues affecting their communities, including disability inclusion, youth empowerment, gender equality and proper waste management. Also, they did not just learn how to make picture frames from used cartons or centre tables from old tyres. They used these crafts to communicate messages about peace, inclusion, keeping the environment clean and protecting our planet. Making the eco-crafts also helped them practise teamwork, creativity and problem-solving. Our Exhibition Day gave students the chance to present what they had learnt and created to parents, partners and other community members. It allowed them to practise their public speaking, build confidence and show their growth. For me, Work It Out is different because we are not just teaching young people knowledge or a skill. We are helping them work out what they know into action, create solutions and use their voices to make a difference. The program is also free, so cost is not a barrier to participation
How many people are on your team?
6
Your team: What role(s) do your team members play? How do you share leadership with them?
Our core team is made up of 6 people, including me as Founder and Executive Director. Bishop Friday leads Community Engagement and Partnerships; Dorathy Gimbiya Bodam leads Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting; Armanni Ahmed Abraham leads Operations and Administration; Odo Moses Ojonugwa leads Media and Communications; and Nita Zugwai Daniel leads Training and Facilitation. Each head leads their department with volunteers, while we share ideas and responsibilities to ensure our programs success.
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 year, we want to grow Work It Out while keeping it free for young people. Our target is to reach at least 200 students, up from the 133 we reached this year. We will continue our Work It Out Club series so students can keep learning and practising beyond the main holiday program. We also plan to strengthen our existing partnerships with Kaduna State University, Kaduna Environmental Protection Authority, Nigerian Red Cross Society, Seven-Up Bottling Company, Milton College of Arts and Sciences and ChristHelp Studios, while building new partnerships with organisations such as the Ministry of Youth Development and digital companies like MTN. We want to expand the practical skills we offer. After teaching students to make centre tables from old tyres, we plan to teach them how to make chairs, swings, bookshelves and double-layer centre tables. We also want to introduce other vocational and musical skills like shoemaking and guitar We will also continue the Trailblazer Youths and Thriving Communities Podcast, where students can share what they have learnt, practise structuring their thoughts and communicating clearly, and inspire other young people through social media. This gives them a chance to use their voices and become role models while reaching a wider audience. Through school outreach and new school partnerships, we hope to reach more young people.
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.
We encouraged people to join by first going to them. From January to June, through our Wake-Up School Outreach, we visited four schools and engaged over 400 students. We spoke with them about purpose, leadership, social problems and how young people can make an impact, and shared examples of young people who are already creating change to help them see what is possible for them too. We did not stop at talking. We involved the students in activities where they worked together and used communication, teamwork and creativity to create solutions to social issues such as waste pollution and bullying. We also told them about Work It Out, where they could go deeper and learn practical and digital skills for free. Their interest was so high that although we initially planned for 100 students, we eventually trained 133 young people from different schools. We also encouraged partners to join by sharing our vision and showing them what we wanted the young people to learn and create. Six partners supported the program in different ways, including providing venues, training, first aid, photography and videography. We are still engaging the students through the Work It Out Club and our podcast, where they can share what they have learnt, structure their thoughts and inspire other young people. We also use social media and our WhatsApp community to keep people informed and connected.
