Country of Residence

Nigeria

Age

18

Project title

Youth Voices for Peace and Governance

Project Summary: Describe your project in one sentence

Youth Voices for Peace and Governance is a youth-led initiative that equips Nigerians aged 18–25 with practical civic knowledge, dialogue, peacebuilding and digital skills so they can participate meaningfully in governance and help prevent conflict in their communities.

Website URL(s) or social media handles.

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?

The idea came from my growing interest in peacebuilding, democracy and how young people can contribute to solving problems in their communities. Through my learning and internship experience in development and peacebuilding, I noticed that young people are often encouraged to vote or attend programmes, but are not always given practical ways to engage decision-makers or turn their concerns into solutions. That made me ask: what if young people had a simple, safe space to learn how governance works, discuss issues affecting them, engage public officials and design small peacebuilding actions themselves? That became the starting point for Youth Voices for Peace and Governance. I want to build a project that treats young people not only as beneficiaries of peace and governance programmes, but as people who can actively shape them.

The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve? Why does it matter to you and your community?

Many young Nigerians care about what happens in their communities, but meaningful participation in governance can feel distant or difficult. Young people may lack practical knowledge about how public institutions work, how to communicate concerns to decision-makers, how to advocate peacefully, or how to respond to misinformation and political tension. At the same time, insecurity, social exclusion, unemployment, misinformation and distrust can increase frustration and division. This matters to me because I believe young people should have constructive ways to influence issues that affect their lives. When young people have knowledge, confidence and safe opportunities to participate, they can help solve problems peacefully instead of feeling excluded from decisions that affect them.

Your Solution: How are you solving this problem? Share your specific solution.

Youth Voices for Peace and Governance will start as a practical pilot for young Nigerians aged 18–25. First, I will organize a youth civic and peace learning session covering democracy, governance, civic rights and responsibilities, peaceful participation, advocacy, conflict prevention, misinformation and the Youth, Peace and Security agenda. Participants will then identify issues affecting their communities and learn how to turn concerns into practical recommendations or small actions. The project will create youth dialogue sessions where participants can engage community leaders, public officials or civil society actors. I will also use social media to share simple civic and peacebuilding messages and encourage respectful, informed participation online. Participants will be supported to develop small youth-led community activities such as dialogue, civic education, anti-hate-speech awareness or social cohesion activities. I will document lessons and results so the model can be improved and expanded.

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 is currently at the idea stage, so I am not claiming impact that has not happened yet. For the pilot, I aim to directly engage a first group of young people aged 18–25 in learning, dialogue and practical civic activities. I would measure impact through pre- and post-session feedback, changes in participants’ knowledge and confidence, the number of youth who take part in dialogue or community activities, the recommendations produced, and the number of people reached through digital content. I also want participants to leave with a clearer understanding of how they can engage public institutions peacefully and contribute to their communities. The longer-term impact would be a group of young people who are more informed, confident and willing to act as positive contributors to peace and democratic participation.

Your Innovation: What is different about your project compared to other programs or solutions already out there? How is your project new or innovative?

The project is different because it moves beyond one-off civic education. It connects learning directly to action. Young people will not only listen to speakers; they will identify issues, prepare questions or recommendations, engage others and test small community solutions. It also brings democracy and peacebuilding together rather than treating them as separate topics. Another important part is the digital component. Young Nigerians already use social media to discuss politics and social issues, so the project will use those spaces to promote responsible participation, media awareness, respectful disagreement and peace. The model is intentionally small and practical at the beginning, making it easier to learn what works, document it and adapt it for other youth groups, universities and communities.

How many people are on your team?

2

Your team: What role(s) do your team members play? How do you share leadership with them?

Our team currently has two young people, including me as the project lead. I coordinate the overall project, including planning, research, partnerships and implementation. My teammate supports participant engagement, communications, activity coordination and documentation. We share ideas and make key decisions together. As the project develops, we may involve additional volunteers or advisers with experience in peacebuilding, civic education and community engagement, while keeping the project y

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 plan to turn the idea into a small pilot. First, I will refine the curriculum and simple project materials, identify a pilot community or university setting, and recruit a small group of young participants. I will then organize the first learning and dialogue session and use participant feedback to improve the model. After that, I will support participants to develop one or two small peace or civic engagement activities and document what happens. I also plan to build relationships with youth organizations, universities, civil society groups and relevant community or public officials who can provide technical support or safe spaces for dialogue. I will track participation, learning and outcomes and use the lessons to strengthen the project for future funding and expansion.

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.

Because the project is still at the idea stage, my first step will be to make the issue easy for young people to understand and connect it to problems they already care about. I will use social media, university networks, youth groups and personal outreach to invite young people to take part. I will encourage participants to bring friends and share what they learn through short, simple digital content. During activities, young people will be given real roles such as identifying community issues, preparing questions, creating awareness materials or helping organize dialogue. I also want to create a small peer network so participation continues after the first event. The goal is to make people feel that they are contributors to the project, not just an audience.