Request for Applications: Youth Action Labs (Nigeria)

The academy uses a mix of workshops, long readings, seminars, role plays, and team projects led by leading expert facilitators and experienced mentors. The residential model allows participants to focus on connecting, intense learning and collective solutioning in a focused learning and collaborative environment.

The Youth Action Labs convenes a special co-creating, solutioning sessions of young Nigerians who are actively interested in lending their voice and representation to improve citizen engagement and participation. YAL targets a diverse group of student leaders, youth leaders, student activists, journalists, tech enthusiasts, community builders and change leaders who have the potential to influence their peers and advance participatory democracy and social change using the power of technology, media and the law.

Each YAL session presents a focused and facilitated learning and solutioning opportunity that utilizes a three-step process of ideation, solutioning and activation. Participants are supported by post sessions through a virtual community and engagement. The YAL is presented under different cohorts, each cohort session is designed to provide the best collaborative and co-creation, learning and solutioning experience for the participants.

Benefits

• Certificate of Accomplishment – Certified Social Justice Advocate.
• Access to personalized mentorship and coaching and access to the Community Impact Accelerator (CIA) Fellowship – (offered through their partner organization on a case by case assessment with additional eligibility)
• Access to Monthly Social Impact Connect – Capacity Development Program – for up to six months.
• Complimentary Membership of the Global Leaders Connect Network – a dedicated leadership community got transformational leaders and social change leaders – upto 12 months initial membership.
• Youth Action Lab – Impact Community Activator Designation – Community Activator Access to the Youth Action Do
• Something Social Impact Virtual Community. A virtual community of and for student leaders, changemakers, community leaders, change leaders, activists, social impact enthusiasts and anyone interested in and working on social change
• Membership of the SJA/YAL Community Impact and Change Enablers Alumni Network
• Complementary Access to Social Impact Career Activator Virtual Bootcamp (offered by their partner organization)

Specialization Offerings

• Media for Development
  • For emerging and experienced social justice advocates, media professionals and other stakeholders interested in exploring how to leverage the media for social change.
  • Cohort will focus on using new media tools – social media, podcasting, documentaries, short stories, traditional media and related tools for advocating for social change.
• Tech for Development
  • For emerging and experienced social justice advocates, tech enthusiasts, youth leaders and other stakeholders interested in using technology tools to activate social justice and advance social change.
  • Cohort will focus on technology tools and create new tech enabled social justice solutions that leverages digital technology including AI, data and other traditional technologies to advance social justice.
• Law and Human Rights
  • For newly qualified legal practitioners and social justice advocates exploring to commit to a career in human rights and policy change.
  • Cohort will focus on the emerging strategies, key tools as well as opportunities and challenges in advancing social change and delivering systemic change through the power and instrumentation of the Judiciary to advance social change.

Eligibility Criteria

• The YAL/SJA sessions are ideal for high potential emerging social justice advocates, youth community leaders, early or mid-career social impact professionals or founders.
• Their ideals candidates will have some track records of community engagement, leadership and influencing potential, they will be motivated, passionate and interested in advancing social justice and democracy using media, technology and the law.
• The program is designed as an activator for emerging leaders who are looking to acquire additional capabilities, expanding the community, access mentorships and resources.
• They are particularly interested in recruiting student leaders, youth leaders, emerging community leaders and changemakers who have already established some interest in social change and cultivated some form of followership and interest in activating and advancing democracy in Nigeria.
• Must not be more than 35 years old as of June 2025
• Must have proven record of leadership in the social justice/social impact/social change/community leadership/activism space – tis can be established with a wide range of experiences and engagements in community building, social entrepreneurship, community leadership etc.
• Must demonstrate considerable experience or interest in the chosen SJA/YAL cohort offering.
• Must be available to travel to Abuja for the 3 Days YAL/SJA Bootcamp – Media for Dev (May 2025), Tech for Development (June 2025) and Law and Human Rights (July 2025). Travel and accommodation expenses will be covered by them.
• Must be appropriated resourced (digital resources – laptop/phone/internet connection) to attend series of virtual trainings and community engagement sessions for up to 3 months after the bootcamp.

For more information, visit Citizen Commons International.