RCE Minna - 2021

NIGERIAN RCE YOUTH LEADERSHIP RETREAT
CSV
Basic Information
Title of project : 
NIGERIAN RCE YOUTH LEADERSHIP RETREAT
Submitting RCE: 
RCE Minna
Contributing organization(s) : 
ROYAL INSTITUTE FOR TRAINING AND HUMAN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT
Focal point(s) and affiliation(s)
Name: 
Dr. Abdul Husaini
Organizational Affiliation: 
RCE Minna
E-mail: 
abdulhusaini@yahoo.com
Format of project: 
Report
Language of project: 
English
Date of submission:
Friday, October 15, 2021
Web link: 
www.rceminna.com.ng
Does this project link to any education and/or sustainable development policy or policies?: 
Yes
SDGs
At what level is the policy operating?: 
International
Geographical & Education Information
Region: 
Africa and Middle East
Country: 
Nigeria
Location(s): 
Niger State, Nigeria
Address of focal point institution for project: 
Minna, Nigeria
Ecosystem(s):
Agricultural
Target Audience:
Youth (Informal)
Socioeconomic and environmental characteristics of the area : 
Minna is a city (estimated population 304,113 in 2007) in west-central Nigeria. It is the capital of Niger State, one of Nigeria's 36 federal states. It consists of 2 major ethnic groups: the Nupe and the Gbagyi. The major activities of the local people is farming and hunting. Minna is about 150km to the capital city of Nigeria.
Description of sustainable development challenge(s) in the area the project addresses: 
Young people play a vital role in the development of any society due to their agility, flexibility, and number. The technological explosion and shrinking of the world into a global village where anything anywhere is everywhere, the youths, due to their resourcefulness and innovation are becoming more creative and visible. The young people across many countries are becoming more vocal and persistent in demanding for key roles, and economic space to contribute in the development of their society.
It is in realization of this and the need to provide RCE youth with opportunity to sharpen their thoughts and skills towards achieving a sustainable community that the Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE) Minna in collaboration with Royal Institute for Training and Human Capital Development is conveyed a retreat for a selected group of youths from within the 8 United Nations University Institute for the Advance studies of Sustainability (UNU-IAS) accredited Regional Centers of Expertise in Nigeria and young people of proven leadership qualities across Nigeria. The workshop was a 3 days programme covering areas such as Leadership, Environmental Sustainability, Volunteerism and Financial Literacy. The programme has as its Theme: Excelling in a disruptive Environment: The place of technology, information, innovation and partnership (TiiP).
Contents
Status: 
Completed
Period: 
September, 2021
Rationale: 
The need to crowd source young people that are making a difference in their communities in a world ravaged by COVID19 became a major concern. It is in realization of this and the need to provide young people, especially RCE youth, who are trained to act locally and think globally with opportunity to sharpen their thoughts and skills towards achieving a sustainable community, that the Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE) Minna in collaboration with Royal Institute for Training and Human Capital Development is conveyed a retreat for a selected group of youths from within the 8 United Nations University Institute for the Advance studies of Sustainability (UNU-IAS) accredited Regional Centers of Expertise in Nigeria and young people of proven leadership qualities across Nigeria. The workshop was a 3 days programme covering areas such as Leadership, Environmental Sustainability, Volunteerism and Financial Literacy. The programme has as its Theme: Excelling in a disruptive Environment: The place of technology, information, innovation and partnership (TiiP).
Objectives: 
i. To entrench in the participants the concept of responsible leadership and selfless community service.
ii. To strengthened Youth engagement in building resilience in their communities through training in areas of Volunteerism and Community Development.
iii. To create a network of youth of like minds across the country through shared knowledge and opportunity for interaction during the period of the workshop.
iv. To empower youths on TiiP in 21st century Leadership quest.
Activities and/or practices employed: 
The programme was a three (3) days retreat covering class room activities, field/physical health activities, case presentations by each participants, Lecture Presentation by Guest Speakers and group work. Each classroom session lasted for an hour including questions and discussions. Participants were assigned field responsibility to create an innovative activity that can be stepped down in their various communities. The participants were meant to send in their reflections about the programme. A follow up evaluation have been set up for the participants to share their activities after the programme.
Size of academic audience: 
50
Results: 
The retreat provided an opportunity for the youth and faculty members to interact and kick start a conversation about the need for a paradigm shift from redundancy to a more proactive and purposeful drive towards achieving the desired development in our various community, hence, the following major outcomes were recorded:
1. The need for young people to understand and join the conversation around global challenges, regarding the issues of affordable housing, infrastructure, climate change and levels of inequalities.
2. The need to remove the mindset of scarcity and competition between various generations and deep-dive into the curiosity of creating a future of "shared collaborative abundance".
3. Young people should also explore the option of collaborative action within their cycle as against the urge to always come up with new start-ups, NGOs and Advocacy groups. This will enhance their outreach and aid in providing short, medium and long term sustainable solutions in their communities.
4. The Youth should as matter of importance equip themselves with necessary skills to excel in the fourth industrial revolution in Africa; they must be prepared to take opportunities available for their generation, this will happen irrespective of their field of study. They must equip themselves with a skill to overcome the challenges of unemployment and poor governance.
5. The need for young people to explore volunteering opportunities even before concluding their studies in the university so as to obtain work experience and build their capacity for the development of their communities.
6. The effects of climate has become devastating and it has become mandatory for youth to take deliberate action towards mitigating the effects of climate change and (planting of trees, encouraging reuse, reduce and recycling, enlightenment campaigns) and speaking out so government can pass laws that will safeguard our climate and environmental.
7. Young people must be open to new ideas and mentorship that will make them take better and more informed decisions through the use of verified data to understand the causes of global challenges and how it can be solved both locally and globally.
Lessons learned: 
The programme serve as an opportunity for shared knowledge for the participant and faculty members, a lot of important lessons were shared across all sectors, and this has afforded participants the opportunity to learn from both the faculty members and their peers alike. The project has open up conversations around nation building with specific roles for young people.
Key messages: 
The retreat has provided an opportunity for RCE Minna and Royal Institute for Training and Human Capital Development to consider making the project a National Fellowship Programme that will serve as platforms for building the capacity of Young Leaders who will in turn become policy drivers and makers in Nigeria with a purposeful drive for community development. Generally, the retreat serves as an eye opener and has triggered conversation around policy, governance, social development and human capital development among others. The future is invariably set for the youth especially with the explosive growth in IT/Technology but the youth equally need to utilise and align the potentials with core social values & ambitions for a sustainable growth.
Relationship to other RCE activities: 
Interestingly, 4 RCEs in Nigeria participated at the event. This has further demonstrated the essence of collaboration and partnership among RCEs. RCE Minna has provided an opportunity for this to thrive. In that regards, the idea of the project can be replicated with other RCEs across the Nation and world.
Funding: 
The project was funded by Royal Institute for Training and Human Capital Development and RCE Minna.

Pictures:

File Name Caption for picture Photo Credit
Image icon IMG_20210919_102727.jpg (3.51 MB) Participants Presenting Certificate to Director Royal Institute RCE Minna
Image icon IMG_20210918_121528.jpg (3.89 MB) Group Photo of Participants and Faculty Members RCE Minna
Image icon IMG_20210918_090932.jpg (3.93 MB) Participants Listening to Presentation by Faculty Member RCE Minna
References and reference materials: 
File REPORT OF THE NIGERIAN RCE YOUTH LEADERSHIP RETREAT.docx
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
(https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs) and other themes of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)
SDG 4 - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all 
Direct
SDG 8 - Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all 
Indirect
SDG 13 - Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts 
Indirect
SDG 17 - Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development 
Indirect
Theme
Arts 
Indirect
ESD for 2030-Priority Action Areas
Priority Action Area 1 - Advancing policy 
state: 
Direct
Priority Action Area 2 - Transforming learning and training environments 
state: 
Indirect
Priority Action Area 3 - Developing capacities of educators and trainers 
state: 
Indirect
Priority Action Area 4 - Mobilizing youth 
state: 
Direct
Priority Action Area 5 - Accelerating sustainable solutions at local level 
state: 
Direct
Update: 
No