“People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other.” - Martin Luther King jr.
Spark Nation, designed for young people aged between 13 and 18 years in Nigeria, is an education intervention program of One Youth, which is conceived as a result of the need to create a unique platform for young emerging leaders in special need areas and communities across the country to express and channel their individual talents for sustainable peace, personal and community development.
Over the last twelve years, the spate of insecurity and violence in Nigeria has increased exponentially across various parts of the nation. According to a documentary released by the BBC in July, 2022, the major cause of this growing trend of violence is inter-ethnic suspicion predicated on stereotypical normativity, lack of dialogue, and intolerance among the over 200 ethnic groups that constitute Nigeria.
As was the case with Rwanda before the genocide, local sources reveal that a vast majority of those fanning these embers of discord in Nigeria are people of older generations whose interpretation of reality is limited by the tribal horrors of the Nigeria civil war (1967-1970). A new generation is emerging in Nigeria, and Spark Nation is designed with the understanding that tapping into these productive demographics will be strategic to evolving an alternative culture that dissents from the current predilection towards violence.
To this end, Spark Nation will involve secondary school students and cover two major areas of development namely, debate and quiz competitions. The project will promote critical thinking among Nigerian teenagers and improve their educational development, while also equipping them with requisite critical skills needed to engage in productive dialogues with fellow youths in a post-MDGs era.
Spark Nation is totally volunteer-based. About 144 volunteers are expected to be mobilized via online platforms and community outreaches. The championship will be piloted in Ebonyi state, and will be launched on 5th February, 2024.
For more information, contact us at Hello@oneyouthglobal.com
