The majority of Nigerian youths have been pushed beyond the limit by frustration from bad government, failed social system and irresponsible leaders. Some of these frustration is manifested in many ways such as- the recent increase in drug abuse all over the country leading to ban on the use of Codein in the country; suicidal journey to Europe through the Sahara desert, persistent increase in armed groups led by youths- an avenue to vent their anger against the government. The Yes we can Youth Initiative# is aware of the enormous problem facing Nigerian youths; and know that a lot of them are seeking for direction, someone to listen to them, someone to amplify their voices. But more importantly, they are looking for a safe space where they can open up on these issues confidently and freely without being judged, a space where they can channel their youthful energy into something more positive. This is the situation My Safe Space responds to. The project is all about bringing young people together in a safe space where they are free to express their thoughts, share their fears and worries; their experiences and success stories; and inspire each other. This space creates an opportunity for youths to explore their potentials in the areas of arts and sports. It is all about inner self-empowerment, discovering exciting ways to look at life and deal with issues without dwelling on challenges of life. Some of the issues that the platform targets are: Unemployment as it affects them Their sexuality and sexual abuse Unresponsive government to issues affecting youths Conflicts at home, schools and neighbourhood This space allows them to discuss these issues, express their thoughts and proffer solutions on how to deal with it.  The outcome of this engagement is documented and used as an inspiration book to guide Nigerian youth, advocate for better policies for the youths and for upscale of the project in other states. To channel their energy to something more positive, the project divides them into 3 groups and support them to engage in activities designated for their selected group:

• Reading and/writing group: they select a set of inspirational books and share what they learnt with others on the next #my space# gathering
• Dancing: a professional is hired to support this group. Dancing is a way of expressing freedom and a great way to deal with negative energy, potentially even opening career opportunities.
• Advocacy group: developing campaign strategies and messages to push out outcomes of the conversations coming from the platform to policy makers.

This project supports 100 unemployed youths from poor slums.

“Owing to depression from sexual violation and pressure from peers, school and failed government, I thought getting into drugs would help me forget more about the pressures coming from virtually all angles, but my thoughts were wrong.  Then I came in contact with my safe space platform which gave me better ways to tackle hard times and that’s where the name, Yes We Can comes from.”  Favour Urunwa, a young person in Nigeria. 

The majority of Nigerian youths have been pushed beyond limits by frustration from bad governance, failed social systems and irresponsible leaders. Some of the frustration is manifested in ways such as- the recent increase in drug abuse all over the country leading to the ban on the use of Codeine.  The suicidal journey through the Sahara Desert to Europe, persistent increase in youth-led armed groups – an avenue to express and release their anger against the government. Timidity, sexual harassment and unemployment bedevilling the youth, especially in the rural areas, has become a very big challenge.  These young people feel neglected and unrepresented unlike their counterparts in the urban areas. 

The Yes We Can Sustainable Youth Initiative or YWC is an informal group of young Nigerians who have been in existence for over 10 years and sought to advocate for the rights of young people, promote transformative leadership and civic responsibility among the youth and generally mobilise youth for development of the society including tackling unemployment among other issues. My safe space project was developed with the aim of bringing young people together in a safe space where they are free to express their thoughts, share their fears and worries, their experiences and success stories, and inspire each other. It was also a platform for youth to come together and raise a united voice. 

This space created an opportunity for youths to explore their potentials in the areas of arts and sports. It is all about inner self-empowerment, discovering exciting ways to look at life and deal with issues without dwelling on challenges of life. Youth unemployment, sexuality and sexual abuse, lack of response by government to issues affecting youths and domestic conflicts at home, schools and neighbourhood are among the challenges that the project set out to address. In tackling these issues, the project found that there was a need to allow young people to express themselves in their local dialects, and when this was done, they felt a heightened sense of belonging as they had never before.  This helped them improve on their public speaking skills. 

“Thank God for, Yes We Can that became my voice through the Chairperson, International Federation of Women Lawyers, Enugu State after I was sexually harassed by my uncle” Chinenye 

“I bless the day I was introduced to Yes We Can. Through the skills I acquired from digital marketing I can now comfortably put food on my table.” 

The outcome of the platform was published on newspapers and TV programs and through various social media platforms. The organisation intends to sustain the platform and continue to engage the youth through it, and hopes that the conversations and expressions of the young people from the platform will be amplified and followed up by the appropriate authorities. The outcome of the engagement was documented and used as an inspiration to guide Nigerian youth, advocate for better policies for the youth and to upscale the project in other states 

This project supported 100 unemployed youths from poor slums.  The organisation intends to sustain the platform and continue to engage the youths through it, and hopes that the conversations and expressions of the young people from the platform will be amplified and followed up by the appropriate authorities. By providing a platform for young people to express themselves, the project goes a long way in laying the foundation for young people to begin conversations and dialogue with each other on creative ways of solving the problems facing them and their communities.