Jela’s Development Initiatives, JDI, a nonprofit organisation, has kicked off its Leadership Exchange Programme, LEP, for 30 youths in Kogi State.
The programme is aimed at empowering young leaders to become audacious servant leaders and community-builders.
The initiative, tailored after the United States Young African Leaders Initiative, YALI, and runs from September 2024 to June 2025, targets youth between the ages of 18 and 25, providing them with essential skills and knowledge to become effective change-makers in their communities.
The JDI said the programme will be conducted in two main phases: an intensive two-week training on strategic subjects like servant leadership, peace and conflict resolution, community building, and fundraising, with a subsequent three-month workplace exchange.
Founder of JDI, Angela Omeiza, said the leadership programme is an intensive training combining both theoretical knowledge and practical experience to equip the young trainees with the relevant skillset to serve as leaders in their various communities and engender positive changes, noting that Nigeria and other African countries are in critical need of servant leaders and community builders capable of driving the needed transformation on the continent.
“This training is designed to equip participants with the tools needed to lead and inspire others effectively. Through a combination of training workshops, placement with host organisations, virtual engagements, excursions, empathy-building exercises, community development projects and radio appearances, we envision that we would have empowered 30 young people with servant leadership and community building skills.”
“The participants will embark on a three-month workplace exchange programme where they will volunteer in various organisations and gain practical skills for their personal and professional development. This unique experience aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice, fostering a sense of responsibility and community service among young leaders,” Omeiza said.
The non-profit disclosed that in addition to the training and workplace exchange, participants would undergo the Gallup Strengths Test, facilitated by a certified trainer, as “this valuable assessment will help them identify their unique strengths, enabling them to maximise their potential and contribute meaningfully to their communities”.
Jela’s Development Initiatives is a nonprofit registered in Nigeria in 2019, to provide opportunities for any individual—irrespective of beliefs, gender or socio-economic background—to access potable water as well as sanitation and hygiene facilities, voluntary blood donors, and mental healthcare while creating platforms for youth empowerment through volunteering. It launched the Leadership Exchange Programme in 2022 and has trained 30 young Nigerians who have deployed their leadership skills in building their individual communities.
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