Young leaders gathered at the IACD Building, American Corner, Jericho, Ibadan to learn how to transform their dreams to funded reality on Saturday, 29th July 2023.
Organized by YALI Network, a youth-based organization established by President Barack Obama, multiple experts taught participants how to win grants and other opportunities.
The event started with a welcome address by the Oyo State Chapter Coordinator, Michael Adebisi. He expressed his joy at seeing secondary school students from MIMBAR College participate in the session.
He noted that this leadership development programme would certainly give them a huge boost beyond their colleagues from other schools.
He encouraged more schools to take a cue from MIMBAR College on building well-rounded students. He also reiterated the importance of punctuality as a non-negotiable characteristic of leaders.
The Guest Speaker, Mr. Olugbenga Ogunbowale, Cofounder & CEO of GrantMaster, an award-winning grant providing company spoke on the anatomy of a winning grant proposal.
He explained to participants how they can effectively position their social enterprises for grant opportunities by analysing their ideas, optimising for impact, crafting a compelling story and getting all necessary requirements.
In his words, “Don’t be afraid to pivot your business idea. Once you realize that it is not working, move on quickly. And try better.”
Mr. Olugbenga used stories, quotes and well-placed humour to get listeners hooked and excited throughout his highly informative session. Before he dropped the microphone, he shared the FAQS formula for writing compelling proposals. FAQS stands for Facts, Analogies, Quotes and Stories.
Capt. Olugbenga Olalekan Ajagbe (Rtd.) was the Personality of the Month of July. A very humble and warm individual, who feels excited engaging with younger ones inspite of his achievements, he used his life stories to encourage participants to take their rightful place in the world.
After retiring from the Military, he enrolled for his Masters Degree in the prestigious University of Ibadan, and is currently enrolled for his Law Degree. His inspirational story is a lesson to younger people not to stop following their dreams, even as adults.
The session ended with a breakout session anchored by Adedare Osunsanya (Founder of DARBOT One-Stop Technology Hub) and Opeyemi Aminat Adebisi (a Beautypreneur and Graduate Intern at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan).
The YALI Network which has over 640,000 members and counting is a vibrant online community where young African leaders can learn how to effect change around important issues in their communities and improve their leadership skills through tailor-made online content, and physical networking sessions at state hubs.
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Written by:
ISRAEL ALABI
Grant Entrepreneur & Opportunity Expert ;
For YALI OyO State Chapter
