A Nigerian YALI Fellow dies in the US

It seem so many great people are fallen in this month of June but it's breaks our heart even more that such a young man with a promising future had to bow out so early. Especially at a time when he could have done a lot for his dear country.

It was a black Saturday for many Nigerians as the news broke that John Paul Ojaojogwu Usman, one of the 100 Nigerians selected for year 2016 Mandela Washington Fellowship (also known as YALI) in US died on Saturday June 25th. John reportedly had an accident while hiking near the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Before his demise, he was at the school studying Civic Leadership.

As soon as the report of his death was confirmed, the U.S. Mission to Nigeria issued the following statement:

"The U.S. Mission to Nigeria and our colleagues in the United States were deeply saddened to learn of the death of John Paul Ojaojogwu Usman. On June 25, John Paul died due to an accident while hiking near Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, where he was studying civic leadership as a 2016 Mandela Washington Fellow.
We extend our deepest condolences to John Paul’s family and friends over this tragic loss. John Paul was a rising star, devoted to the causes of sustainable development, children’s rights, and peace building in Nigeria. His selection to the Mandela Washington Fellowship was a tribute to his drive, talent, and dedication to making his country’s civil society even stronger. One of John Paul’s professional mentors at Virginia Tech put it best, “While his time with us was short, he was well loved.” This young man will be remembered fondly as a great citizen ambassador of his country. We mourn his passing."

John will be greatly missed but his impact and legacy surely lives on. May his good soul rest in peace!

APPLY: Become a CYFI Fellow 2016

The Carrington Youth Fellowship Iniative (CYFI) is now inviting credible Nigerian youths with passion for driving community-based developmental projects to apply for CYFI 2016 Program (open to Lagos and Port Harcourt).

About CYFI:
Carrington Youth Fellowship Initiative, CYFI, is a dynamic youth-based initiative launched in 2011 by the U.S. Consulate General, Lagos. CYFI brings together Nigerian youth of exceptional vision, skills and experience to design and implement projects that have a positive impact on Nigerian society. The CYFI program was named after the Former Ambassador to Nigeria, Walter Carrington, who was a champion of civil liberties, democracy and closer ties between the U.S. and Nigeria.

CYFI fellows are committed to putting the ideals of Walter Carrington into practice. The CYFI Board of Directors, in conjunction with the Public Affairs Section at the U.S. Consulate General, Lagos, selects fellows who demonstrate exceptional vision, skills and experience. Fellows are them grouped into teams based on interest, and teams then develop and implement their own youth engagement project over the course of the one-year fellowship duration. In addition to working with their team to bring their project into fruition, CYFI fellows have the opportunity to attend various networking events, roundtables and forums on relevant social issues, hosted by the U.S. Consulate General, Lagos. The year will conclude with an awards ceremony for fellows, where fellows will be inducted into the CYFI Alumni Program.

My Personal Experience:
As a CYFI Fellow 2012, we were the first set to be inducted and I must confess that being a part of the program remains till today as one of the best opportunities I have ever had to learn differently, network effectively and contribute wholeheartedly my quota to empowering unskilled young people with entrepreneurship skills and tools which as of now is helping them to become employers of labour. All the Fellows were fantastic and brilliant crop of young Nigerians who were so committed to making their country a better place. I might as well brag a little that my team was the best because our vocational training project in Ibadan, Youth Entrepreneurship and Creative Academy (YEC-Academy), later won the CYFI Award for Best Youth Engagement Project in 2012. :)

I, Ebenezer O. Akinrinade, is inviting you to be a part of history and make Nigeria proud! Being a CYFI Fellow might just be the perfect platform you need to step up into YALI just like Adepeju Salu (CYFI Alumni and President, YALI Alumni Nigeria).

Application Deadline:
January 11, 2016.

Eligibility:
Lagos and Port-Harcourt.

Official Website:
Carrington Youth Fellowship Initiative

CYFI Application Page:
Carrington Youth Fellowship Initiative 2016

** Remember to apply and share the opportunity within your professional network.
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APPLY: Code4Impact Program

As a means of empowering and encouraging the involvement of more female folks in the male dominated field of engineering profession, the HACEY initiative in partnership with Tech4Dev has opened application for CODE4IMPACT PROGRAM.

The application is opened to female students aged 18-24 in tertiary institutions (Lagos only). Code4Impact Program is an experiential learning program that builds digital literacy, especially coding and analytical skills in female students.

With funds provided by the US Mission in Nigeria, the HACEY Initiative is set to create community impact solutions around the new Global Goals.

Interested candidates can apply via Code4Impact Program

Nigeria: Global Youth Service Day 2013

To commemorate this year's Global Youth Service Day which holds on April 25th, the Public Affairs Section of the United States Mission to Nigeria is bringing together the U.S. Mission personnel, CYFI Fellows, alumni of U.S. sponsored educational and cultural exchange programs as well as other youth groups in a collaborative effort to highlight the importance of health and community service.

Chief Raymond Adekunle Olaiya Akinsemoyin, Baale of Makoko (Traditional ruler) and the entire residence of the Makoko Community, will be hosting the U.S. Mission in a special community program focused on women, children and aged especially.

Date : Thursday, April 25, 2013
Time : 10am - 2pm
Venue: Makoko Anglican Primary School, 25 Makoko Road, Makoko, Yaba, Lagos.

Highlights of the program include the following:

1) Health sensitization/counseling/routine
medical check-up by medical experts
o Blood pressure screening
o General health counseling
o Diabetes screening
o HIV sensitization (Voluntary Screening)
o Drug abuse counseling
o Stress and anxiety counseling
o Family planning counseling
o Counseling on nutrition

2) Educational/Youth Outreach
o Educational/career counseling
o Distribution of educational materials
o Environmental awareness talk
o Distribution of basic needs like cloths/shoes to the needy
o Film screening

Material Drive:
To ensure a successful program, there has been an ongoing “material drive” for members of the community, especially women, children and the aged since April 10th (till April 25th). Drugs, educational and household materials including toys, clothes and shoes will be given out during the event. All donors are required to fill out “Material Collection Sheet” provided by the U.S. Mission to Nigeria so as to calculate the materials and how many people donated during the material drive.

Volunteers:
Interested volunteers (especially medical practitioners) are invited to participate and there are plans to issue certificates to volunteers at the end of the event.

Contact Information:
Clemson Ayegbusi
Public Affairs Section,
U.S. Consulate General,
2 Walter Carrington Crescent, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria.
(+234)-1-460-3603

Twitter:
@lagoscongen, @USEmbassyAbuja, @CYFI_Alumni

CYFI brings Ambassador Walter Carrington to Lagos

On the 13th of February, 2013, one of the most respected and celebrated U.S. Ambassadors, Walter C. Carrington (Former U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria), will be hosted in Lagos as a special guest of honour at the 2012/2013 Awards and Closing Ceremony (2012/13 project) of the Carrington Youth Fellowship Initiative (CYFI).

CYFI is a dynamic youth-based initiative launched in 2011 by the U.S. Consulate General, Lagos, to bring together selected number of Nigerian youth with exceptional vision, skills and experience to design and implement projects that have a positive impact on Nigerian society. As a champion of
civil liberties, democracy and closer ties between the U.S. and Nigeria, CYFI fellows are committed to putting the ideals of Walter Carrington into practice.

The theme of the 2012 CYFI year was “Youth Engagement.” Fellows are grouped into teams based on interest, and teams then develop and implement their own Youth Engagement Project (YEP) over the course of the one-year fellowship duration. In addition to working with their team to bring their YEP into fruition, CYFI fellows have enjoyed the opportunity of attending various networking events, roundtables and forums on relevant social issues, hosted by the U.S. Consulate General,
Lagos. The 2012 CYFI year is set to conclude this February 13th, 2013, with the awards ceremony for fellows, after which fellows will be inducted into the CYFI Alumni Program.

The Awards & Closing Ceremony which is strictly by invitation will hold amidst tight security at the U.S. Consul General residence in Lagos. Other special guest would include the current U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Terrence P. McCulley, Jeffrey Hawkins (U.S. Consul General, Lagos), government officials and other high profiled individuals both from U.S. and from within Nigeria.

To know more about the Carrington Youth Fellowship Initiative, you can send an email to "carringtonfellows@gmail.com" or visit the CYFI Blog at http://www.cyfinigeria.org

Written by:
Ebenezer Akinrinade (CYFI Fellow)
+2348027701092
gent2poetry@gmail.com