Living Learning Working, Inc. Programs (WHYM)
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To see the faces of hope never gets tiresome. At some point, don't we all need hope? It's more accessible to some of us; not so much for others. For young people, particularly those in less fortunate places, they need hope to envision a future...so they can manage the present. Hope is a gift we can easily give. If we can give it in masses, we have the ability to impact large-scale change. We invite you to help. (Photo above is one of our mentors with a group of students he is mentoring in Nigeria).
From the World Hope Youth Mentors (WHYM) Co-Founder, Mary Kurek , (Linkedin bio) and Living Learning and Working Development Team Member:
(UPDATE: 10/26/19 Just 3 weeks from launch, we have one mentor (US) helping her mentee (Uganda) raise funds for a little girl in her community who needs a wheelchair and some school supplies. Another mentor (UK) has been advising his entrepreneurial mentee (Nigeria) on his specific market. Still another mentee (France) has been advising her mentee (Kenya) on nonprofit management. A US-based mentee (surgeon) is advising her mentee (Nigeria) on his interest in a career in medicine. This is just the tip of the iceberg. This little pilot has the potential to become a movement. Please join us in this global effort to help those in less fortunate areas of the world get the connection, motivation, and advice they need to prosper. If you'd like your name/business to be shared on our website and in our magazine, The Introducer, please indicate so in the comment section. Below, you'll find our story)
In the summer of 2019, something pretty interesting happened that started a movement toward creating a global youth mentors program. I was interviewing youth program leaders around the world for the edition of The Introducer Magazine on “Developing Youth as Global Citizens ” and discovered that they all had one thing in common…they needed mentors. Many of these places were lucky to have the program leaders, let alone a network of professionals from different industries that could coach, motivate, connect, and inspire their participants. Having co-founded two youth leadership programs with mentoring components, I knew the value of what they were missing. I shared this information with Dr. Osita Aniemeka of the International Center for Development Affairs headquartered in Nigeria. Dr. Aniemeka was also featured in the same edition as the others I interviewed. Then, it happened. Dr. Aniemeka said it had been a dream of his to develop a mentor program with global connections. The idea was born, and over the next few weeks, we gathered mentors, talked with stakeholders, and started to put the “bones” of this program together. During that time, we experienced people who found out about what we were doing and offered job skills programs and training opportunities. We know now that mentoring may be just the first part of something bigger. And, we also know that the people in most need of mentors are often the leaders, themselves…working tirelessly and with little support to run a nonprofit with a huge mission of impact.
In the photo above, you'll see Josephine Maina, a journalist from Kenya who founded The Hadassah Initiative. On assignment one day, Josephine compelled to help the young girls and women she met who had needs in order to achieve education. Josephine was featured in the Developing Youth as Global Citizens edition of The Introducer Magazine and is not only a Program Leader in the pilot program for World Hope Youth Mentors, she's also a mentee.
World Hope Youth Mentors (WHYM or WHY Mentors) officially launched its pilot October of 2019 with 23 mentees from 5 countries (3 in Africa - 1 in Nepal - 1 in Brazil) and matching mentors from 7 countries. All of the mentors are members of The Frontrunners League of Social Impact Innovation.
Here’s our mission now and ongoing: match Frontrunners League members with youth, refugees, and orphans around the world who are participants of a local organized program. We match according to mentee educational and work-related interests and conduct training calls before the 3-month program starts. We target STEM and STEAM-related programs and even incorporate specific (educational institution) youth-to-youth components.
The Introducer Magazine serves as the publicity vehicle for the program, sharing stories as each cohort progresses. And, after each cohort ends, The Frontrunners Youth League (FYL) becomes the new network for “graduating” mentees. Each graduate will receive a certificate of completion to utilize to further their education and leadership opportunities. Within FYL, we continue to track and maintain sustainable progress. We encourage interaction between the mentees and introduce technical and industry-specific experts to hold virtual Q & A sessions with them. At this point, these newly on-boarded Youth League members will have the opportunity to talk with accomplished software developers, 3d printing and robotics experts, healthcare professionals, scientists, and awarded entrepreneurs. We’ll spotlight individual youth in The Introducer, and they’ll be added to a newsletter list where they’ll learn about fellowships, events, and other opportunities.
The Plan: 2 cohorts a year with emphasis first on program leaders and their teams as mentees.
We are currently running this GoFundMe to help pay for the pilot program. Our expenses are our online platform (called PlatForum) where we organize and track the program) and also some paid support from an assistant to help us manage the many moving parts that go along with organizing a program that encompasses 46 human beings from 12 different countries. Those of us who have been working on this since June 2019 have put in many hours making calls, developing content, paying out of pocket for support and online tools, as well as moving aside our own contracted work to make this happen. We are believers, but we know that in order for WHY Mentors to scale, it is going to need more support because it is going to need more organization. Support from the start will "put wheels" under this much-needed program.
As an important bit of info: we are getting endorsed! We have letters of support from the Traditional Prime Minister, Ngor Autonomous Community, Ngor Okpala L.G.A. Imo State, Nigeria, and Ambassador Rubina Ali, High Commissioner – Asia / Africa – United Nations SDG’s – World Humanity Commission Ambassador in Residence (Pakistan).
Living Learning & Working, Inc . (US) sponsors WHY Mentors. The Goodler Foundation (US) partners with us on Silicon Valley and UN-hosted events, and The Sub-Saharan Open University (Nigeria) partners with us for coordination support in Africa.
Our ultimate goal is to give an advantage to young people around the globe who truly need help in developing a decent livelihood, thereby helping them to become a critical component to sustainable economic development in their own community.
Let me introduce the man with the dream…
DR. OSITA ANIEMEKA
Program Director: In 2010, Dr Osita Aniemeka became Full-time Faculty at the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, Niger State, and in 2011, was appointed Director, Center for Learning Communities of same University, where his work included the establishment of the University’s Entrepreneurship Education Program. A 1998 Ford Foundation Fellow, Osita worked for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Project – NEXTT, growing the potentials of an economic agro-corridor, the LAKAJI Corridor, as a strategic tool for investment traction for Agropreneurship for providing jobs and boosting food security in Nigeria.
He’s a consultant to DFID; worked with UNDP | FMARD, and led the Nigeria Development Gateway Collaborative (World Bank-Development Gateway Foundation). Osita was a Customer Service Agent for the legendary American ExpressCard and while in college at the Alabama Agricultural & Mechanical University (AA&MU), was a Research Assistant to the renowned Professor Zachary Senwo of the College of Agriculture. He rose from Senior Research Fellow at the Foundation for African Arts and Letters (FAAL), New York, to become Member of the Governing Council before returning to Nigeria to join the Faculty and Senate of IBB University.
With a Ph.D. in Communication and Entrepreneurial Leadership, Osita founded the International Center for Development Affairs (ICDA) in 1995 and joined the NGO Working Group on the World Bank (NGOWGWB) in 1997. He was Man of the Year 2002 (American Bibliographical Institute) for his years of development work in Africa. Dr. Aniemeka gained extensive experience in SME development strategy, performance management, non-profit governance, public-private- dialogue/partnership, and knowledge management working in the United States and in Nigeria.
He resigned from his college teaching at IBB University in 2014 when ICDA was appointed the Implementing Agency for the Central Bank of Nigeria | South East Entrepreneurship Development Center (CBN | SEEDC) and today, he’s the Center’s Program Director and the founder of The Sub Saharan Open University.
From the World Hope Youth Mentors (WHYM) Co-Founder, Mary Kurek , (Linkedin bio) and Living Learning and Working Development Team Member:
(UPDATE: 10/26/19 Just 3 weeks from launch, we have one mentor (US) helping her mentee (Uganda) raise funds for a little girl in her community who needs a wheelchair and some school supplies. Another mentor (UK) has been advising his entrepreneurial mentee (Nigeria) on his specific market. Still another mentee (France) has been advising her mentee (Kenya) on nonprofit management. A US-based mentee (surgeon) is advising her mentee (Nigeria) on his interest in a career in medicine. This is just the tip of the iceberg. This little pilot has the potential to become a movement. Please join us in this global effort to help those in less fortunate areas of the world get the connection, motivation, and advice they need to prosper. If you'd like your name/business to be shared on our website and in our magazine, The Introducer, please indicate so in the comment section. Below, you'll find our story)In the summer of 2019, something pretty interesting happened that started a movement toward creating a global youth mentors program. I was interviewing youth program leaders around the world for the edition of The Introducer Magazine on “Developing Youth as Global Citizens ” and discovered that they all had one thing in common…they needed mentors. Many of these places were lucky to have the program leaders, let alone a network of professionals from different industries that could coach, motivate, connect, and inspire their participants. Having co-founded two youth leadership programs with mentoring components, I knew the value of what they were missing. I shared this information with Dr. Osita Aniemeka of the International Center for Development Affairs headquartered in Nigeria. Dr. Aniemeka was also featured in the same edition as the others I interviewed. Then, it happened. Dr. Aniemeka said it had been a dream of his to develop a mentor program with global connections. The idea was born, and over the next few weeks, we gathered mentors, talked with stakeholders, and started to put the “bones” of this program together. During that time, we experienced people who found out about what we were doing and offered job skills programs and training opportunities. We know now that mentoring may be just the first part of something bigger. And, we also know that the people in most need of mentors are often the leaders, themselves…working tirelessly and with little support to run a nonprofit with a huge mission of impact.
In the photo above, you'll see Josephine Maina, a journalist from Kenya who founded The Hadassah Initiative. On assignment one day, Josephine compelled to help the young girls and women she met who had needs in order to achieve education. Josephine was featured in the Developing Youth as Global Citizens edition of The Introducer Magazine and is not only a Program Leader in the pilot program for World Hope Youth Mentors, she's also a mentee. World Hope Youth Mentors (WHYM or WHY Mentors) officially launched its pilot October of 2019 with 23 mentees from 5 countries (3 in Africa - 1 in Nepal - 1 in Brazil) and matching mentors from 7 countries. All of the mentors are members of The Frontrunners League of Social Impact Innovation.
Here’s our mission now and ongoing: match Frontrunners League members with youth, refugees, and orphans around the world who are participants of a local organized program. We match according to mentee educational and work-related interests and conduct training calls before the 3-month program starts. We target STEM and STEAM-related programs and even incorporate specific (educational institution) youth-to-youth components.
The Introducer Magazine serves as the publicity vehicle for the program, sharing stories as each cohort progresses. And, after each cohort ends, The Frontrunners Youth League (FYL) becomes the new network for “graduating” mentees. Each graduate will receive a certificate of completion to utilize to further their education and leadership opportunities. Within FYL, we continue to track and maintain sustainable progress. We encourage interaction between the mentees and introduce technical and industry-specific experts to hold virtual Q & A sessions with them. At this point, these newly on-boarded Youth League members will have the opportunity to talk with accomplished software developers, 3d printing and robotics experts, healthcare professionals, scientists, and awarded entrepreneurs. We’ll spotlight individual youth in The Introducer, and they’ll be added to a newsletter list where they’ll learn about fellowships, events, and other opportunities.
The Plan: 2 cohorts a year with emphasis first on program leaders and their teams as mentees.
We are currently running this GoFundMe to help pay for the pilot program. Our expenses are our online platform (called PlatForum) where we organize and track the program) and also some paid support from an assistant to help us manage the many moving parts that go along with organizing a program that encompasses 46 human beings from 12 different countries. Those of us who have been working on this since June 2019 have put in many hours making calls, developing content, paying out of pocket for support and online tools, as well as moving aside our own contracted work to make this happen. We are believers, but we know that in order for WHY Mentors to scale, it is going to need more support because it is going to need more organization. Support from the start will "put wheels" under this much-needed program.
As an important bit of info: we are getting endorsed! We have letters of support from the Traditional Prime Minister, Ngor Autonomous Community, Ngor Okpala L.G.A. Imo State, Nigeria, and Ambassador Rubina Ali, High Commissioner – Asia / Africa – United Nations SDG’s – World Humanity Commission Ambassador in Residence (Pakistan).
Living Learning & Working, Inc . (US) sponsors WHY Mentors. The Goodler Foundation (US) partners with us on Silicon Valley and UN-hosted events, and The Sub-Saharan Open University (Nigeria) partners with us for coordination support in Africa.
Our ultimate goal is to give an advantage to young people around the globe who truly need help in developing a decent livelihood, thereby helping them to become a critical component to sustainable economic development in their own community.
Let me introduce the man with the dream…
DR. OSITA ANIEMEKA
Program Director: In 2010, Dr Osita Aniemeka became Full-time Faculty at the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, Niger State, and in 2011, was appointed Director, Center for Learning Communities of same University, where his work included the establishment of the University’s Entrepreneurship Education Program. A 1998 Ford Foundation Fellow, Osita worked for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Project – NEXTT, growing the potentials of an economic agro-corridor, the LAKAJI Corridor, as a strategic tool for investment traction for Agropreneurship for providing jobs and boosting food security in Nigeria.
He’s a consultant to DFID; worked with UNDP | FMARD, and led the Nigeria Development Gateway Collaborative (World Bank-Development Gateway Foundation). Osita was a Customer Service Agent for the legendary American ExpressCard and while in college at the Alabama Agricultural & Mechanical University (AA&MU), was a Research Assistant to the renowned Professor Zachary Senwo of the College of Agriculture. He rose from Senior Research Fellow at the Foundation for African Arts and Letters (FAAL), New York, to become Member of the Governing Council before returning to Nigeria to join the Faculty and Senate of IBB University.
With a Ph.D. in Communication and Entrepreneurial Leadership, Osita founded the International Center for Development Affairs (ICDA) in 1995 and joined the NGO Working Group on the World Bank (NGOWGWB) in 1997. He was Man of the Year 2002 (American Bibliographical Institute) for his years of development work in Africa. Dr. Aniemeka gained extensive experience in SME development strategy, performance management, non-profit governance, public-private- dialogue/partnership, and knowledge management working in the United States and in Nigeria.
He resigned from his college teaching at IBB University in 2014 when ICDA was appointed the Implementing Agency for the Central Bank of Nigeria | South East Entrepreneurship Development Center (CBN | SEEDC) and today, he’s the Center’s Program Director and the founder of The Sub Saharan Open University.
Organizer
Mary Kurek
Organizer
Atlantic Beach, NC
