iLEAD Fellowship

There is a growing recognition that education focusing on cognitive skills is insufficient in preparing young girls and boys for work life and life after school. This is because the future will require them to have aptitudes and skills that will propel them to be independent, self-confident, negotiate effectively, manage risks, think and solve problems.

Esther is an iLEAD student at Government Secondary School, Karshi, in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja. Being an iLEAD student has helped build her confidence, given her the courage to take on her studies, and improved her social skills. Before signing up for the iLEAD programme, Esther was timid and avoided speaking in public. In the quest to break free from this timidness, Esther joined the school choir; this effort didn’t give her the desired result as she was still afraid to sing in front of people, mingle with her peers or speak in public. On joining the iLEAD Programme by LEAP Africa, and after the iLEAD module on Self Identity and Self Confidence, Esther learnt how to put away her fears and started believing in herself. The iLEAD module enabled her to see herself not as she currently was but as she wanted to be - a great person. This exercise, alongside the introduction of vision boards, allowed her to create a clear view of what she wanted her future to look like, built her confidence and motivated her to follow through with her set goals.

The module on Self Identity and Self Confidence is one of the modules in the iLEAD Curriculum. This Programme by LEAP Africa is aimed at transforming mindsets and equipping senior secondary school students to be value creators and change agents. It also aims to support youth to successfully transition to the next phase of their lives. This programme stretches the students’ ambition by exposing them to a range of career opportunities and how to seize them and advance youth participation in nation-building and community development through the development of impactful change projects in their communities.

Esther is one of the students who benefited from the 2021/2022 edition of the iLEAD programme through the partnership between Citi Foundation and LEAP Africa, which extended support to low-income secondary schools. A total of 5 secondary schools, including 4 NYSC members, 14 teachers and 377 students (72% female, 28% male) - Read the programme report: https://leapafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Abuja-Citi-iLEAD-Fellowship-Report-final-1.pdf.

Your support will continue to enable us to empower more teachers to become forces for community change.

Thank you for your usual unwavering support.

Links:

• iLEAD Programme Evaluation Report 2021/22

The conversation about teacher motivation has been on the front burner for as long as possible. Enormous research supports that teachers need some level of encouragement for them to be able to stay motivated and inspired (How Virtual Community of Practice Enhances Teacher Competencies - kindly visit www.leapafrica.org/report to read.). Other reports posit that motivated teachers are likely to pass it on to their students, improving students' academic outcomes.

Mrs Olatundun is a teacher in the iLEAD Fellowship at Army Government Secondary School, Asokoro, Abuja. She monitors and mentors iLEAD students through the entire one-year programme cycle. As part of the programme element, Mrs Tundun was part of the teachers trained in LEAP Africa's Leadership and Life Skills curriculum. The LEAP Africa iLEAD fellowship sponsored by Citi Foundation provides a platform for select teachers to have the opportunity to gain the necessary skills and knowledge required to advance their careers and support the development of their students.

For over 20 years, Mrs Tundun has nurtured a passion for becoming a change agent in her students and society. However, she did not have the requisite knowledge and opportunity to explore her love within her community. According to her, the iLEAD Fellowship is a fantastic opportunity to achieve her dreams of becoming a positive force finally.

After the Training of Trainers (ToT), which takes participants through modules like Leadership, Art and Act of Leadership, Creative Teaching Methods, etc., Mrs Tundun describes her experience as impactful. "After the training, I felt like I could conquer the world. I felt like I could do anything I set my heart to do," says Mrs Tundun. Appraising the ToT further, Mrs Tundun stated that the training is the best she has attended in her 20 years of teaching experience. “Society provides you with little opportunity to explore and become what you want to be as a woman.

After attending the LEAP, Africa training expanded my mental capacity to aspire for more and do more. Now, I have an unquenched hunger for reading and solving problems. I now know that I am not just a woman; I am a force for positive change.”

Only better Teachers can produce Better Students and, consequently, a Better Society.

Mrs Tundun now teaches leadership skills in a small group in her church. She has also developed a renewed passion for community development. Recently, she donated some of her children’s old clothes to the less privileged in a small community in Abuja, and she hopes to do even more.

Your support will continue to enable us empower more teachers to become forces for community change.

Thank you for your usual unwavering support.