Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative (BBYDI) is a youth-led non-profit organisation dedicated to strengthening civic freedoms, youth entrepreneurship, and good governance in Nigeria. In compliance with international best practices and high ethical standards, they work to create a society where national culture is rooted in good governance and social responsibility.
Why Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative?
- Nigeria has enjoyed 24 years of democratic rule, being active citizenship one of the prerequisites to achieving good governance in Nigeria.
- BBYDI proposes two accountability tools: YouthGovtracka and the Office of the Citizen toolkit with the aim of bridging the gap between the elected officials and citizens by empowering citizens with the knowledge to hold their representative accountable, thereby promoting the culture of youth participation in Nigeria where young people are informed, engaged, and actively participate in the political process.
Objectives and activities
- Improving the accountability of elected officials in 36 states in Nigeria by tracking their campaign promises and performance after the 2023 general election, specifically focusing on promises related to youth-inclusive policies.
- Supporting young Nigerians with the necessary information and tools to engage elected officials for improved youth governance and the sustenance of democracy, by providing the Office of the Citizen toolkit as a resource for effective engagement.
- Promoting a culture of youth participation in the Nigerian political process and driving efforts towards the localization of the Menu of Commitment of the Youth Democracy Cohort.
Activity 1.1: Develop the YouthGovTracka web platform
The YouthGovTracka platform will house the campaign promises and manifestos of the 36 governors-elect. It will serve as a tool to track the performance of governors in relation to their commitments on youth-inclusive policies, promoting transparency, accountability, and youth engagement in governance.
Activity 1.2: Application and selection process of Youth State Champion
36 Youth Focal Points will be recruited and trained to engage citizens across the 36 states and promote the use of the platform. The Youth Focal Points will be in charge of carrying out research, collecting data, leading advocacy and communicating their findings.
Activity 1.3: Engage Youth State Champions for accountability
The Youth State Champions will receive training in research methodologies, data collection, and effective communication. They will follow-up on the performance of governors, ensuring to share the information on the YouthGovTracka web platform. Additionally, the State Champions will actively engage on social media.
Activity 1.4: Data gathering to ensure up-to-date information
BBYDI will establish a decentralised data gathering and update process for the web platform, ensuring that information displayed is regularly updated and accurate. A methodology for data collection will be developed, and a standardised codebook will be created to guide the decentralised data collection exercise.
Activity 2.1: Develop Office of the Citizen toolkit
This activity involves the development of a toolkit that will provide citizens with the necessary information and tools to engage elected officials for improved governance. The toolkit will include a repository of advocacy tools from different organizations, a template for drafting Freedom of Information Act requests, and guidance on how to use change.org to set up a petition.
Activity 2.2: Translation of the Office of the Citizens Toolkit into major languages
In order to remove the linguistic barriers that may hinder political participation, the Office of the Citizens Toolkits will be translated into Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba.
Activity 2.3: Hosting step-down trainings across different states
Step-down trainings will be organised with young Nigerian people, active stakeholders from political parties, government institutions, the National Human Rights Commission, Gender-Based Violence Centres, etc. These trainings will empower participants to monitor youth promises, advocate for youth policies, and promote human rights.
Activity 3.1: Translation of the Menu into 3 major local languages
The Menu of Commitments will be translated into three major local languages: Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba in order to make it widely accessible.
Activity 3.2: Production of the Menu of Possible Commitments jingles
Jingles will be produced to highlight the key commitments and encourage youth participation in the Nigerian political process. Live radio shows will be a platform for discussions, debates, and interactions around the commitments.
Activity 3.3: Social media sensitisation campaign on the Youth Democracy Cohort and the Menu of Possible Commitments
A collaborative social media campaign will be organised to empower and engage young Nigerians with the Youth Democracy Cohort and the Menu of Commitments.
Main deliverables
- YouthGovtracka created: a web platform that will house the campaign promises and manifestos of the 36 governors-elect and a dashboard that will reflect a monthly performance tracker based on their campaign promises.
- 36 Youth Focal Points recruited (including 50% of women) and trained to carry out research, data collection and to lead advocacy and communication campaigns.
- The Office of the Citizens Toolkits created and shared and translated into local languages to provide citizens with necessary information on how to take action within the ambit of the law and engage elected officials for improved governance. Menu of Possible Commitments Jingles produced and shared through various radio stations, accompanied by live radio shows that facilitate discussions and interactions among young Nigerians.
- Increased awareness and active engagement of young Nigerians in the Youth Democracy Cohort and the Menu of Commitments through social media platforms.
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