Nigeria
ABSTRACT
Having young people participate in civic life is important for democratic health. Know this: the Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI) started the Kimpact Democracy School (KDS) in 2020 to increase civic learning experiences, which have nearly vanished in conventional schools in Nigeria. Such experiences strengthen young people’s understanding of democratic principles. The KDS engages young people between the ages of 10-35. Its curriculum and summer camp offerings focus on improving young people’s skills and knowledge through training and mentoring. KDS has trained 615 young Nigerians on democracy, human rights, civic leadership and community organising using a ‘learning-by-doing approach’. In addition, the KDS offers participants practical, hands-on opportunities at relevant institutions, such as State Houses of Assembly, Election Management Bodies (EMBs) and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) working on civic education and action programmes. Alumni are encouraged to continue to engage their peers through the KDS Alumni Network. Two-thirds of the participants are now active in civic life, advocating for the implementation of pro-youth policies and demanding accountability from public officials.
PROGRAMME DESCRIPTION
Introduction
Globally, there is increasing recognition that young people’s involvement is vital for democratic progress and development. Nigeria has experienced recurring trends of shrinking civic space since 2015 – the gradual decline in civil liberties and in the rule of law. Since 2015, there has been a vicious crackdown on those social critics, bloggers and activists challenging impunity, official corruption and human rights abuses. The Twitter ban has added to the growing list of documented restrictions and human rights violations resulting from official behaviour. The #EndSARs protest in 2022 was a change in this trend. However, the Nigerian government repressed peaceful protests and froze the bank accounts of those at the forefront of the protest. Many peaceful demonstrators were detained illegally. These – and many more – have led to an increase in youth civic life apathy. Hence, the need for the KDS.
Numerous factors have made KDS one of Nigeria’s most important civic learning initiatives. These include:
- Engagement with young people between ages 10-17 as they reach the age of enfranchisement.
- Instilling democratic ideals in young people through unconventional means, such as summer camps, games and on-air democracy school.
- A ‘learning by doing’ approach to training and mentoring participants – the KDS offers participants practical, hands-on opportunities at relevant institutions, such as State Houses of Assembly, EMBs and CSOs working actively on civic education and action programmes.
- The KDS has an alumni network that aids further engagement and peer-to-peer learning.
What motivated the organisation or the informal movement to address the issue in the way described in the success story? What approach did they take and why?
The KDI’s mission is to inspire citizen-led democratic development. We know numerous civic education initiatives; however, we know these efforts often come very close to elections. Outside the times of elections, we believe civic learning should be continuous and systemic.
We have seen that the lack of civic knowledge reinforces youth apathy in civic life. Yet, the closing of civic space, public corruption and autocratic tendencies thrive on lack of participation. – Bukola Idowu, KDI Team Lead.The KDI hypothesises that if the capacity of young Nigerians on democratic ideals is strengthened, it will encourage young people to participate in civic life through high-quality and unconventional civic learning, given the erosion of democratic values and near extinction of civic learning in conventional schools. Then Nigeria will be able to have a thriving democracy, with young Nigerians holding their public officials accountable.
Case description
The anatomy of the KDS is in two parts. These include:
THE KDS BEYOND THE SCHOOL WALLS
The KDS engages young people between the ages of 10-17, focusing on mentoring this demographic on true democratic values. This is because most Gen-Z are oblivious to democratic history due to the gap in transferring knowledge and democratic history between the older and new generations. The KDS, through its curricula and summer camp, focuses on bridging these gaps through training and mentoring.
THE KDS- BUILDING NEXT-GENERATION LEADERS
In this phase, the KDS ensures that the capacity of young Africans is oriented towards active civic life, value-based democratic leaders and youth peacebuilders. The KDS admits individuals of voting age (18) to the upper limit of the youth category (35) into different training cohorts, depending on their preferences. This cohort includes:
- Civic Leadership
- Youth Peace and Security
- Countering Authoritarian Influence.
In summary, the KDS next-generation leaders offer four types of activity:
- Lectures from seasoned academia, elected leaders, lawmakers with track records, development experts and public policy advocates, all within and outside Africa.
- Practical sessions (such as interactive role-play approaches).
- Out-of-class learning (group assignments/internship/working visits).
- Democratic research at the alumni network.
For example, following a lecture on the legislative process, in which the theory and processes have been explained, the participants are made to go on a study visit to the legislative house in the host state. Afterwards, they will simulate what they have learned on the field in class. This practical learning opportunity offers a guided first-hand experience at the legislative house. Participants are taken on a working visit to the plenary and enrolled for a legislative internship. Following training, the KDS groups its alumni to study a particular democratic challenge and develop practical solutions.
KDS has trained over 615 young Nigerians on democracy, human rights, civic leadership and community organising using her learning-by-doing approach. These alumni are encouraged to continue engaging their peers and work on keeping the cycle informed.
The KDS is about to produce a considerable number of next-generational civic leaders who will be at the forefront of nurturing and building a solid democratic culture in Nigeria. Most of the alumni are community mobilisers during the election, promoting voter education at the grassroots.
“KDI, you have left a significant mark in my life and introduced me to the long-searched solutions” – Daramola Kunle.
“KDS was an opportunity for me to learn, unlearn and relearn. I must say it is a turning point, and it is a well-thought-out program that puts all of us (participants) in a position to challenge the status quo.” – Fasoto Oludare.
The KDI has worked with facilitators from various international institutions, including IFES Arlington, IFES Nigeria, MacArthur Foundation and other Nigerian institutions such as INEC and the Legislature. Past cohorts of the KDS have been sponsored by donations from individuals who believe Nigeria’s future can only improve by investing in its youth.
OUTREACH
The KDS calls on interested young people to apply for the programme via social media platforms, flyers and the radio. The training of young people on legislative processes and the opportunity to simulate what they have learnt following the training resonated with the audience. Following the training, the beneficiaries could engage in public governance dialogue. The success stories were documented in our reports, and the number of reposts and re-tweets across social media platforms helped us reach a wide number and range of citizens.
RESOURCES
Although difficulties in accessing resources have posed a challenge to the operation of the KDS, there have been in-kind donations to support some of the KDS alumni. The innovative institution that the KDS set up to train young people on democratic governance is relatively new in the country and has limited access to funding. Individuals have been providing financial support to ensure its ongoing operation. However, there is a need for further resources to increase the number of young people being trained. The KDS supports gender equality and the inclusion of all marginalised groups. To be able to include more persons with special needs in the democratic school, the institution needs to be equipped to be able to provide training to all beneficiaries effectively.
