Chinedum Elekwachi
Catch Them Young Community Initiative (CATYCOI) has restated commitment to building society where empowered youths play leading roles in promoting sustainable democracy, community development, and sustainable livelihoods.
Executive Director, Nonso Orakwe, stated this in Awka at a two-day regional Organisational System Strengthening Workshop for representatives of Civil Society Organizations in the South-East Zone, supported by the Nigeria Youth Futures Fund.
Orakwe said true development work is driven by commitment, not by expectations of external funding.
urging participants to develop genuine passion for social impact rather than focusing solely on potential grants from international organisations.
“We work closely with young people to inspire democratic participation and community development.
“We do that through research, advocacy, policy engagement and strategic management,” he said.
Public interest
The ED encouraged participants to remain dedicated to serving public interest despite challenges accompanying civic and community-based interventions.
He noted that CATYCOI has been actively supporting young people to take leadership roles in local governance within their communities.
“When youths take ownership of governance at the local level, political office holders will be compelled to perform better.
“They will operate within the law, and deliver real benefits to the people,” he added.
The workshop targets beneficiaries of grants from the Nigeria Youth Futures Fund.
“The goal is to equip them to implement the programme’s objectives in their respective states.
One of the programme consultants, Mr. James Laman, advised participants to make their organisational goals Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely (SMART).
This he noted would help to strengthen sustainability and enhance societal impact.
Laman said, the training brings together representatives from nine organisations that received funding approval to implement governance-related projects in areas such as health, gender, civic engagement, and disability inclusion, among others.”
He emphasized that the overarching aim is to empower young people to actively participate in governance processes within their communities.
He urged beneficiaries to uphold integrity and continually build their capacity.
Laman also advised them to leverage knowledge gained from the training to achieve meaningful and lasting results.
