Program Area: Civic Engagement

From 2014-2016, World Learning implemented the U.S. Department of State-funded Developing Youth Leadership and Civic Engagement in Northern Nigeria through English Language Training (YLCEN) program.

YLCEN was designed to have a positive message with a communicative and participatory curriculum that would enable youth to resist the call of violent extremism. The program aimed to increase hope, tolerance, and a sense of community in at-risk youth by involving them in leadership and civic engagement activities through youth clubs, strengthening English teachers’ skills in participatory teaching methodology, and developing the ability of local partners to implement programs for at-risk youth. More than 200 youth, 20 local teachers, and two local civil society organizations participated in the program in six neighborhoods in the northern cities of Jos and Kano. Both cities have experienced religious extremist violence from groups including Boko Haram in the last decade and have high unemployment and dropout rates.

Through the dedicated work of the local partners and World Learning-trained teachers, the youth club members reported they were more interested in returning to school or to begin small-scale entrepreneurial pursuits. They also felt they had a better connection to their communities through volunteer projects and reported a greater willingness to engage with people outside of their religion, ethnicity, and gender.