Unlocking Global Opportunities: How Young Changemakers Can Amplify Their Impact Story Through Organizational Engagement
Here’s how you as a young person can leverage organizational experience to seize Global opportunities as inspired by Chi John, Goodness Odey, Favour Abatang, and Uche Imo!
Dear young people,
If you’re part of an organization, whether for-profit or non-profit organization, it’s essential to recognize that you have every right to tell the impact story of the organization and your role in it. This narrative can serve as a powerful component of your motivation or statement of purpose when applying for scholarships, grants, or other opportunities.
To leave this task solely to the Founders, Co-Founders, Executive Directors (ED) or other leaders within the organization is doing yourself a disservice. You are an integral part of the impact, an essential character in the story, and the heartbeat of the organization, whether you’re a volunteer or a staff member.
I’ve witnessed many young people miss out on opportunities because they fail to recognize their worth and contribution to the organization’s success. It’s common to see them point fingers at organization leaders the Founders, Co-Founders, and Executive Directors (ED), etc for seizing significant opportunities when they arise. However, it’s crucial to understand that nothing is stopping you from applying for these opportunities yourself. NOTHING!
While it’s true that some unique opportunities may naturally gravitate towards the organization leaders due to their access, network, and connections over the years for their continued impact, network, and connections, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t advocate for yourself. Every organization member has a valuable story to share, and applying for opportunities is a chance to enhance your skills and capacity.
It’s also worth acknowledging that some organization leaders may prioritize significant opportunities for themselves initially, considering the hard work they’ve put into building the organization. However, as organizations grow, organization leaders often seek to distribute opportunities among the team for they know the growth of the organization depends largely on the quality of the team they have.
Don’t hesitate to engage with opportunities. Tell your impact story proudly and also ensure the organization(s) knows your applications. This way, if a host or funder reaches out for verification, recommendation, etc, you’ll be covered. Recommendations and referrals becoming increasingly crucial in the application, review, and selection process.
I dare to say this, before committing your time to any organization, young people should ask a pertinent question during interviews: “As I become part of this fantastic organization and uphold its values across the board, does the organization support the personal development of its people by providing recommendations when needed or merited? (Usually within a stipulated probationary time peroid. Additionally, can we tell our unique impact story as part of the organization’s impact story to support our applications to opportunities for self-development?” By evaluating the responses to these questions, individuals can gain insight into the type of work environment they are interviewing to be a part of.
Your contributions matter, and your story deserves to be heard.
