The good times are here as we showed up as one of the implementing partners for the Ashoka 3-day residential CTEACH program that was held on 26th – 28th September 2023. This program is a first-of-its-kind collaboration between Ashoka, strategic partners and the educational ecosystem partners in building a global movement in which children are equipped to grow up to be changemakers.
At the event, we were represented by our Head of Learning and Impact, Opeyemi Ogundeji who facilitated an interactive session in the Climate and Environmental Sustainability break-out group for participating teachers. Here, she collaboratively worked with the teachers in simplifying the concepts of climate change, its impacts and how they can increase sustainability awareness in their respective schools thereby inspiring youth leadership and agency amongst their students.
During the learning session, one of our interns at SustyVibes, Abeedah Alabi, who doubles as the Founder of Project Climeset and an Ashoka Young Changemaker also advised the teachers to ensure that their ideas of promoting sustainability awareness are made inclusive and encourage diversity.
L-R: Image of Opeyemi Ogundeji and Abeedah Alabi
Alongside, Angelou Ezeilo, the Vice President of Empathy and Childhood Strategy at Ashoka Africa, Opeyemi led the teachers to come up with tangible actionable and relatable plans they would be leading as eco-changemakers following the session. One of the actionable plans presented by the teachers that we found inspiring was the creation of a change-makers club that enables students to lead efforts in environmental protection through sustainable practices such as awareness creation, waste sorting and upcycling programs.
Images of the change-making ideas presented by the participating teachers from 6 education districts in Lagos State, Nigeria
The CTEACH program had a list of other engaging activities such as meditation, and togetherness practice for promoting connectivity and self-realization. We also made new susty friends and exchanged contacts for future partnerships with some school teachers who are enthusiastic about having us engage their students through our Susty Schools project.
L-R: Opeyemi Ogundeji, Abeedah Alabi, and Josephine Nzerem (Director, Venture and Fellowship Ashoka Africa)
In the end, listening to the teachers, principals and Ministry of Education personnel recount their experiences of the CTEACH program helped us validate that we have set the ball rolling for a transformational shift in the education ecosystem starting from Lagos state, Nigeria which will yield a lasting impact and enforce change-making as a lifestyle.