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Member Stories
Get inspired! Read the personal stories of TakingITGlobal members from around the world.





Jonathan Osas
Nigeria

What inspires you?

Speaking out against injustice. Advocacy for less privilege and those who are unable to plead their cause. seeking and reaching out for change is what inspire me. I want to see young adults making an impact in their world. I like to challenge young people to be more aware of the issues that affect them and using appriopriate advocacy skills to seek a change in policies, culture and traditions that help perpetuate these issues.

Tell us about an issue that matters to you and how you became aware and involved.

The issue of education is one that really matters to me--education that brings about conscientization and action in people not passive brain washing education.Reading Paulo Freire - the Brazilian educationist's book titled pedagogy of the oppressed was an eye opener for me. i began to question the very system of education that makes people the way they are especially in my country Nigeria and other countries in the majority world.
Then I became involved through participation in workshops on civic education and life skills for young people. There I discovered that a number of us young people do not really possess the skills to make that difference that we so desire. I joined one of the organisations that run such workshops as a volunteer, but now I am a programme's team member in the organisation and have developed a manual on life skills.

Share your perspectives on what makes a good leader.

I believe a good leader is one that is visionary and is able to share this vision with the followers. She/He shouild mostly be able to mobilise the available resource through participative team work to make the vision a reality.I prefer to use the word effective leader, because a good leader is one who is effective in balancing both the task and relationship needs of the group. That is that the leader should be able to ensure that the work done is done by those whose duty it is to do the work and also that they do it in the spirit of love and onessess. If you can lead a small organisation (even the family) like this, you can lead a nation.

Do you think TakingITGlobal can help you achieve some of your goals? Have we already? Please tell us how.

Yes! TakingITGlobal can and is already helping me to achieve some of my thoughts and goals on the issue of education, awareness raising and advocacy that am passionate about. It has given my the platform to make my vioce heard on these issues, at the same time allowing young adults to participate in the global debates on these issues so they can share their thought and acquire new skills that can help them make that impact. It is not enough to just sit as young people and blame the world and everyone in it for all the ills in the society. We have got to actively work for the change we want to see. TakingITGlobal is one way am doing this.


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