Nigerians Aided by Global Young Innovators Initiative

The first-ever Global Young Innovators Initiative program was held June 16-21 at Harvard University, attracting nearly 100 high school students. In partnership with experts from Leadership Initiatives, Global Young Innovators Initiative students were challenged to come up with innovative ways to support business development and community renewal in Nigeria.

The Global Young Innovators Initiative, an Envision program, provides high school students with insight into emerging global issues and equips them with the skills required to emerge as creative and innovative individuals in an increasingly connected world. Leadership Initiatives is an organization that strives to solve the problems of underdevelopment by empowering communities to address their own needs.

Global Young Innovators Initiative students participated in live video sessions with Nigerian business leaders to help them find solutions to real-world challenges. Students worked with a fish farming operation to propose new ways to oxygenate fish tanks, created logos and a media campaign to help promote a Nigerian tailoring businesses, designed accounting programs for a photography shop and assisted with the development of new welding techniques.

The Nigerian business owners embraced the solutions being proposed by the students with great excitement, recognizing the benefit of a whole team of young innovators seeking to solve challenges in a community thousands of miles away.

Through this unique and collaborative program developed by Envision and Leadership Initiatives, the students gained global perspective and strengthened the critical success skills they will need in college and in their careers. At the same time, by putting their ideas, creativity and innovative abilities to work, they helped to create a more positive future in Nigeria.