About AYN

Our Story

Arise Youth Network for Total Impact was berthed out of the youth empowerment and leadership focus programmes of the Youth and Student Ministries Department of the Nigerian Baptist Convention. The work of the organisation could be traced to as early as 1958 when the American Baptist Missionaries alongside Nigerian youth leaders of that period embarked on advocacy and mentoring programme across schools in South-West Nigeria. The aim was to reach students that would become future leaders prepare and equipped to make the world a more peaceful and equitable one.

This was done through organising workshops on academic excellence, leadership development workshops, churchmanship and practical participation in humanitarian, development and social work. Over 60 years later, the work has expanded and is responsible for ministering to young people in over 200 Campuses and communities with high youth populations in Nigeria, Benin Republic and Uganda.

Presently, the organisation focuses on conducting leadership and empowerment programmes, embarking on community development outreaches, reproductive health issues, human rights, advocacy and campaign against various anti-social and violent vices affecting young people, using our effective zones structures all over the country.

Every year, we organise one of the largest gathering of Young people and Students in Africa with close to 10, 000 students from different higher institutions in and outside Nigeria coming together for a week of long life impacting conference by attending the annual International Baptist Students and Youth Conferences. This is usually a time of empowerment, of instruction, of advocacy and of moral and spiritual impartation. The Annual International Youth Conference takes place every August while the Student Conference takes place every September with different speakers within and outside Nigeria. In these conferences thousands of youth from all walks of life usually attend the enriching empowerment programmes, workshops on preventing violent and extremisms, and networking opportunities, among other youth empowerment initiatives.

This is in addition to the annual Leadership Training for Youth leaders and student leaders across Nigeria that holds every January and August at Bowen University where young people are empowered and equipped with leadership virtues.

At the core of our work is character building, moral, socio-economic empowerment, spiritual nurturing, intellectual and psychological development of young people towards ensuring that they can contribute their own quota to the economic, social, political and spiritual development of the society.

Mission Statement

To advocate for and raise creative, empowered, socially and morally transformed young people through training, equipping, leadership nurturing and empowerment to become change-agents wherever they go.

Vision Statement

To become a leading advocacy and development organisation empowering young people in Africa to become change agents and globally relevant.

Our Objectives

To expose young people to entrepreneurial skills and support. We do this by training over 200, 000 Youth in entrepreneurial and employability skills every year at the National, Zone, and State levels of our operations. We intend to support about 500 graduating students every year to set up micro and small businesses every year at the National, Zone, and State levels of our operations.

To create a platform for youth to contribute positively to the social, economic, political, moral, ethical, and spiritual development of the society.

To facilitate and encourage the employment of higher Institution graduates and youth in decent and high-income companies all over the world within five years.

To promote and encourage active involvement of young people in community development programmes and governance at all levels. We do this by embarking on 15 Community Development Outreaches across Nigeria, Uganda and Benin Republic every year.

To promote right values and orientation among young people. This we do by developing a framework and conducting quarterly Anti-violent and anti-Extremist activities among youth in rural and urban communities in Nigeria, Benin Republic and Nigeria. We have plan to set up 10 Youth Anti-Violent and Empowerment Club in Nigeria, Benin Republic and Uganda.

To raise a set of young people working together among themselves to contribute their quota to the development of a more prosperous, just, equitable, and vibrant society.

To initiate a Leadership and Discipleship Training School that will be producing young people with leadership potentials both for the church and the society.

Our Thematic Areas

ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT
Grant to be provided to Final Year Students and deserving Youth through empowerment scheme. We have been doing this for the past 5 years.
Revolving Loan to indigent students and young people with fundable business idea/skills every quarter.
Training students and young people on different empowerment opportunities around them. This form a core of our quarterly and annual programme for Unemployed and graduating students.
Youth Economic empowerment advocacy to concern Government institutions.
Networking with individuals, business owners and government agencies in empowering students and youths.
Leadership development training through a Leadership and Discipleship School
On site and Online digital leadership certified courses
Engagement and exposing students and youths to leadership opportunities
Improving students and young people access to educational and leadership materials.
Educational Support for less privilege through Scholarship
Mentoring to Excel (MTE)
Connecting students with influential and successful individuals around them that they can learn from.
Partnering with corporate individuals and other entrepreneurial that can positively influence the students and young people to contribute positively to the growth and development of the society.
Quarterly training and exposure to Inter-personal relationship
Purity is Possible Programmes (Sexual Purity Awareness Programmes)
HIV/AIDS Awareness Campaign.
Direction for Life Project/Club (Helping students and Young people develop a Goal and focus in life)
Purposeful Living Project
Personal Career Development Training
Community Development Programmes (Climate Change, Environmental Protection Campaigns, Advocacy, Rural women and Youth Empowerment)
Anti-Violent/Anti Extremism Campaign and Clubs
Involvement of Youth and Students in Humanitarian programmes
Educational Outreach
Advocacy to concern government, CSOs, Media, and Religious institutions on social inclusion
Advocacy for involvement of young people in political decisions that concerns them.
Partnering with Government Officials and Institutions to enable access for youth and students to effectively and positively contribute their quota to political decisions.
Development of Manual for the building the Political Consciousness of students and young people and involving them in political decision making.

Our Past/Present Activities

Empowerment Programme

For 50 years young people from different part of the country have been empowered through skills and grant awarded to project and business ideas that are sustainable and feasible. Through the Baptist Student Network a project initiated four years ago, final year students/graduating students were awarded small size grant to start a small scale business as a way of sustain themselves as they enter the competitive world of the labour market. This has helped them to stay competitive and become self-sustaining.

In addition, the Annual Youth Initiative Scheme empowered and trained young people with tools and financial support to commenced different small-scale businesses across the country.

Trainings and Workshop

Every quarter, one or two training and leadership workshop are conducted for young people and students across the country through the local, zonal and state structure of the organisation. This has been ongoing for decades with the resultant raising of young adults that are informed and impacting their world.

Publications

The organisation through the Youth and Student Department of the Nigerian Baptist Convention has been publishing Youth focus Behavioural Change and Communication (BCC) material for decades. These materials include Purposeful living, Leadership training Material for young people, Leadership is Influence, Leadership Guide Materials, curriculum of activities, etc. These materials have content on contemporary issues affecting youths in Africa.

Community Development

Through the various Outreaches conducted every quarter at the local, zonal levels and annually by the National office, young people embark on Humanitarian and development interventions that addresses the need of rural communities and young people.

Academic Excellence

One of our core objectives is helping students at all levels attain academic excellence. We’ve been accomplishing this through various academic seminars conducted at the beginning of each academic session in higher institutions. This seminar has helped students to be focused and determined to accomplish academic excellence. These seminars are conducted occasionally to help the students balance their academic and spiritual lives while on campuses. We also conduct occasional academic excursions which includes visit to different campuses across Nigeria and other West African countries where we have presence. Here, students learn about the different academic environment and opportunities that they can fully utilize as students.  Students with academic challenges are also been offered valuable counselling services that will help them overcome the various academic challenges and rigors that comes with excelling in higher institutions.

Our staff at the zone and state levels are saddled with the responsibilities of guiding and counselling students to make right academic and career choice. Volunteer Campus Minsters have been going around and continue to do so purposefully and intentionally developing a mentor-mentee relationship with students in higher institutions. Volunteer Campus Ministers are deliberately appointed to cater and be there for the academic needs of students. This approach has been on for decades and has resulted in improved academic performances of our students.

Partner With Us

We are constantly seeking for and approaching development partners and supporters to deepen our work among the young population and to expand our reach further.

Get Involved!