Youths That Lead: Enanga Fule’s “One Youth One Dream” initiative
By Nchendzengang Tatah
Every young person at some point had a dream. While some materialised, others turned to nightmares. The myriad social problems facing townships and rural communities alike warrant dreams and actions towards achieving good for all. After all, global leadership coach John C. Maxwell argues that everything rises and falls on leadership.
Enanga Fule Eliva, 26, agrees. The Cameroonian youth leader, Founder of the Make Them Smile Foundation and regional coordinator of the National Network of Youth Parliamentarians of the South West, has, since 2024, birthed an initiative that is giving dreams direction.
The One Youth One Dream (OYOD) Conference, with its first edition in 2024, had its second edition this October 17 in the South West regional capital of Buea. It wasn’t just hundreds of young people meeting again, but a vibrant community benefiting from mentorship that has recorded transformation in its attendees since its first edition.Besong Sarah, a young communication graduate from the University of Buea, affirms that, “No contribution is too small to make a difference in society; all you need is to take the bold step.”
The 2024 attendee of the OYOD conference, who also benefited from a one-month-long CSO/NGO mentorship programme, says she developed skills in creating and managing NGO’s that have since given her value in the job market. For Ashu Dahlin, another OYOD 2024 participant, it was his first opportunity to volunteer.
He says the conference opened his eyes to what young people were doing around Buea and spurred his ambitions to become even better. Still in the works today, he believes the conference reshaped his perception and fine-tuned his personality professionally.
These little efforts towards transformation may blossom with bigger testimonials if young persons invest their time in quality activities, said the Regional Delegate of Youth Affairs and Civic Education for the South West, Isaac Ekombe Mbua, while presiding at the second OYOD conference.
The idea of OYOD, according to Fule, is to give young persons an avenue to network and exchange in order to arrive at goals that materialise dreams. “As a youth, you should start leading where you stand. You are never too young to lead,” she believes.
The second edition of the OYOD initiative comes as local stakeholders are finding solutions to refuse disposal challenges while drug abuse is rampant amongst the youthful population, with a non-negligible surge in femicide and child rape. It is in this context that the Fule-led conference is inspiring leadership, solution-driven thinking, and rearming youths towards purpose and self-identity.
