Giddy2School Nigeria

Perhaps this is one of the most beautiful and powerful rooms I have stepped in. Beautiful in the literal sense of the word, and powerful, because here, power belongs to the people through the incredible works of committed and dedicated individuals. Truly, people who do the work wield the power to lead true change. We had deep, vast and insightful conversations in the hall of fame, special thanks to Kerwin Amo, the Chief of Staff and his team. Again, I learned that power belong to the people, that the people must be heard whom we serve, leading to considerations and interventions in form of policies — the true essence of democracy! It fascinated me to see some bills raised in the education sector of Massachusetts and the bill passed into a working policy for the communities. It was an incredible honor to be have been welcomed into the Massachusetts States House by The States House Representative — Hon. Marjorie Decker. I would personally call her a hero, a force and a movement! In Marjorie’s own words, “You must learn that you are amazing, authentic, and nobody brings the kind of energy that you bring”. What an inspiration. You’d notice I was making a speech gesture in the picture I had with her. She had just asked me to tell her briefly about what I am working on, while I briefly elaborated about the out-of-school index in Nigeria and how Giddy2School Nigeria has been positioning to solve this problem. Today, I’d keep a journal, memories and thoughts sacred that were shared with me, I’ll reminisce about the privilege to serve selflessly in such a selfish world. It’s still Day 1.

Yesterday's session with Imemfon Collins was fascinating and educative. I learned that effective communication is crucial to avoiding confusion and miscommunication, and that leadership relies on convincing others to follow your vision, mission, and goals through strong communication skills. When you communicate effectively, you capture people's attention and hearts, but ineffective communication can put you at risk. The 7Cs of communication are essential to connect with others and convey your thoughts and ideas successfully. Thanks to Giddy2School Nigeria for the platform and mentorship, and to the founder Itunuoluwa Isaac Bamidele and Esther, for their unwavering support.

Effective communication is clear and concise, speaking the heart of your mind to lead change ~ Imemfon. This is our third session at the Giddy2School Nigeria Global Leadership Fellowship, facilitated by Imemfon Collins, we are particularly excited about providing our fellows with strategies to enhance their communication skills to lead change. Thank you, Imemfon Collins for delivering such an impactful session!👏 Hello Giddy2School fellows! This is your space! Share with us something that the facilitator said that hit deep with you. #giddy2schoolfellowship #giddy2school #sdgs #leadershipdevelopment

This last one week has been a whirlwind of "Becoming a Giant" for me at Harvard University's Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics, I love being a Mountaintop International Fellow. Apart from Boston being a vibrant city supporting lives, and the American dreams, I had a great canoeing experience in New Hampshire - Saco river, paddling a canoe for the very first time in my life. I also enjoy Dunkin donuts with extra cream coffee every morning for breakfast. Reed would say; "Leaders need to be taken seriously, they need the influence, the tool, the platform and the right connections" because that's how they get to do meaningful work, I agree. This is week 1, and thank you, Reed, for being an ever amazing CEO and leader, for the incredible values you've added to our lives on this changemaking/leadership journey. I have met incredible humans, fellows turned friends, professionals, world changers, doing incredible works and I've been inspired, blown away, and able to learn from them. Super stoked to share some excerpts: Dr. Rana shared a metaphor that stuck with me -- "The elephant and tick approach". Considering leaders as the tick and the systems -- the elephant? we need to know where to bite to effect change. I also absolutely love her WLR model considering that we have a similar project like this at Giddy2School Nigeria. Sam Vaghar is one of the speakers I was so delighted to see, he spoke to a lot of my fears as a social entrepreneur and considering the magnitude of impact he is making having founded Millennium Campus Network (MCN), I look forward to future collaborations of progressing the goals together in Nigeria. Incredible shares from Susan Li, Dr. Mimi Goss, Sian Sutherland, Dr. Ernest Darkoh-Ampem, Prof. Shady ElGhazaly Harb, Rumbidzai, Isata Kabia, Maggie Tushman, powerful world speakers who taught me how to communicate my passion in effective ways, diving through model analysis, and exploring expositions on what works in their various contexts. During our time to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, visiting Jaclyn Youngblood the Deputy Chief of Possibility, I was fascinated just by standing in the building where all the designs and decisions of Massachusetts transportation was made. I learnt various nuances of leadership, top of which is the need for leaders to be honest about what's possible, we cannot afford to follow the bandwagon of mistrust in our communities, the people deserve better. Then, the amazing Maya Pace and her team taking us step by step through the understanding of adaptive leadership. I look forward to conversing more with you and the team sharing best practices and diagnostics in consequent sessions. Again, observing through this telescope on this big balcony, it is still Day 1, and I'm asking myself again, "Where is this work taking me?" -- a constant reminder of what matters, and why it matters. Like Dr. Ernest framed it -- "The art of knowing what you don't know is key for leaders."

Ever wondered why we 'raise a toast'? Thank the Ancient Romans! 🥂🍷 #FunFactFriday #Giddy2School

Happy new week! 😎 Keep pushing forward and seize every opportunity that comes your way.✌🏾 #MondayMotivation

We are excited to announce our second facilitator Jumoke Omodeni at the Giddy2School Nigeria Leadership Fellowship! ~ GGLF! 🎉 Hey Fellows! This is your space! Share with us something the facilitator said that hit deep for you. We will go first: "We need young people to take the lead in climate action; their passion and innovation will shape a sustainable future for our atmosphere." - Omodeni Jumoke Tag a Giddy2School Nigeria fellow and share your thoughts in the comments. #giddy2schoolfellowship #giddy2school #sdgs #leadershipdevelopment

Ewaola was one of our fellows at the Giddy2School Nigeria Academic fellowship, 2022 cohort — and you can tell that she has a dream. We sponsored her UTME (JAMB) exam alongside 17 other young adults at the time. After enrolling her in our academic ICU she gained admission into Lagos State University, and then came the big elephant in the room — no funding. Her mom works as a cleaner at a nearby company to cater for the family, so sending Ewaola to school was not a survival priority, and her dad was not financially responsible for her as well, It takes a village, so I reached out to people who I knew could help and went far and wide, she also work several jobs to make ends meet. But the jobs were hurting her school schedules. So setting up a trust fund is key. I met Ewaola today for the first time physically since 2022, despite all we’ve been through together, and you could tell it was a big moment, it reminded me of how brilliant she is, and the reason we could not allow her bright light to dim, fade out, or waste away. Watching Ewaola pitch herself to Crowdr | Crowdfund in Nigeria today, talking about her hopes and aspirations, being the only one getting educated in her family and the big picture for her was totally inspiring, willing to pay the favor forward to others like herself was such a big pointer that we’ve made a leader in her. This is how leaders are made, and every child we enroll in our “Sponsor A Child Initiative” has similar stories! How much good do you think your sponsorship/partnership for one child at Giddy2School Nigeria would go? You can help us sponsor one child through our two major fundraising platforms: 1. Our Crowdr | Crowdfund in Nigeria link: https://lnkd.in/d56usHNV Or 2. Our GoFundMe Link: https://gofund.me/4b56c644 Thank you Crowdr | Crowdfund in Nigeria for speaking for our girls and boys who need this help the most! Let’s change the world together! #actofkindness #sdgs #sdg4 #Qualityeducation #giddy2school

“If it is thinkable, it is achievable, just start!” - Itunuoluwa, Founder/CEO, Giddy2School Nigeria . #Mondaymotivation

We are excited to announce our first facilitator Steven Loya at the Giddy2School Nigeria Global Leadership Fellowship! ~ GGLF! 🎉 Hey Fellows! This is your space! Share with us something the facilitator said that hit deep for you. We will go first: “The whole SDGs hinge around Quality Education; a nation cannot rise above the quality of her education” - Steven Loya Tag a Giddy2School Nigeria fellow and share your thoughts in the comments. #giddy2schoolfellowship #giddy2school #sdgs #leadershipdevelopment