MY ADVICE TO YOUNG CIVIC ENGAGEMENT LEADERS

I had a conversation with three young civic engagement leaders recently, and below are some of my advice to them. Civic engagement and public initiatives have helped a lot of Nigerian young people to contribute their solution quotas to global challenges and also given much exposure through travel opportunities.However, there is an understanding that must come with being in that space. Many young people have not built any career outside the public engagement, and only about 5% end up earning a living from their initiatives, according to an international NGO leader I spoke to recently. Passion is good but being able to make a living from your passion is better. This may require you to build a profession outside the passion for communities. Asides the many awards, fellowships, blog features and travel opportunities, there must be a plan either sideways or pivoting plans to earn a living from the initiatives.This reality hits better when a young person is hitting 30, and life seems to be moving faster, and the demands of life start coming. A time will come when all that will matter is stability in career and finance and not jumping on the next flight on a sponsored trip. A time will come that all the blog features will not make any sense to you anymore. A time will come that you will be tired of reading your profile. Ensure to be strategic in your plans. Solve community problems but build an income stream for yourself.All the big aunties and uncles who motivated the young people to civic engagements now have two or three businesses outside their public engagement platforms, giving them money. Some of them are now chartered accountants and university lecturers, and they still solve community problems. Some of them have gone ahead to get more education to position them for more global opportunities. Most international organizations have discovered that they can engage youths all over the world without actually flying them with this COVID-19 pandemic and many more will move entirely online going forward. If we remove travelling, awards and media features, many young founders will stop their initiatives. Rethink your intention.Half bread is better none.Image credit: hbcubuzz.comHe gives understanding to the simple.Oluwaseun David ADEPOJU