Someone said it’s about time we brought down the Christmas lights!—festivities might be over, but our commitment to supporting vulnerable communities, and making an impact continues!
As we step into a new year filled with hope and opportunities, our team at AYGF continued with the Nigeria Police Force Reform Initiative Phase II which kickstarted in December, 2024. This initiative is targeted towards enhancing police-public relations and mutual accountability through the establishment of Police-Community Dialogues, focusing on sensitization and awareness creation.
Also, the AYGF team paid a courtesy visit to the TY Danjuma Foundation at their office in Abuja, Nigeria on the 16th of January. This visit provided an opportunity to discuss areas of mutual interests and explore potential partnerships.
In the same spirit, we also invite you to join us in reflecting on the importance of global solidarity and humanitarian values. This January, we’ll be starting off with commemorating the International Day of Education on the 24th of January. This reminds us to reflect on the power of education to equip individuals and communities navigate, understand and influence technological advancement under the theme “AI and education: Preserving human agency in a world of automation”
We have a line-up of impactful initiatives, activities, events, and projects and we look forward to exploring, partnering, and working with all our stakeholders, partners, volunteers, and social media comunity to keep driving a positive change in 2025.
MUTUAL ACCOUNTABILITY AND COMMUNITY SCORECARD INITIATIVE
Building Bridges for Better Security: Objectives and Outcomes of the Mutual Accountability and Community Scorecard Initiative
Mistrust and miscommunication often hinder effective collaboration between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve. To bridge this gap, the Mutual Accountability and Community Scorecard Initiative was launched, focusing on fostering trust, encouraging open dialogue, and promoting shared responsibility for public safety. Through targeted efforts, this initiative sought to create an environment where police and community members could work together toward sustainable security solutions.
With this vision in mind, the initiative set clear objectives to guide its implementation:
Objectives:
- Facilitate open dialogues between police and community members to build trust and mutual understanding.
- Raise awareness about police functions, community rights, and shared responsibilities in ensuring public safety.
- Develop context-specific mutual accountability and community scorecard indicators agreed upon by both parties.
- Empower local NGOs to collaborate with the police in sensitization efforts.
By achieving these objectives, the initiative produced impactful results that strengthened the relationship between police and communities:
Outcomes:
- Challenges in police-community relations identified.
- Improved community knowledge of police roles and responsibilities.
- Increased awareness among service providers about the role of police in communities.
- Enhanced understanding among service seekers of their role in improving security.
- Strengthened relationships between service providers and service seekers.
- Established mutual accountability between police and community members.
POTENTIAL PARTNERSHIPS
On the 16th of this month , the African Youth Growth Foundation (AYGF) paid a courtesy visit to the TY Danjuma Foundation at their office in Abuja, Nigeria. The AYGF delegation was warmly received by the Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation, Mr. Gima H. Forje, along with his esteemed team.
This visit provided an opportunity to discuss areas of mutual interests and explore potential partnerships. This interaction marks a significant step toward strengthening collaboration and amplifying the positive impact on the communities we serve.
KEY INTERNATIONAL DAYS IN JANUARY
1. January 24 – International Day of Education
Education is a fundamental right and a gateway to building sustainable and equitable societies. This year’s theme, “AI and education: Preserving human agency in a world of automation”, highlights the need to strike a balance between technological advancements and humanity’s essential role in education. As artificial intelligence continues to transform how we learn and teach, the theme emphasizes the importance of keeping humans at the center of the process, ensuring that AI enhances rather than diminishes creativity, critical thinking, and decision-making. It calls for the ethical use of AI, urging education systems to adapt in ways that empower learners and educators while safeguarding values like originality, empathy, collaboration, and moral reasoning. By prioritizing human agency, this theme invites us to design educational solutions where technology complements, rather than replaces, the human touch, preparing individuals to thrive in an increasingly automated world.
Why It Matters: Nearly 244 million children and youth worldwide are out of school, with many facing barriers like poverty, conflict, and discrimination. This day is a call to action to prioritize education and create opportunities for all—especially for marginalized groups.
Our Role: At AYGF, we are dedicated to empowering underserved communities through impactful educational initiatives. Our efforts focus on advocating for safe learning environments, ensuring access to quality education for children, and reintegrating out-of-school children into the classroom—an endeavor we passionately drive through the BLOOM Education Project.
Click here to catch a glimpse of the BLOOM project launch.
Final Thoughts
As we embrace the possibilities of 2025, let us carry forward the spirit of compassion and collaboration. Together, we can turn awareness into action and build a future where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. Thank you for standing with us as we strive to make a difference—one day, one life, and one community at a time.
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HAPPY NEW YEAR!
