An Introduction

1. An Introduction

2. VALUE PROPOSITION Inspiring leadership and building enterprise especially among the Nigerian youth population (18 – 35) to build capacity and create economic opportunities– using Media4Development as a primary tool.

3. ABOUT US The FutureProject (TFP) is a social enterprise/development consultancy affiliated to Red Mediawith a two-fold mission to Inspire Leadership and Build Enterprise, and a keen interest in Active Citizenship – all with a focus on youth development.

4. ABOUT US The Future Project is also committed to using the media (traditional/new) in finding effective and innovative ways of addressing social issues with our unique Media4Development Model that is now being studied and deployed by national and international organisations.

5. ABOUT US Founded in 2005, The Future Project has become one of West Africa’s most respected private sector-driven development platforms with a history of verifiable impact.

6. ABOUT US Nigeria faces a crisis of governance and opportunities. This creates considerable challenges for its young people especially with regard to opportunities and capacity.

7. ABOUT US In 2003, unemployment rates in the country averaged at 10 per cent according to figures from the Nigeria Bureau of Statics, and affirmed by documents including the European Journal of Economics, Finance and Administrative Sciences – Issue 11. 10%

8. ABOUT US 70% Taken together with figures from the World Bank, this puts youth unemployment (especially within the 18 – 35 bracket) as high as 70 per cent.

9. ABOUT US This creates a continuing crisis for the youth population and required broad-basedstrategies to engage the resulting problems.

10. OUR STRATEGY We empower the Nigerian youth in practical ways – through the various trainings, workshops, seminars, trainings, symposia, conferences, internships, town halls, mentorship programmes and networking opportunities, using these media-driven tools to build capacity and create economic and leadership opportunities.

11. OUR STRATEGY Towards this end, our programmes are structured after curriculums and models used globally and actualised through a wide network of national and international partners.

12. HOW WE WORK TFP functions as an umbrella of development projects/programmes that seeks to empower young people and re-direct them towards adding value to themselves and society with strong, positive messages of hope and practical change. Its flagship project is The Future Nigeria Awards, which is reputed as Nigeria’s most influential youth platform – straddling youth culture and youth development.

13. HOW WE WORK Other projects under TFP include the “Do Something” National Youth Conference, The Future School Seminars, The Future Enterprise Support Scheme, The Future Town Hall Meetings, , The Future TakeAction, The Young Writers Network, The Future Mentorship Scheme, The Future Volunteers Programme, The Future Polls/Research, This is the Future! book, The Youth Crisis Centre, #ProtectTheCorperswith the ultimate goal of setting up The Future Youth Opportunity Centre and The Future Foundation.

14. HOW WE WORK Finally, we function as a resource organisation for clients, mostly corporate bodies, who are keen to develop their corporate social responsibility arms (CSR) effectively. Because of our unique experience working in the grassroots/community levels while maintaining high-level government and international engagement, we are able to advise, structure and implement CSR strategies for companies that will convince and ‘convert’ their target markets. Our focus is on making sure that company CSR budgets are not wasted, but actually make real, tangible social impact and lead to sustainable growth for targets and goodwill for the brands.

15. HOW WE WORK We are often engaged by our clients as consultants, advisors, project to project managers or serving as members of relevant teams and boards to implement particular strategy or projects/activities, including NeedsAssessment and Research, ImpactAssessment, ImpactDocumentation, Training and Compliance. Clients engaging us towards these also benefit from our wide range of external consultants and partners, with key experience at management levels in the country’s most successful corporate organisations.

16. HOW WE WORK We have also become a major resource for organisations such as the United States Government’s Public Affairs Section, the Nigerian Presidency, and the Nigeria Leadership Initiative (affiliated to the Aspen), and the Ministry of Youth Development which use TFP as a youth resource partner to identify young Nigerian leaders for various development and empowerment projects and opportunities.

17. HOW WE WORK We have consulted for and partnered with government and international institutions and structures that are crucial to development, especially as they concern the youth population including the Africa Union, the World Bank, the Nigerian Presidency, the Nigerian Ministries of Education and Youth with alliances ranging from Project Resource support, endorsements to work with the Nigerian School System, Youth Meetings and Institutional Backing to engage youth/developmentnetworks and groups across the country.

18. HOW WE WORK TFP has been selected for the US Government’s International Visitors Leadership Programme (IVLP), for the British Council’s World Changemakers Forum /World Economic Forum on Africa, and as observers at the 3rd Ordinary Session of the Conference of the African Union Ministers in charge of Youth (COMY III) in Zimbabwe. It has also worked with the AU’s Department of Human Resources, Science and Technology on the African Union Youth Volunteer Corps.

19. IMPACT PROFILE (AS AT JULY 2011) Trained over 500 youth in entrepreneurship with an emphasis on new and emerging industries over a period of 2009 – 2011 through The Future Enterprise Support Scheme.

20. IMPACT PROFILE (AS AT JULY 2011) Secured employment for at least 20 percent of its trainees, especially in the creative industries, with an average income of $300 monthly.

21. IMPACT PROFILE (AS AT JULY 2011) • Secured expansion and platform options for entrepreneur and other winners/nominees with the US Government, the Africa Union, the Nigerian Ministries of Education and Information, and the International Finance Corporation.

22. IMPACT PROFILE (AS AT JULY 2011) • Engaged over 20, 000 young people across 10 Nigerian states through the Pre-Award town hall meetings.

23. IMPACT PROFILE (AS AT JULY 2011) Engaged over 7000 young people in Lagos through the Do Something Conference & Mentorship session in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

24. IMPACT PROFILE (AS AT JULY 2011) Shared the stories of its winners through a national publication with 10, 000 copies and reaching approximately 50, 000 Nigerians.

25. IMPACT PROFILE (AS AT JULY 2011) • Reached a combined audience of over 20 million through national and international media partners (including the continental AfricaMagic and HiTV platforms).

26. IMPACT PROFILE (AS AT JULY 2011) The 2010 Keynote Address (given by World Bank Managing Director NgoziOkonjo-Iweala) directly led to the establishment of Nigeria’s popular youth political advocacy platform EnoughisEnough Nigeria, and the popular RSVP (Register/Select/Vote/Protect) election campaign. That model is now being replicated in Kenya and Senegal.

27. LONG TERM TFPis now poised, after direct engagement with development and youth organisations in countries like Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia and South Africa, to take its message and its development model to other African countries.

28. LONG TERM • TFP has a 2025 medium-term target for the present cadre of young people to be able and equipped to take charge of crucial sectors of the country’s economy and polity.