LEAP Africa, one of Africa’s foremost youth-focused leadership development organizations, and Dow are pleased to announce the third edition of its Pan- African ‘Youth Day of Service (YDoS)’ campaign, a youth-led social impact campaign with the theme — Youthful and Useful, a move that is in commemoration of International Youth Day held on 12th August.
The Youth Day of Service is a week-long event that seeks to foster the spirit of service to the community and volunteerism among the African youth population with a focus on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and inspire them to be active in social change agents in society. LEAP Africa seeks to rally young people, corporate organizations, and public and social sector organizations to become advocates and renew the spirit of active youth citizenship with an emphasis on spreading the culture of service and collective responsibility. The campaign will feature different projects championed by young people in various African communities.
This year, Dow collaborated with LEAP Africa on the Youth Day of Service campaign as the headline partner. Established 125 years ago, Dow has been passionate about advancing science and innovation to find solutions to questions that can change the world for the better. To achieve its goals, Dow recognizes the need for youth engagement and buy-in as they are key stakeholders in building a sustainable future. This partnership offers Dow an opportunity to further its Blueprint thinking, contextualize its 2025 sustainability goals, and develop tomorrow’s innovators within the African youth community.
Speaking at the press conference in Lagos, Femi Taiwo, Executive Director, LEAP Africa, said, “LEAP Africa is committed to supporting and nurturing the agency of young people across the continent with skills and tools to enable them to become transformative leaders in their sphere of influence. The Youth Day of Service provides an enormous opportunity to engage the hands and hearts of individuals, the third sector, and public and private stakeholders to actualize the SDGs. Our partnership with Dow in this year’s edition will support our vision to sustain our wide reach on the continent.”
In his remarks, Adebisi Adeoti, Country Manager, Dow Nigeria expatiated the goal behind Dow’s partnership with LEAP Africa, saying, “We recognize that the future is created by what is done today through empowerment, collaboration, and deliberate investments in the communities we live and work in. The needed transformative change is achievable only when the youth are empowered to realize their full potential. Our partnership with LEAP Africa on the ‘Youth Day of Service campaign was designed as an opportunity for us to develop and support solutions that spark positive change and builds resilient sustainable communities.”
Reflecting on Dow’s decades-long commitment to sustainability, Sami Mainich, Managing Director, Dow Northern & Western Africa, and Chair of Dow Africa Steering Committee, said, “Dow has always envisioned a better world built on human creativity, innovation, and problem-solving. Over 25 years ago, we embarked on a sustainability journey initially focused on improving our operational footprint. Now, we are expanding our scope by applying blueprint thinking which drives us to collaborate to change entire systems to achieve transformative change. Collaborating with African youth will enable this transformation.”
To get involved, participants can either register their own project, volunteer for any existing project, or sponsor the execution of a project as listed on the campaign portal. The registered projects can be physical projects or active virtual advocacy in different locations across Africa between August 12-18.
Youth Day of Service is personal leadership in action; intended to empower young people, strengthen communities and trigger collective actions that would move the continent closer to achieving the SDGs with 2030 in view. A day when Organizations across sectors including employees, fellows, and Alumni members will come together to perform acts of service in their communities leveraging the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework. International Youth Day is celebrated annually on the 12th of August to bring youth issues to the attention of the international community and celebrate their potential as partners in today’s global society.
