Damilola Hamid Balogun is the CEO of the Youth Sustainable Development Network (YSDN) and has secured funding of $150,000 to propel renewable energy adoption, curtail carbon emissions, and enhance livelihoods across Nigeria and Africa. In this interview with IFEDAYO OGUNYEMI, he spoke on how cultivating strategic partnerships can drive impactful and transformative development and other issues.
HOW would you assess the contributions of young people towards actualising the sustainable development goals?
The contributions of young people towards actualising the sustainable development goals (SDGs) are extremely crucial. Given that sustainable development is inherently future-oriented, the generation set to lead that future must be prioritised. Young people, with their strength in numbers and unique perspectives, are key agents in driving change and innovation. They definitely bring a fresh, dynamic approach to addressing the complex challenges we face, leveraging their energy, creativity, and adaptability to new technologies to promote sustainable practices and solutions.
What more do youths still need to do?
Youths need to focus on more intentional personal development. By enhancing their knowledge and skills, they can position themselves from a place of power, understanding that knowledge is power and light. When individuals know better, they do better, so continuous learning is essential. Moreover, young people should seek to engage in advocacy, and actively participate in local, national, and international forums. Crucially, they must also engage with their communities to implement and promote sustainable practices tailored to local needs and contexts.
What would you say are the challenges facing young people in their bids to protect the environment and innovate solutions that provide important actions and change towards promoting a just and safe environment?
Young people face several challenges in their efforts to protect the environment and innovate sustainable solutions. They include;
Little tangible support from key stakeholders: Securing tangible support from governments, corporations, and other key stakeholders remains a significant hurdle.
Outdated educational curriculums: In regions like Nigeria and Africa, educational curriculums often reflect past priorities and offer limited knowledge on future-oriented sustainability practices.
Youth washing: There is a tendency for organisations and institutions to superficially include youth in their programmes without giving them real power or responsibility, which undermines their potential impact.
Your organisation has empowered about 10,000 youths in different countries on CO2 emissions reduction. What spurred this move and how were you able to scale up to that figure?
Our initiative was driven by a deep passion and interest in sustainable development. We focused on capacity building for our staff members to ensure they were well-equipped to manage and implement sustainability projects effectively. Strategic partnerships played a crucial role, allowing us to leverage resources, expertise, and networks to scale our impact. Additionally, our drive to design solutions that truly impacted lives kept us motivated and focused on our goals.
You have previously harped on the education of youths who were described as the driving force for social development. How did your organisation come about this description and in what areas should their education focus on?
Education is everything for us. We firmly believe that if people know better, they will do better. This philosophy underpins our approach to driving meaningful change. To achieve anything worthwhile, education plays a pivotal role. We focus on areas such as climate action, renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and entrepreneurship. These areas equip youths with the necessary knowledge and skills to contribute effectively to sustainable development.
Word over, we see the devastating effect of human activities on the climate with adverse weather conditions experienced almost every day. How concerned should we all be as a people?
We should be highly concerned. The adverse effects of human activities on the climate are becoming increasingly evident with extreme weather conditions and environmental degradation. It is imperative that everyone, regardless of age or background, takes urgent action to mitigate these effects. Our collective efforts are crucial in addressing this global crisis.
What are the key takeaways from the 2024 Youth Sustainable Development Conference (YSDC) that you recently organised?
The conference harped on integrating youths in policymaking, creating supportive organisations, and enhancing government-youth consultations. Emphasis was also laid on the necessity of institutional frameworks for youth involvement in decision-making.
It addressed the energy transition, leveraging AI and technology, and the importance of implementation and highlighted successful policies and the need for collaborative efforts among African countries to address climate change.
It also highlighted the financial implications of clean cooking, the challenges faced, and the potential for job creation and market growth and emphasised the need for policy frameworks supporting clean cooking solutions and youth engagement.
The conference equally addressed skill gaps, training access, awareness, and policy support in renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable agriculture, and conservation and emphasised the transformative role of green jobs in youth employment and sustainability.
Another take away from the conference is that it discussed how to integrate climate concerns into the 2030 World Cup, focusing on sustainability, transportation, procurement, community engagement, and youth partnerships and emphasised the importance of sustainable practices in sports events, especially that the YSDC 2024 host country will be co-hosting the FIFA World Cup 2030.
What’s next for YSDN?
YSDN has several exciting plans for the future, including scaling successful projects where we aim to expand initiatives like the Solar Cool System project to more regions; building more partnerships where we will continue forming new strategic partnerships to enhance resource mobilisation and impact; innovating for sustainability where our focus would remain on developing and implementing innovative solutions that address sustainability challenges; and advocacy and policy influence where we will strengthen our efforts in policy advocacy to ensure supportive environments for youth-led sustainable development initiatives.
With our dynamic leadership and robust strategy, YSDN is poised to continue making significant strides in empowering youths and driving sustainable development.
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