By Adolphus Davies (YES 2016 - 2017, Sierra Leone, placed by Ayusa in Vacaville, CA)

In February, me and nine other YES Alumni in Sierra Leone implemented a five-day career building and mentorship training to foster educational advancement. This workshop was implemented thanks to the YES Project Management in Practice workshop that we attended in September.

Over the years, the educational system in Sierra Leone has been declining in quality and youth unemployment has soared. As YES alumni, we wanted to reduce this trend and help improve the educational system in our country. We recruited over thirty students from seven high schools and four universities in Freetown, as well as several unemployed young people in our communities, to participate in the workshop. During the workshop, we taught high school students basic computer skills, tips for standardized test taking, and career development skills. We taught university students how to write a CV and a thesis or dissertation, and project management skills. We taught the unemployed participants basic vocational skills in the areas of baking and makeup. Trainers from the Global Youth Network, the West Africa Examination Council, and the African Peer Review Mechanism trained the participants in these skills. 

We encouraged the participants to use the knowledge and skills gained from the training to improve their performance in school, advance their careers, increase their employment options, and create entrepreneurial ventures. Most of all, we sought for participants to share what they learned with others in their communities who would benefit from the knowledge and skills. For us, the best part of the training was the strong desire to learn and grow from the participants. In the future, we hope to expand this training to other areas of Sierra Leone.