By Ashiru Abubakar (YES 2011-2012, Nigeria, placed by American Councils in Jacksonville, IL)

As a deaf YES exchange student in Illinois, I gained valuable insights into leadership within the Deaf community. I had the privilege of connecting with esteemed deaf leaders from the National Association of the Deaf in the U.S. Their efforts to provide leadership and entrepreneurship training, while sharing success stories to inspire others, sparked my own vision to empower deaf individuals in Nigeria to explore their leadership and business potential through skill-sharing and collaboration.

I chose to launch this initiative in Nigeria’s northeast, a region deeply affected by poverty and insecurity. Once known for its peaceful agricultural richness, the area has seen its deaf community scattered, leadership structures weakened, and networks disrupted. Through this program, however, we successfully brought deaf individuals together, fostering connections with peers in neighboring states and setting the foundation for a transformative workshop.

In August 2024, with support from a YES Alumni Grant, I joined seven fellow alumni and volunteers from the Northeast Association of the Deaf (NEAD) and the Gombe State Association of the Deaf to launch the first NEAD Summit and Transformational Leadership and Entrepreneurship Workshop. This four-day workshop, held at the Windows on America facility at Gombe State University, aimed to equip deaf leaders in the Northeast with skills to drive regional transformation, integration, and development.

Attendees were selected from six states in the region – Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, and Yobe – including state chairpersons, secretaries, youth and female leaders, and deaf traditional chiefs who advocate for deaf communities. A total of 89 participants took part in the program. Trainers, presenters, and special guests came from Gombe State University, the Nigerian National Association of the Deaf (NNAD), the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities, the Gombe State Ministry of Education, and other government agencies.

The workshop covered a range of topics, including effective leadership, entrepreneurship skills, self-esteem and Deaf identity, grant writing and partnership building, association management and strategic planning, economic empowerment, conflict resolution, advocacy, community involvement, and cultural and emotional intelligence.

The workshop also included an excursion to Northeast University, where participants toured the campus to explore its accessible facilities. The university registrar warmly welcomed the group, expressing her amazement at seeing such a large gathering of deaf individuals from the Northeast. She shared that this was her first time meeting a deaf person pursuing higher education and was impressed to learn that some participants held master’s and doctoral degrees. She expressed enthusiasm for collaborating with the Deaf community to develop academic programs tailored to their needs.

We also visited the Vice Chancellor’s office at Gombe State University, where we presented him with an award. He was honored by the recognition for his efforts in promoting inclusion within the university and pledged continued support for deaf students, including scholarships and potential employment opportunities. An interview on national television and radio followed, allowing the workshop to reach a wider audience.

This project is expected to benefit over 3,600 deaf individuals across these six states through similar workshops planned for each location.

I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who contributed to the success of this project. To the deaf communities in the Northeast, thank you for your cooperation and support. My sincere thanks go to NNAD for its invaluable assistance throughout the workshop and to Sound Abilities for Vulnerable Women Initiative for championing women’s inclusion. I also appreciate the Northeast Development Commission’s backing, the efforts of the YES Alumni Association of Nigeria, and NEAD for recruitment and organization. Finally, I am deeply grateful to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs for sponsoring the YES program, which made this initiative possible.