Youth Civic Leadership Lab: From Awareness to Community Action
Event status: This is a planned, upcoming programme organized by Citizens Liberation Advocacy Initiative (CLAI). Participation is free. Final venue and access details must be confirmed on this event page before attendance.
About the lab
Young Nigerians bring ideas, energy, and first-hand knowledge of the issues shaping their communities. The Youth Civic Leadership Lab will create a practical, nonpartisan space where that energy can be channelled into informed and responsible participation. Convened by Citizens Liberation Advocacy Initiative (CLAI), the programme is intended for young adults who want to understand democratic processes more clearly, communicate across differences, and contribute constructively to community life.
Rather than treating leadership as a title, the lab will explore it as a set of everyday habits: listening carefully, checking evidence, asking fair questions, working with others, and following through on commitments. Participants will examine how a local concern can be defined without exaggeration, how people affected by an issue can be included in the conversation, and how a realistic civic action can be planned without endorsing a party or candidate.
What participants can expect
The day is expected to include short learning sessions, small-group exercises, and guided scenarios. One activity will ask participants to distinguish facts, opinions, rumours, and incomplete claims. Another will focus on respectful dialogue, including how to disagree without insults and how to lower the temperature when a discussion becomes tense. In a practical planning exercise, teams will choose a hypothetical community concern, map the people who should be heard, identify reliable information sources, and outline a small action that can be completed and reviewed.
The lab will also consider responsible online participation. Participants will discuss the consequences of sharing unverified claims, exposing another person’s private information, or turning civic conversations into personal attacks. CLAI facilitators will reinforce digital safety, consent, and the importance of protecting sensitive personal data. No participant will be asked to disclose party membership, voting preference, voter-card information, or passwords.
The programme is suitable for students, early-career professionals, artisans, entrepreneurs, youth organisers, and first-time volunteers. Prior civic experience is not required. The learning environment will be nonpartisan and respectful of differing views. Attendance does not create a promise of employment, appointment, funding, or automatic CLAI membership.
Participants will leave with a short personal commitment they can review after the programme.
Participation and access
Participation is planned to be free, with limited places to support meaningful group work. The final Lagos venue will be announced after access and suitability checks, and registered participants will receive arrival guidance. People who require step-free access, communication support, or another reasonable adjustment may indicate this when registering. Programme details remain subject to confirmation; the official CLAI website will carry the latest information, registration process, and any schedule changes.