What is AYEEM?

Arewa Youth Enlightenment and Empowerment Movement. (AYEEM)
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>> Genesis: why AYEEM?
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>> AYEEM came into being as a result of the passion and dedication of a young arewa youth (northern Nigerian youth) who was seriously concerned with the gradual decline and stunned growth of the region. However this movement is no longer about the passion of an individual but about the collective will, dream and determination of the entire progressive and passionate youths of the region.  This movement is neither a political movement nor a religious movement, but a social movement that encompasses all aspects of our social life. The coordinators of AYEEM are youths from various walks of life and social class who have the dream of empowering themselves through enlightenment. This dream is summarized in the motto of AYEEM "the future belongs to those who enlighten and empower their youths"
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>> AYEEM is dedicated to creating comprehensive short-term and long-term solutions that give young people in the northern region real alternatives to drug abuse, thuggery, illiteracy, violence and delinquency while addressing the underlying conditions that influence this self-destructive life style.
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>> Mission: the missions of AYEEM are contained in two broad areas. First is on the aspect of enlightenment and second is in the area of empowerment.
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>>        Enlightement:
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>> We are consistently reminded that we live in an age of enlightenment, yet we find a lot, perhaps too much ignorance and deceptions around us despite the growth of knowledge. Certainly there is a gap somewhere that hinders both the access of valuable knowledge and skills as well as the utilization of these knowledge and skills. AYEEM will strive to enlighten the youths of arewa on issues such as: drug abuse, political awareness and rights, importance of western education, entrepreneurship, culture, religion, and all other important social issues. Thus, in the aspect of youth enlightenment, the mission of AYEEM is to empower the young people through enlightenment and look at ways we can provide ourselves skills, self-belief, and confidence to go beyond our boundaries and achieve success in all aspects of our social life. To this end, some of our core aims include;
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>> 1) Encourage the access and Advancement of Education to all parts of the region and to all gender.
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>> 2) To create youth engaging activities that will catch the attention of the youths and take away their attention from social vices like drug abuse towards productive enlightening activities like mentoring, group discussion and forums for exchanging ideas that will be of benefit to the society.
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>> Our Values are;
>> 1) Bringing innovation and creativity of ideas and skills among the youths
>> 2) Being open and honest with ourselves and our future
>> 3) Being positive and optimistic about situations and the future &
>> 4) Sharing knowledge and experiences.
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>>         Empowerment:
>> Everyone seems to be talking about empowerment these days, female empowerment, worker's empowerment, and youth empowerment are just some of the phrases that are flying around. But what exactly does that empowerment mean, and how can we apply the concept to our own lives in Arewa and Nigeria at large? One of the most common and beneficial ways to encourage personal growth and empowerment is to give young adults increased responsibilities in their own lives and future, however, this should not be expected on a platter of gold, it must be fought for in a civilized and responsible manner to prove that the youths of Arewa and indeed Nigeria are capable of making meaningful contributions to the socio-economic progress and development of the region and the country. Thus, AYEEM will strive to empower the youths through enlightenment to see a society whose youth (and inevitably the current and future leaders) acquire skills, knowledge and mental capability to
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>> productive, proactive and well prepared leaders and citizens in Nigeria and the world at large.
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>> In this area, our core areas of focus will be development activities and  programs in:
>> i.              youth employment and entrepreneurship
>> ii.             youth leadership and capacity development
>> iii.            youth policy and advocacy
>> iv.            youth participation and active citizenship in governance.
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>> Vision: the vision of AYEEM is to see the arewa region produce some of the most enlighten young men and women in Africa with the self empowerment to make meaningful social contributions in Nigeria and the world at large.
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>> Goals:
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>> The goals of AYEEM can be derived from our mission, however we can still point them out. AYEEM will strive to:
>> 1) Work collective with youths across the region to encourage them to do their best in what ever situation or social challenge they might find themselves in. Being optimistic and proactive to growth and self development.
>> 2) Create an environment ripe for youth leadership in the society and effective role models for one another
>> 3) Ensure that youths can safely experiment and succeed in developing stronger skills and confidence
>> 4) Change the mindset of youths to make them see the important role they can play in not just shaping their future but also building the foundation for the future.
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>> Objectives:
>> The objectives of AYEEM are simply the ways we intend to achieve our goals, mission and vision. Thus, our goals will be to:
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>> 1) instill positive social and economic values in our youth that will make our communities a better place to live, both today, and in the future.
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>> 2) Allows youth from various economic and social backgrounds to get to know one another thereby building community across divides.
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>> 3) Provides a forum for youth to express ideas, to get creative, and to be heard
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>> 4)When youth participate in AYEEM, leadership skills and self-confidence are enhanced; the youth will also walk away with a set of goals.
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>> 5) Through AYEEM the youths will become informed about the political and electoral process, which will increase the likelihood of them becoming an educated voter that will make their own informed decision on their leaders and not just "flow with the crowd"
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>> Target group.
>> Our target group will mainly be focused on Arewa youths both male and female between the ages of 0-40years of age. However youths from other regions can and are encourage to participate and get involved in helping us achieve our goals and objectives which are not just specific to the region but the country at large.
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>> Work Format
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>> A typical program or area of concern for AYEEM will be looked into and addressed through the following five steps:
>> Step 1 Convene a group of youths from across the state specified for the program
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>> Step 2 Youths debate on several areas that needs the intervention of AYEEM and pick them based on a level of high priority.
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>> Step 3 Youths conduct research, either by designing their own data collection efforts or by consulting with experts in relevant fields to provide an educated perspective.
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>> Step 4 Based on research, youths create Findings and Recommendations on the chosen topic and or area.
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>> Step 5 The group works to disseminate the information on the local level so communities can "take up" the actions suggested within the Findings and Recommendations. Alternatively, AYEEM will embark on addressing the issue or will collaborate with other agencies of government and or NGO's to tackle it.
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>> Why is it called a movement.?
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>> AYYEM is seen and referred to as a movement because it is both a short term and long term progressive development of ideas toward a particular conclusion; which is the enlightenment and empowerment of the Arewa youth as contained in our objectives. Similarly, AYEEM is a series of actions, programs and activities intended  towards holistic empowerment and enlightenment of the Arewa youth and in general the Nigerian youth.
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