Step Up Nigeria’s Catch Them Young Initiative is focused on using creative techniques and storytelling approaches to educate young Nigerians on the meaning of corruption and its impact on society. The project is focused on tackling social norms to reduce corruption through anti-corruption education for young people and targeted communities.
Our storytelling approach includes the use of storybooks and films, to educate children on the negative impacts of corruption and the importance of integrity. Since 2018, and through our ‘Catch Them Young initiative’, and the MacArthur Foundation-funded ‘Anti–corruption Education for Social Change’ project, we have sensitised over 27,000 children in FCT, Lagos, Kaduna, Nasarawa, and Oyo states on anti-corruption values. We have also trained over 400 teachers from over 600 schools and donated over 49,000 books to students and school libraries in those states.
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Our goal is to get as many schools as possible (both public and private schools) to adopt anti-corruption books as a part of their daily teaching. We will also advocate for anti-corruption education to be included in the curriculum of primary schools.
The initiative which commenced in 2018 has so far directly engaged 27847 children in the FCT, Lagos, Kaduna, Oyo and Nasarawa states of Nigeria. At the time of this report, the project was actively running in Lagos, Kaduna and Abuja. In consideration of project expansion and replicability in other Nigerian states, Step Up Nigeria conducted a rapid consultation exercise with potential beneficiary groups in three Nigerian states namely Ogun, Nasarawa and Adamawa states in July 2020. The purpose of the exercise was to establish an awareness base and knowledge levels for the groups on issues of corruption and its impact on society as well as interest and willingness amongst the groups to tackle the issues.
Key groups consulted included children in primary and junior secondary schools, youths in senior secondary schools and universities, and teachers and school owners in primary and junior secondary schools. See the latest report below.