Noel Ifeanyi Alumona has won the 2022 AFS Award for Young Global Citizens and became the first African to win the prize since its origin in 1914. The award was presented during the International Youth Day organized by the United Nations Global Communications Department, the AFS Intercultural Programs, and The Youth Assembly at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
Noel, who is studying at Vanderbilt University, United States, smiled home with a cash prize of $10,000 in recognition of his vigorous campaign to end violence against women and girls through proper orientation of boys on responsible behavior. The AFS Award for Young Global Citizens recognizes the work of young people around the world for their commitment to improving the international community and contributing to a more just, peaceful, and tolerant world. Aside from the star prize winner, Mariana Reyes, and Larissa Cevallos emerged second place winners with a $2,500 prize award.
Noel, who hails from Enugu State, beat the other 500 contestants after a strenuous and rigorous selection process and interviews, from where 10 finalists were selected from over 200 applications.
On October 1, 2018, he formed the Boys Champions as a youth-focused group committed to providing safe space for young boys and training them to become part of the solution to ending societal violence and discrimination against women and girls in Nigerian communities. According to him, some unpleasant cultural and religious practices infringe on women’s rights, for which Boys Champion launched the campaign for change.
vanguard reported, Noel, who is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Special Education in the United States, said he has remained passionate about youth development, education, and more specific ways to improve access to quality education in underserved communities. As part of the mentorship program targeted at youths, he said his organization would organize a leadership conference in Enugu State where speakers from the United Nations, Harvard University, and Vanderbilt University would tutor participants on leadership. He urged the Nigerian Diaspora Commission, government agencies, and corporate organizations to key into the project for youth empowerment and training of future leaders.
Narrating his past experiences in his community, Udenu LGA, Enugu State, Noel explained that he spent over five years in the classroom teaching, monitoring, and examining students’ performance. He expressed the poor attention given to Special Education for kids with Learning Disabilities and Emotional Behavioral Disturbances. He warned that the neglect of children with special needs and other vulnerable groups does not guarantee an inclusive education system, which every country should aspire to achieve.
He announced that he and Chike Stef Nwoke, a Ph.D. student at Carleton University in Canada, were working together on a research paper to analyze the first ever 2015 policy document and the level of execution of special education in Nigeria. He said important questions needed to be asked to chart the way forward for special education in the country.
“At the moment, Nigeria is at the end of the bridge on global rankings for special education support. I am happy to continue to offer my voice to conversations that will inspire change in Nigeria, Africa, and across the world. As I always say, Africans will change Africa and I am happy to lead that change from my community through Boys Champions and Hope for African Children,” he said.