My Journey with DEAN Initiative: From Volunteer to Finance Support Officer

By: Johnson Ajayi

Finance Support Officer Dean


In November 2023, I joined DEAN Initiative as a volunteer, eager to support its mission of promoting good governance, democracy, education, and youth leadership. Since then, my journey has been transformative.
By January 2024, I became a finance intern, working closely with the Finance Officer to manage office expenses and maintain financial accountability. This role taught me the importance of accuracy in nonprofit finance—it ensures our projects run smoothly and builds trust with our donors and partners.
In July 2024, I was promoted to Finance Support Officer, where I now manage requisitions, work with vendors, and prepare monthly financial reports. This new role has shown me the critical role transparency plays in sustaining an organization like DEAN Initiative. I’ve also learned the value of collaboration, as I’ve worked alongside colleagues to ensure our projects succeed.
Key lessons I’ve learned include the importance of financial accountability, teamwork, and the diverse forms leadership takes in ensuring an NGO thrives.
A Call to Action
Change doesn’t happen alone—it takes collective effort. If you believe in empowering youth, strengthening democracy, or improving education, I invite you to get involved with DEAN Initiative. Whether through volunteering, partnerships, or donations, your support can drive meaningful change

Embracing Fearlessness through Design Thinking: Unleashing Creativity and Captivating Solutions

Design thinking transcends being merely a methodology; it evolves into a mindset that empowers individuals to conquer their fears and unleash their creative potential. Recently, our team had the privilege of participating in a transformative three-day design thinking workshop, led by our visionary Executive Director, Mr. Semiye Michael, from the DEAN Initiative. Mr. Michael, fresh from an inspiring trip to the MOTH class in London, imparted invaluable design thinking techniques and guided us on a journey of self-discovery, enabling us to embrace new possibilities. In this two-page blog story, we shall delve into our experience, highlighting key insights and lessons that have profoundly impacted us.

Understanding Design Thinking:

Design thinking represents a human-centered approach that emphasizes empathy, creativity, and collaboration to solve complex problems. Its core tenet is deeply understanding the needs and perspectives of those we serve, leading to solutions that genuinely resonate with them. The iterative nature of design thinking foster experimentation, learning from failures, and refining ideas to arrive at innovative and effective solutions.

According to Mr. Semiye Michael, the Executive Director of the DEAN Initiative, “Every answer must stem from creative thinking.” He stressed the significance of thoroughly understanding the problem through continuous analysis, limiting our intervention to the ASK. This approach effectively breaks down the fear associated with exploring new and unfamiliar territories.

Embracing Fearlessness: “What are You Afraid of?”

Fear, a natural response to the unknown, often acts as a barrier to creativity and innovation. When confronted with the task of creating solutions, fear can manifest in various ways, including fear of failure, judgment, or stepping out of our comfort zones. Design thinking provides a structured framework that guides us in navigating and overcoming these fears.

Mr. Semiye Michael also underscored the importance of fearlessness in seizing global opportunities. Fearless individuals, unafraid to put labels on their names and articulate their thoughts, are often presented with global opportunities. Design thinking serves as a means to overcome the fear of expressing ideas by promoting a culture of openness and continuous learning.

In design thinking, the confinement of the mind can act as another agent of fear. Understanding and acknowledging our fears is the first step in breaking free from their grip. Embracing design thinking principles encourages us to challenge our own limitations and explore new perspectives, ultimately allowing us to unleash our full creative potential.

Design thinking encourages the use of storytelling and visual communication techniques to effectively convey ideas. By presenting solutions in a captivating narrative format, supported by visual aids such as infographics or prototypes, we can engage our audience on both rational and emotional levels, leaving a lasting impact.

Design thinking places significant emphasis on rapid prototyping and iteration. By constructing small-scale models or prototypes, we can test our ideas early on, gather feedback, and refine our solutions. This iterative process minimizes the fear of needing a perfect solution from the start, allowing us to embrace an experimental mindset and learn from each iteration.

During the workshop, we were divided into two groups and swiftly built prototypes that showcased what we had learned. The experience was marvelous as we worked together toward a common goal, ensuring the success of our group work. It also allowed us to identify our individual strengths and weaknesses, empowering us to build upon our areas of strength.

Conclusion:

The three-day design thinking workshop became a catalyst for personal and professional growth, enabling our team to embrace fearlessness. Under our boss’s visionary leadership and the immersive experience in London, we discovered that design thinking equips us not only with problem-solving tools but also with the power to conquer our fears and unlock our creative potential.

The true power of design thinking lies in its ability to transform our fears into opportunities for growth and innovation. By embracing empathy, iteration, and collaboration, we can overcome the fear of failure, judgment, and stepping outside our comfort zones. Design thinking empowers us to craft captivating solutions that deeply resonate with our audience, driving a positive change and creating a meaningful impact. So, let us harness the power of design thinking and fearlessly embark on a journey of creativity and innovation.

As we continue our journey, we are committed to applying design thinking principles in our work, embracing new opportunities with courage and enthusiasm.

How we are helping in the midst of COVID-19



The Future of School and Education in Africa and the Role we are PlayingWith the global COVID-19 pandemic causing unprecedented challenges and disruption, no one can say for sure how long the crisis will last, or what we will find on the other side. We do know that the education community won’t be returning to the “old” normal. The future of school may be dearly uncertain but what is certain is that the future of school can no longer be caged by the four walls of classrooms. The big question is if Africa is ready for the all-important new normal. From the technology revolution to teachers’ training and students’ adaptability, a lot seems to be missing.    As an organization, what role can we play? As a host organization for World’s Largest Lesson in Nigeria, we have designed and currently implementing some intervention initiatives. We know that teachers remain crucial if anything will go well but teachers who cannot fit into the “new normal” may be out of a job or seizes to make an impact.  This is why we created the Teachers Upgrade Online Training. This Teachers Upgrade Online Training is built to support teachers’ ability to scale up their skills and expertise while advancing their career opportunities in the post covid19 era. With over 900 participating teachers, the 5 weeks virtual training has revealed, sadly, terrific technology skill gaps in Nigeria’s teaching workforce with just about 5% of the entire participating teachers having elementary tech knowledge to aid teaching activities.  The objectives of the training as designed include; To address the huge technological deficit currently on display within the teaching workforce and bring them up to date with the global teaching standard. To help teachers to transition smoothly to the use of digital skills and other innovative skills which have proven effective in addressing education deficit in such a time like this. To help teachers in acquiring skills that are needed in raising younger generations who are better positioned in using education to solve social problems. Our intervention can be said to be timely and pragmatic in nature. Our tailored training will introduce and build the teachers’ capacities around,
1. Teaching and technology: The link between technology and learning. Introduction to digital/virtual teaching delivery, Digital classroom setup, and management.
2. 21st Century Skills for impactful learning: developing well-rounded teachers that are relevant for the future of work in the Education sector.
3. Employability Skills: Teaching career readiness and inculcating these skills at an early stage of learning.
4. Community- Based  Learning: Connecting students’ immediate environment with classroom learning for improved knowledge.
5. Digital Club setup and management/Club learning ideas challenge.
Teachers with the best learning performance will win laptops and other teaching aids as part of our contribution to building their capacities to align with global realities and trends. Key outcomes expected to be sustained from the training include; An improved standard in education and learning in schools decline in the deficit in technology use in education and learning in Nigeria. Huge investment in digital skills training across the nation for teachers increase in the use of digital learning tools in teaching and learning in classroom education.