EYEING THE FUTURE...

Today marks one full year of Spaces for Change’s full scale physical operations, and the second year of a strong online presence. What started out in May 2011 as regular blogging, daily Facebook and twitter postings, and a coordinated online network of change-seeking youths unassumingly, metamorphosed into a structured advocacy group, Spaces for Change (S4C), in March 2012. Today, S4C is famed for leveraging technology, employing crowd sourcing concepts and the social media to conduct high-profile researches and to facilitate public engagement on the policy and legislative processes in the oil and gas, energy, environment, housing and security sectors in Nigeria. 

It is now common for key policy makers, lawmakers and development experts to regularly join in, and participate in webinar sessions, e-conferences and moderated discussions in S4C’s online platforms to communicate important updates and enlightenment regarding government social and economic policies and programs to the public. Our online exchanges have also enabled critical stakeholders to exchange information, forge alliances, build consensus around possible solutions to complex social and economic issues connected to the reform programs in key economic sectors. 

Just last year, we created a dream that demanded strength, dedication and purpose. The researches, policy analysis, legislative engagements, online exchanges, stakeholder alliances and public advocacy we have done in the past year represent both a glimpse of that dream, and a peep into the future of the organization. With the deepest joy and excitement, we are very proud of the many and great tasks we have accomplished in a short time. The greatest of our achievement is the growing number of passive citizens, especially the youth and marginalized populations we work with, who have suddenly found their voice, and now firmly understand that they are active participants in decision-making and nation building.

We owe this achievement to the cooperative progress of our Board of Trustees, our dedicated staff, members of our online network on Facebook, the media, our donors, a horde of volunteers, mentors, the members of several communities in which we work in, across the country. However, we can never consider what we have achieved to be sufficient, because we must, and are determined to accomplish even more and greater tasks.

While the last year was indeed, exciting for us in all aspects, turning one is just the beginning of our expansion plan. In short, we are sure that the future is even brighter than we can ever imagine. May it be celebrated!

Thank you

Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri

Executive Director

SPACES FOR CHANGE