The Yopians Movement

THE PROBLEM

Nigerian social media was filling up with noise: trolling, dragging and cyberbullying, and young people posting with no direction. The loudest voices were setting the tone for a whole generation.

THE IDEA

Don't fight the noise. Give young people a better identity to step into: purposeful creators who use social media for good. The movement needed a name people would be proud to wear.

WHAT I DID

I launched Young and Purpose-Driven Influencers (YOPIN) on Facebook and called its members Yopians. Young Nigerians started to introduce themselves as Yopians and to create purposeful, meaningful content. Every month I recognised 30 creators: 15 emerging, 10 promising and 5 top influencers, and their own posts about the recognition spread the movement further. I ran this in June, July and August, and also grew a private community where we invested in young creators.

WHAT CAME OF IT

• 90 young creators recognised in three months.
• A private community that grew organically to over 400 members within a week of launch.
• Young Nigerians adopted the name Yopians as their own identity.
• Won Educational Brand of the Year at the Exceptional Educators Award 2023.
• Personally won the Innovative Educator Award at the same event.
• Won the Award of Influence from LIST Africa.
• Named one of the 100 Most Inspiring Youths and Creatives by BEST Africa (2023).