NDUKU LOUIS TEBI (TEBI)
CAMEROON, 19
He/Him
Project: Students and Youths Empowerment Forum (SYEF) Cameroon
Growing up in Bamenda, Cameroon, Tebi frequently witnessed armed violence due to the ongoing Anglophone Crisis. In 2018, he personally experienced an unprovoked, intense act of violence at the hands of non-state arm groups. It took Tebi time to work through the trauma he endured. He joined the Students and Youths Empowerment Forum (SYEF) to help prevent violent extremism from causing trauma to others in his community. Tebi began leading workshops to educate youth about hate speech, conflict resolution and International Humanitarian Law, and engage them in critical thinking to discuss sustainable solutions to Cameroon’s sociopolitical divide. He also teaches young people about topics affecting them such as sexual health and responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, he has worked with 1,000+ children and youth in Cameroon. Tebi is developing an initiative focused on combatting hate speech as he recognizes it is hateful words that can perpetuate and escalate violence. SYEF will host workshops on dangerous language and train 40 Youth Ambassadors to promote “love speech.” Tebi is also working with the Cameroonian Youth Parliament to draft policy that will prevent and protect children from polarizing language. In 2022, SYEF will host Global Week Against Gun Violence, which will include an advocacy campaign, a poetry slam, community meetings, and trauma healing resources for victims of armed violence. Tebi hopes youth can build a more peaceful future for Cameroon, and restore the rights to an education stripped from 800,000+ children as a consequence of the crisis.