Enhancing the Culture of Followership Among Youths: The Case of Teens and Youths in Leadership (TYIL) in Nigeria

Abstract

Discussions around leadership have dominated research and practice, with little attention given to followership (Cox III et al., 2010). This has consequently triggered debates, particularly among youths who are seeking the skills necessary to prepare them for the future, as they are continuously faced with decisions about which skill is more important to have. Unarguably, the popularity of leadership research over that of followership has aroused more commitment to leadership development (Slanger, 2019). To promote a culture of followership among youths, the Positive Youth Development (PYD) approach can be adopted by organizations and agencies with the aim of equipping and training youths for the future by exposing them to the act of leading through genuine followership. For over five years, the Teens and Youths in Leadership (TYIL) in Nigeria have applied the PYD approach in preparing youths through training, fellowship programs, and conferences. Participants have included 1,250 high school students and 135 post-secondary school students across Nigeria on topics related to followership, collaborative and personal leadership, volunteering, and community development. Significantly, PYD is a developmental process through which youths can grow progressively through structured training and empowerment programs (Mercier, et al., 2019). This poster highlights TYIL’s application of PYD to enhance followership among youths through the 5Cs of Positive Youth Development: character, confidence, connection, caring, and competence (Lerner et al., 2009). TYIL embraces the culture of leading through followership by promoting collaboration and synergy among participants during their training.