By Mackie M. Jalloh
In a nation where the cries of young people are too often drowned out by economic hardship and systemic neglect, a quiet revolution is taking shape in the historic community of Fourah Bay. It’s not a protest or a political campaign — it’s a movement of empowerment led by the Brotherhood Organization, whose upcoming Fourah Bay Youth Forum on Saturday, September 7, 2025, is set to be a landmark event in Sierra Leone’s push for youth-driven transformation.
Hosted at the Laura Dove School on Dan Street, the forum is themed “Transforming Youths for National Development”, and it represents far more than a one-day gathering. It is a well-crafted intervention to tackle one of Sierra Leone’s most pressing development challenges — the disconnection of youth from the levers of opportunity, leadership, and positive identity.
In communities like Fourah Bay, the youth face the brunt of the country’s socio-economic struggles. High unemployment, the rising influence of gang culture, substance abuse, poor access to education, and limited mentorship have left many feeling hopeless or forgotten.
But the Brotherhood Organization is writing a different script — one where young people are not just problems to be fixed, but solutions waiting to be activated.
“This forum is about turning potential into power,” said a member of the organizing team. “Too many of our young brothers and sisters are sitting on untapped brilliance. It’s time to redirect that energy from survival to leadership.”
Rather than focusing on speeches and photo-ops, the Brotherhood Youth Forum will offer a hands-on, immersive experience where youth can engage, express, and emerge with a renewed sense of purpose.
Key Areas of Focus Include:
🔹 Life & Employability Skills Training
Participants will be exposed to critical life skills — leadership, problem-solving, time management, and teamwork — the very skills that translate into employability and long-term success.
🔹 Confidence & Identity Development
Workshops and panel discussions will be geared toward helping young people rebuild self-esteem, reclaim pride in their heritage, and pursue ambitions with boldness.
🔹 Youth Civic Engagement
With politics and policies often decided without youth input, the forum will highlight how young people can organize, vote, campaign, and be part of national conversations that shape their future.
🔹 Education and Access to Opportunities
Through networking with educators, NGOs, and training institutions, attendees will receive information about scholarships, vocational training, and entrepreneurship programs they can apply to.
🔹 Mentorship and Role Models
Mentorship pairings will connect aspiring youth with successful community leaders and professionals — fostering a long-term culture of guidance and mutual accountability.
🔹 Building a Responsible Community
Interactive sessions will explore the role of young people in building safer, cleaner, and more united communities, emphasizing service and collective responsibility.
While many organizations in Sierra Leone work with youth, the Brotherhood Organization stands out for its community-rooted approach, consistency, and deep understanding of the lived realities of young people.
From organizing street clean-ups and after-school tutoring to mediating local disputes and running faith-based programs, the Brotherhood has earned the trust of the Fourah Bay community. Now, they are scaling that credibility to empower youth on a national level.
What’s also notable is the deliberate intergenerational bridge-building. Elders in the community have been invited to participate, not as figureheads, but as knowledge keepers and moral guides.
“This isn’t just about youth talking to youth,” said one elder involved in the planning. “It’s about transferring values — integrity, hard work, discipline. That’s how we build a strong future.”
While the Forum is taking place in Fourah Bay, the model it represents could be replicated in other communities across Sierra Leone. In fact, it offers a compelling response to the national crisis of youth marginalization.
The Brotherhood Forum aligns with the African Union’s Agenda 2063, which emphasizes youth empowerment as a critical lever for peace, prosperity, and continental transformation. It also echoes the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 4 (Quality Education), Goal 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and Goal 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions).
If scaled and supported — whether by government, development partners, or private sector — the Brotherhood’s approach could serve as a grassroots accelerator for national progress.
What’s most encouraging about the upcoming Forum is that it has sparked a sense of community ownership. Youth groups, mosques, churches, schools, and even informal traders are mobilizing to make it a success.
In a context where apathy and disillusionment often run high, this renewed energy is a welcome shift. Flyers are circulating, WhatsApp groups are buzzing, and the local radio station is running jingles about the event. Even the local bike riders’ union has pledged to offer free rides to students attending the forum.
“Fourah Bay is waking up,” said a teacher at Laura Dove School. “The Brotherhood is giving our children something to look forward to. Not a handout — but a vision.”
As September 7th draws near, anticipation is mounting. But the Brotherhood insists that the Forum is just the beginning.
Plans are already underway to establish a permanent Youth Resource Hub in Fourah Bay, where ongoing mentorship, training, digital literacy, and career guidance will be offered long after the forum ends. They are also considering annual youth leadership fellowships and mobile outreach to underserved communities across Freetown and beyond.
They’ve even begun discussions with diaspora-based professionals to engage via virtual mentorship and digital masterclasses.
The problems Sierra Leone faces are deep-rooted — but so is the power of grassroots, local-led action. The Brotherhood Organization’s Youth Forum in Fourah Bay shows what’s possible when communities choose empowerment over despair, and hope over helplessness.
As we look toward the future, it’s clear that the heartbeat of national development lies not in political slogans or donor conferences — but in the energy, creativity, and courage of Sierra Leone’s youth.
And in Fourah Bay, that heartbeat is growing louder by the day.
Because when young people are empowered to lead — Sierra Leone will not just grow. It will soar.
