Ashraf Maisikeli: The Young Changemaker Bringing Hope to Out-of-School Youth in Northern Nigeria

Changemaker’s Journey 

Ashraf grew up in a community where many believed that the social challenges they faced were unchangeable. 

However, Ashraf refused to accept this pessimistic outlook. Instead, he champions the need for young people to adopt a growth mindset rather than a fixed one, seeing challenges as opportunities to foster positive change. 

Despite the widespread discouragement, Ashraf recognised that many young people in his community had fresh ideas that could drive meaningful change. However, due to a lack of empowerment and support, many fell into drug abuse and other destructive habits. Witnessing this inspired him to launch Inspire Change Foundation, an initiative that provides young people with problem-solving, leadership, and empathy skills to equip them for a better future. 

Ashraf started by reaching out to like-minded, influential young individuals to form a strong team united by a common goal. As a result, more young people are now actively contributing to the improvement of their own communities. 

The Initiative 

Inspire Change Foundation is a non-profit organisation committed to empowering young people to drive sustainable change within their communities and beyond. The foundation focuses on education, skills development, and social justice advocacy to create long-term impact. 

“Every child deserves the right to dream, because in their dreams lies the blueprint for a brighter future, and every child needs to have a promise for a brighter future,” Ashraf says. 

He employs participatory and bottom-up approaches, leveraging spoken word poetry and calligraphy as tools for awareness and inspiration. Ashraf fosters an inclusive and collaborative approach by involving community members, especially young people, in decision-making, problem-solving, and programme execution. Through workshops and group discussions, he creates space for honest conversations, ensuring each initiative aligns with the community’s real needs and aspirations. 

Impact: Since its inception in 2023, Inspire Change Foundation has directly impacted over 200 young individuals and has equipped them with the mindset and skills needed to drive change in their communities. 

One striking example of the foundation’s impact is a young beneficiary who had previously struggled with drug addiction. Through the foundation’s programmes, he successfully turned his life around and became a responsible and proactive member of the team. Today, he not only pursues personal growth but also contributes innovative ideas to help improve his community. 

Future Aspirations: Ashraf envisions a future where more young people in Northern Nigeria can access quality education and practical skills. 

His organisation plans to expand its reach by establishing community hubs, providing training in digital and vocational skills, and helping out-of-school children return to the classroom through partnerships with schools. 

To amplify youth advocacy, he aims to create platforms that elevate young voices, foster creative expression, and influence education policies at the state level. 

Financial sustainability is a key focus as well. The initiative plans to generate revenue through social enterprises and secure corporate sponsorships to support skills development programs. 

As the organisation grows, Ashraf plans to strengthen his team and leverage digital technology to enhance learning opportunities. 

In the long run, Ashraf hopes to drive systemic change by influencing national policies, expanding operations to more states, and positioning his initiative among the most impactful youth-led organisations in Africa. 

Everyone a Changemaker 

Ashraf believes empathy is an essential trait of a successful changemaker. 

“You need to change your mindset because your mindset is very powerful. You need to have an open mindset that believes that it can create change. And you need to understand that change is possible, and everyone can be a changemaker.” 

He calls on individuals to take responsibility for their communities and find innovative ways to address the challenges they face. For Ashraf, change begins with those bold enough to believe in a better future—and take action to make it happen.