The power-packed event which saw 30 Lagos Food Bank volunteers receive scholarships, started with an influx of attendees; volunteers and guests, to the Lagos Food Bank warehouse at Mangoro, Ikeja. After a short moment of taking bright pictures and donning signatures on the legendary Youth Day of Service backdrop, the hall was filled with a large number of young people, ready to make the most of their time listening to top young Nigerians excelling in their respective fields, share insights on the topic of the day, “Sustaining Scalable Impact, Through Strategic Partnerships and Digital Literacy.”

With groundbreakers like Chude Jideonwo of “WithChude,” Eyitayo Ogunmola of Utiva, Coach Sola Adesola of Smart Stewards, White Barry “SonOfTheProphet,” and Princess Agunbiade of Beauty, Brains and The Bag, the event was loaded with words of wisdom and real-life experiences to inspire a mind-changing mindset towards productivity and sustainability.

Dr. Michael Sunbola of Lagos Food Bank Initiative, the host and first keynote speaker of the memorable day, set the ball rolling on account of the earlier days of running the Food Bank, from conceiving the idea to making research on other similar nonprofits before action, he highlighted how resilience and strong values with a culture that not only promotes problem-solving mindset, but also nurtures relationships as a key to sustainability has kept him growing in capacity to impact lives facing food insecurity over the years.

The Gold Boy of Africa Media, Chude Jideonwo, underscored the reward of determination, discipline and self-awareness in the pursuit of purpose in excellence, sharing his experience as a beginner in the media space, his challenges and how he overcame them. His take home message was simple, “make the most of your time in your youth by investing in service, because service is the best gift to your spirit.”

The Christian skitmaker, White Barry, popularly known as SonOfTheProphet, touched the hearts of many with profound life experiences that helped shape his perspective of life, and drive, towards choosing a life of purpose through creativity and resilience. His takeaway to the aspiring young people, “whatever must be done to be great, has to be done,” emphasizing o n the power of positive self-determination.

The Global Coach, Sola Akesakin, introduced tenacity to the keynote topic as a vital ingredient in sustaining anything worth scaling. All through her enlightening session, she spotlighted a working structure and system as a catalyst to driving partnership and collaboration especially in a digital world. Her message was thus; “Impact work sometimes takes you places qualifications can’t.”

Princess Agunbiade fueled the passion of many with her word-piercing delivery on turning ideas into action, emphasizing on the three mindsets of a changemaker; The ownership mindset, the collaboration over competition approach, and the attitude of putting community first. After an insightful session, she encouraged the young generation to use digital literacy as a strong tool to turn societal problems into opportunity.

“Saving the best for the last,” Eyitayo Ogunmola brought the phrase to life by engaging the audience during his session with an action-demanding approach, before taking them on a journey of his life experiences and start-up phases in various fields he presently operates in. In making the day a memorable one for attendees of the Youth Day of Service seminar, he spontaneously awarded 30 individuals free scholarships to learn a tech skill in his esteemed tech institution, Utiva. A notable message from his inspiring session was the need to build capacity as a foundation for sustainability.

The panel session was an interactive and knowledge-sharing segment of four panelists, namely; Dr. Micheal Sunbola, Sola Adesakin, Eyitayo Ogunmola and White Barry. With the topic of discussion,  “Power in Unity: How Youth Collaborations Are Solving Global Problems,” each panelist treated every question from the audience with substance, ensuring clarity and providing guidance with the intention of sparking positive change.

Taking place on the 16th of August, the 2025 Youth Day of Service seminar hosted by the Lagos Food Bank Initiative in partnership with LEAP Africa and DOW Africa, was more than just a gathering, it was a movement of bold ideas, fresh perspectives, and lasting inspiration.