About the Youth Innovators Program™
Building the Next Generation of Young Changemakers
The Youth Innovators Program™ is a structured youth innovation and community development system designed to help young people (18–30) identify real community needs, develop practical solutions, and launch sustainable projects that create meaningful change.
We work with councils, nonprofits, charities, CSR teams, and community organisations to build a scalable, repeatable, and locally-led innovation ecosystem powered by young people.
Our mission is simple:
Equip young people with the skills, structure, and support they need to build solutions that strengthen their communities, and their future.
Our Vision
A nation where every young person has the opportunity, guidance and platform to:
- Identify problems that matter
- Develop and launch real-world solutions
- Build community-driven projects, ventures and social enterprises
- Gain leadership, employability and entrepreneurial skills
- Become changemakers in their cities, towns and communities
We envision communities where young people are not just supported, they are empowered to lead.
Our Approach
We provide organisations with a complete end-to-end innovation framework that they can implement locally.
Our system includes:
- A full curriculum
- A proven step-by-step delivery framework
- A complete training pathway (Chapter 1–9 learning model)
- Application and selection systems
- Review and scoring rubrics
- Mentor and trainer recruitment kits
- Partnership outreach templates
- Marketing and youth recruitment workflows
- A complete youth learning platform
- Launch event templates
- Funding mobilisation support
- Your staff become the operators.
We supply the blueprint, tools, templates, and training to run the program successfully, year after year.
Our Impact Framework
Each organisation using the Youth Innovators Program™ can annually:
- Equip 5,000 young people to identify problems and design solutions
- Develop 5,000 real community project proposals
- Launch 50–100 youth-led projects, enterprises and community initiatives
- Strengthen local development, employability and innovation capacity
- Build an interlinked ecosystem of youth, partners, mentors and community leaders
This is a high-impact, high-leverage model built for long-term community transformation.
Our Founder — Rooney Akpesiri
Youth Innovators & Development Strategist
Founder, National Youth Innovators Program™
Rooney Akpesiri is a youth development strategist who specialises in building systems, training frameworks and innovation pathways that help councils, nonprofits and companies empower young people to create real-world solutions.
His journey began over a decade ago as an undergraduate in Nigeria, where he noticed a startling gap: young people were full of talent and ambition, yet disconnected from community problem-solving.
Driven by this realisation, he formed a youth-led movement focused on improving local communities through innovation and service. Starting with no money, Rooney mobilised a team of peers, designed programs, engaged schools, secured partnerships, and executed impact projects that shaped thousands of young people across multiple communities.
Many who joined him as students now lead organisations, work with the UN, run global businesses, or drive community change in their own cities.
That experience became the foundation for the Youth Innovators Program™, a structured system that allows organisations to give young people the same pathway to purpose, leadership and impact.
Today, Rooney works with councils, charities and companies across the UK, US and beyond to build youth innovation ecosystems that transform lives and communities.
Why We Exist
✔️ Because youth potential is one of the greatest untapped resources in every community.
✔️ Because young people want to contribute, they just need the platform and framework.
✔️ Because innovation doesn’t only belong in tech hubs or universities, it belongs in every neighbourhood.
✔️ And because when young people build solutions, communities become stronger, safer, and more hopeful.
Partner With Us
Whether you are a council leader, nonprofit executive or CSR director, the Youth Innovators Program™ gives you a proven way to empower young people while advancing your strategic goals. Together, we can develop the next generation of young changemakers.