On January 12^th 2019, Coaches of Influence Foundation (COIF) hosted its first annual Economic, Personal, Intellectual, & Cultural (E.P.I.C) Empowerment Youth Forum in The Gambia.  The theme of the forum, "Preparing for the Baton", was crafted out of a vision to equip the participants with skills, knowledge and attitudes needed as they transition to the world of adulthood, responsibilities, leadership and work.

The event comprised of four panels: Economic, Personal, Intellectual, & Cultural. Each panel had varying topics of discussion that were all geared to addressing the pertinent questions below:

• How can we prepare the youths of The Gambia for a life-long career management, building resilience for challenges in entrepreneurship, creating asset & financial portfolio and adapting effective leadership skills? What specific programs are available and how can they leverage these opportunities?
• How can we empower youths to embrace the philosophy of finding their purpose, developing a vision of where they want to be, and seeking personal development in order to continue navigating towards success against the tides they face daily in their lives?
• What values does intellectual empowerment bring to the youths in The Gambia? In what ways can we create and foster an environment that is literate in all aspects of life?
• How can the youths gain a sense of self-worth and become ambassadors of their nation wherever they may find themselves?

Emcee:

Mr. Peter Gomez – Owner, West Coast Radio

Special Guest Speaker:

Mr. Mustapha Njie - Owner, TAF AFRICA GLOBAL LIMITED

Keynote Speaker:

Momodou Sabally - Founder & President, Sabally Leadership Academy (SLA)

Moderators:

• Udo Kalusian – Missionary, Christian Missions Fellowship
• Nyang Omar Njie - blogger, producer & social commentator

Economic Panel:

• Alieu Jallow – Founder, Startup Incubator Gambia
• David Jeng – Founder, Young Entrepreneurs Association
• Kumba Daffeh-Kah – CEO, Tresor Inc & Founder
• Muhammed Trawally - Manager, Standard Chartered Bank (SCB)

Personal Panel:

• Evou Lawrence Mendy - Founder & CEO, Kameko
• Mam Yasin Sarr-Fox - Co-founder & Director Starfish International
• Paulina Conteh – Supervisor, Africell Gambia LTD
• Samuel Mendy - Founder & CEO, Youth Power Network International (YPNI).

Intellectual Panel:

• Sylvester Seal Jammeh - Youth for Christ International (YCI)
• Fatou Jeng – President, Student Union UTG
• Saikou Camara - Founder & President, Your Change for a Change (YCFaC)
• Anna Nancy Mendy - Principal Education Officer, Ministry of Basic & Secondary Education (MoBSE)

Cultural Panel:

• Fatou Saine-Gaye – Owner, Gaye Njorro Skills Academy
• Claude Azangisa - Motivational Speaker
• Hon. Ousman Sillah - National Assembly Member (NAM)
• Victor Okolie - Founder and Executive Director of Victory Foundation

Our founder Dr. Margaret Ellis gave the opening & closing remarks and extended the unique opportunity for COIF to mentor twenty young Gambians for six months beginning February 2019 and ending in July 2019.

To learn more about COIF and our programs, please visit our website coifoundation.org or follow us on our social media pages.

We are Coaches of Influence Foundation, we influence identity.

E.P.I.C. Event Flyers