Veronica Silas, an alumna of the 2021 Young Leaders Fellowship, is an inspiring advocate for mental health and empowerment, especially among young people in her home country, Nigeria.
She founded the In-My-Head Support Group and with her dedication and impact inspired positive change in youth struggling with mental health.
Inspired by personal struggles with depression, she started by volunteering in various organizations and her activism was significant during the spread of COVID-19, where she witnessed an increase in youth suicide rates.
Speaking to MCW Global, Veronica reflects on the significant impact of MCW Global on her personal and professional growth. Her involvement with MCW Global, including an internship with MC-Zambia reinforced values of excellence, integrity, and compassion.
What inspired you to find the In-My-Head Support Group, and how have you used your skills to improve your community through this initiative?
In-My-Head support group started years after my personal experience with depression since I was unable to get into medical school immediately after secondary school. Watching my peers thread different paths while I was still home and indecisive about the next move myself was mentally draining, and I felt stagnated.
This affected my social skills, keeping me mostly indoors for that period. It took my mum’s intervention to get me out of that space, and afterward, I heard of a conference where a team was organized in my community and asked to join them. This was how I started working with different advocacy groups; through these groups, I have created awareness of mental health, youth development, and community engagement.
Post-COVID, Nigeria experienced an increase in suicide rates among young people after two years of a decline, with most incidents unreported; I decided it was time to reach out to young people in secondary schools before they transition into the global sphere, creating awareness on mental health and honing a global citizenship mindset in them before introducing them to skills that align with their passion. We trained over 45 participants since inception, reached out to over 1500 students during our secondary school outreach, and have held monthly mental health support groups for young people since 2020. We have now expanded to other geopolitical zones in Nigeria, specifically North Central (Jos) and Southeast (Enugu) with the support of the Kofi Annan Foundation.
What have you found most successful in acting throughout your life?
Joining a community: Where I grew up in a small town with different platforms for young people. Through platforms like Guru Foundation, The Bridge Foundation, YALI, etc., I have built the motivation and capacity to get to where I am today. My actions have been fueled by the experiences I gained while at these organizations, which I will never take for granted.
Whenever I encounter challenges in implementing a project, I have a network of individuals from my past connections willing to offer their support and assistance.
Can you speak about the importance of youth leadership development in your country and other developing countries and how programs like MCW Global are making a difference?
Youth leadership in Nigeria has grown beyond what it used to be before. Back then, anyone under 30 felt they were too young to become a leader, and the concept of leadership was often narrowly defined as holding a position of authority or sometimes misunderstood as being a boss.
However, organizations like MCW Global have fostered inclusivity and empowerment. More young people are now embracing the idea that they can develop leadership skills and effect change in their community.
What’s particularly encouraging is that these empowered youth transform themselves and extend their influence to impact their communities positively. This, in my view, signifies a triumph in leadership development.
What impact has your involvement with MCW Global had on your personal growth and development as a young leader?
I hope I can piece the words together to express how much MCW has impacted my personal and professional development. It’s like having a vision and striving to achieve it in your own way, only to discover something monumental that reveals different pathways to make a sustainable and enjoyable impact.
My journey began as a Mentee with MCW Global’s Young Leaders Access Program, and looking back, I see two distinct versions of myself: the one I initially envisioned and the one that has far exceeded my expectations.
I became more confident in my work because I knew I had been equipped with invaluable resources that I still refer back to implement my projects. I have been exposed to different ways the organization runs, and one key takeaway is that MCW views its impact as an investment. Their sole expectation for a return on this investment is that you make that impact on your community and reach more young people. This is a mindset I have imbibed in my project, and I believe it will influence generational change.
The opportunities within MCW Global are boundless, and as someone who has participated in various programs and even had the opportunity to join the affiliate organization MC-Zambia, as a Communications Intern. I witnessed the organization’s values, from excellence and integrity to compassion and accountability. These teachings are not just theoretical; they are practiced at every level. I was also opportune to be nominated by MCW for the Kofi Annan Foundation Changemakers Program which helped me expand my project from the Southern geo-political zone in Nigeria to two other zones. These were only plans we had at the beginning of 2023 and by the end of the year, it became a reality.
Being a part of the MCW Global family through any of their programs is immensely rewarding. I recommend that every aspiring young leader start their journey with MCW Global’s programs.
Recently, you left Nigeria for Zambia for some time and mentioned that initially, you saw it as challenging. I want to link this with the feelings we sometimes get from change: fear, challenge, and anxiety. Can you please share with us a few tips on how you talk to yourself when feeling challenged or what you do?
The truth is I am still figuring it out, and we will always encounter these feelings in different spectrums. While we each handle them differently, the ultimate goal is to overcome them. Sometimes, we experience declines in our mental health and either don’t realize it or refuse to accept it, but the best way is to be intentional about detecting your mood at every point and avoiding exaggeration of emotions as much as possible.
There are instances when we might feel disappointed but label it as anger or get overwhelmed by work and suddenly find ourselves feeling down. It’s akin to thinking we’re getting sick due to a headache but finding relief after drinking water or eating. Just as with physical health, our mental well-being is crucial.
Recognizing our emotions accurately can guide us toward improvement. It is essential not to ignore identified emotions but to work towards addressing them.
Once, I realized I was becoming overwhelmed, and decided to let go of certain commitments to prioritize rest. The truth is, if we don’t make time for rest, our bodies will force us to rest. Which would you prefer: resting at your convenience or being forced to?
By identifying our emotions and proactively resting, we can approach other mental health challenges more wisely and boost our productivity.
Furthermore, understanding that fears and challenges are inevitable, confronting them, and finding solutions is the key. Even if you wonder, ‘What if I fail?’ consider, ‘What if I don’t?’ You will never know until you try, and even failure offers valuable
Lessons and a path to improvement. For me, that’s far better than lingering in the realm of ‘what ifs.’
Take that leap of faith!
Looking to the future, what are some of your goals and aspirations for continuing to create positive change in your community and beyond?
My goal is to continue raising awareness of mental health and inspiring young people to build their passion and impact their society no matter where they find themselves. I plan to set up an online platform that will be accessible to young people around the world to understand mental health better, acquire skills, and be connected to brands that will help them become better and, in turn, make their world better.
