Meet Jeremiah, Our Youth STEM Changemakers Programme Officer!
Kushe, Adu, Hello, and Kabo from the Lion Mountain, Sierra Leone! My name is Jeremiah Thoronka, and I have recently joined the Youth STEM 2030 Core Team as the Youth STEM Changemakers Programme Officer. My first involvement with Youth STEM 2030 was last year when my work was featured in the Issue 1 Print Edition of Youth STEM Matters. Youth STEM 2030’s commitment to inspiring young people in STEM fields attracted me to this role, so we can empower youths to take action on the global challenges we face, using their skills and passion in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Having my work featured in the Issue 1 Print Edition of Youth STEM Matters solidified my belief in the organisation's vision and potential, confirming that I wanted to be a part of it. Being recognised like this motivated me to become more deeply involved, allowing me to facilitate the growth and development of others I experienced.
As the Programme Officer for the Youth STEM Changemakers, I will be working on creating, managing, and delivering our newest programme, Youth STEM Changemakers, to inspire young people to make change through STEM. I'll be engaging with youth in various capacities, such as conducting workshops, organising events, and creating resources to help them use STEM to tackle global challenges. A crucial part of my role will be to connect with industry professionals, educators, and other STEM stakeholders to enhance our programmes. And, listening directly to young people when designing Youth STEM Changemakers will help to ensure that our programmes are relevant, valuable, and effective in encouraging young people to take action as changemakers in STEM. As we design and launch this new part of the Youth STEM 2030 ecosystem, I want to ensure that we are truly making a difference in the lives of young people and, through them, the world.
When it comes to global challenges, I am passionate about revolutionising how energy is produced, consumed, and managed; and how young people can lead our charge to change current systems and practices damaging our earth through innovation, leadership, scholarship, and entrepreneurship. I am an entrepreneur and scholar, having founded Optim Energy, where I explore producing clean and sustainable energy for energy-deprived communities in Sierra Leone. Before this role, I gained working experiences at UNESCO, the International Center for Small Hydro Power, the Climate Overshoot Commission, Renewables in Africa, Six Degrees, Work Ready Africa, Business Today, and the African Leadership University. The research and hands-on skills gained will enable me to develop programmes and initiatives that will enable Youth STEM 2030 to become the go-to place for youth STEM changemakers to acquire all they need.
Drawing on my previous experiences working with youths from around the world, I’m looking forward to developing the Youth STEM Changemakers programme with the aim of building an ecosystem and space that will build the world's most passionate and dedicated young changemakers in STEM. Their work is to tackle local and global issues that will shape the future of the world and change the face of our communities for the better. Although in many cases, these youths operate in environments that do not promote innovation due to a lack of supportive policies, incentives, laws, etc., that means the most exciting part of the role is that I will be working firsthand with the world's bravest youths, who will head-on be changemaking for the better and equipping them with the resources to advance the world's sustainable development drive.
Over the next few months, I look forward to what this incredible programme will go on to achieve and the many young people we will equip with the right skills, mindset, network, resources, and other tools needed to start from the brainstorming/ideation process to implementing impactful STEM solutions in their communities.
