LightOut: Sparking Change and Empowering Young Minds

By Bem Abubakar

The story of Gaise Baba, an Afro-Fusion artist and Culture Architect, and his team at LightOut is one of purpose and passion, driven by a commitment to positively impact young people through music, art, and entertainment.

Recognising the void in positive messaging within today’s music landscape, they have embarked on a transformative journey to counter the influence of mainstream music and pop culture on youth lifestyles. LightOut empowers young individuals to express themselves freely, particularly in a society that often stifles or devalues their creative expressions in the arts. By providing an outlet for creative expression, LightOut frowns at rebellious behaviour associated with such limitations and sparks a positive change in their lives. This movement focuses on engaging secondary schools, teenage clubs, and community gatherings through music and art-based events. These outreaches feature artists, poets, and creatives whose work aligns with the values Light Out promotes.

Additionally, attendees can expect to hear from successful individuals in various industries through short speeches during these events. The initiative known as LightOut was first launched on November 15, 2017, at Gaise Baba’s Alma mater, King’s College Lagos. Since its inception, 21 editions of LightOut have been successfully organised in various schools, including Greensprings School, Oxbridge College, Federal Science & Technical College, Dansol High School, Queen’s College, and Babcock University High School, among others. As the movement expanded, a book titled “Anomaly” was authored. This book consists of a collection of short stories that creatively depict and exemplify the fundamental values of the LightOut initiative.

Through engaging students in meaningful conversations, the team aims to promote stewardship, delayed gratification, abstinence, and dignity of labour. By instilling these values, Light Out helps students resist distractions and harmful behaviours, allowing them to prioritise their education during this crucial phase of their lives.

Health and Music play a significant role in influencing emotional connections and driving actions, especially today, where lifestyle trends are often shaped by music and pop culture. This influence is influential among the younger generation, who are captivated by the allure of music and its ability to capture their attention. Utilising music for positive social impact and advocacy can have a wide-reaching and powerful effect, aligning with the goals of promoting well-being, quality education, and responsible consumption and production as outlined in Sustainable Development Goals 4 and 12.

The LightOut High-School Initiative addresses social issues that specifically impact teenagers and pre-teens. These include teenage pregnancy, drug abuse, cybercrime, and inadequate waste management practices. Through engaging students in meaningful conversations, the team aims to promote stewardship, delayed gratification, abstinence, and dignity of labour. By instilling these values, Light Out helps students resist distractions and harmful behaviours, allowing them to prioritise their education during this crucial phase of their lives. All agendas align with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), contributing to three of the 17 SDGs: SDG 3 - Good

A LightOut Edition event typically kicks off with a thrilling live music performance. This captivating start immediately grabs the students’ attention, making a strong impression in their minds. Having built this momentum, I effectively engaged with the students throughout the event. Also, to ensure interest is sustained, activities are alternated, i.e., between performers and speakers, with some individuals taking on dual roles. Through stage lights, special effects, music, dance, and carefully crafted spoken word segments, Light Out strives to convey high excellence to the students. This helps underscore the importance of the messages they will receive and instills in them the idea that the information being shared is valuable and worth remembering for the long term.

As part of the event also, Light Out provides opportunities for students to showcase their talents by inviting them to perform on stage while aiming to leave a lasting impact on the students by offering insightful and inspiring messages that they can carry with them well beyond the event. Some notable speakers and musicians involved with the LightOut High -School Initiative include Performers Gaise Baba, Angeloh, DJ

Horphuray, AnEndlessOcean, Oba Reengy, Manolo, Marizu, Henrisoul, Protek, A mose, Tobi Toun, Izee Smith. Speakers: Adaora Lumina, Funto IBUOYE, Ema Deelen. Government Representatives: Dr. Rita Kienka, Counsellor-General at the Lagos State Education District III. A vital success metric is the level of student participation achieved during each successful program implementation and their reactions to our interventions. The team closely monitors any shifts in behaviour among these students. On the flip side, the Light-Out team regularly receives valuable feedback from school administrators and students, highlighting the positive impact of visits on children’s decision-making, particularly in areas such as educational commitment, environmental sustainability, and abstaining from risky behaviors.

Since its establishment in 2017, LightOut has faced funding challenges due to being primarily funded through out-of-pocket contributions and individual donations. With 18,000 private schools and over 300 public schools in Lagos State alone, the initiative faces a significant hurdle in reaching more students. Each school visit involves distributing approximately 500 books to students, necessitating regular printing of thousands of copies. While the initiative has impacted many students, the goal is to expand this reach even further. There are ongoing conversations to develop the partnership database, with some individuals already committed to providing regular support. Excitingly, LightOut’s first external funding has been secured from the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Lagos for a climate project to be undertaken this term. Additionally, LightOut seeks grant opportunities that resonate with our mission and principles.

The LightOut team actively seeks to collaborate with school administration to introduce the LightOut Initiative in their schools. In the case of public schools, they work closely with the Education Board to identify and prioritise schools needing their assistance. They also establish partnerships with organisations with the same objectives to maximise their impact. For example, they recently joined a teenage mentorship organisation to support student follow-up and provide group and one-on-one mentoring. They also discuss partnering with a recycling agency for an upcoming Climate Change project on recycling and waste management. This collaborative approach ensures everyone feels included and part of the LightOut initiative.

During the teenage and pre-teen years, individuals tend to establish their habits and values, making it a crucial period for influencing their development. Young people at this stage are particularly receptive to new ideas and are likely to carry these influences into their future roles in society. The goal is cultivating healthy, educated, and responsible communities by instilling positive values and behaviours in the youth and tomorrow’s leaders. Therefore, there is a strong emphasis on empowering teenagers and addressing issues that impact young individuals. Few organisations are currently engaged in this kind of work, and even fewer utilise the unique communication tools employed by LightOut, such as music, entertainment, and art. Therefore, the work being done by LightOut is significant but intriguing and curious, inviting the audience to learn more about this unique approach.