Liberia: Spotlight On Daniel K. Dennis - A Liberian Youth Activist and Community Engagement Exchange Program Fellow

Daniel K. Dennis Is a 25 year-old change maker and the first ever Liberian to be selected and attend the Community Engagement Exchange Program as Fellow - a program funded by the US Department of State.

Dennis is the Founder and President of Students Against Corruption, a student-led anti-corruption movement that has activists and members across the world with the sole goal of combating corruption.

Dennis is a former Ambassador of Their world and the Country Director for Eve's Grace Scholastic Innovation. He holds a Bachelor Degree in Computer Science from the BlueCrest University College in Liberia and an advanced certificate in Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economics from Harvard Business School -Online.

Dennis is currently interning with the Global Affairs and Policy team at Search for Common Ground in Washington DC as a Global Affairs and Advocacy Fellow. Search for Common Ground has played a very important role in the recovery process of Liberia since the end of the civil war in Liberia through it Talking Drum Studio initiative.

The below is a brief remark by Dennis when he introduced his organization to the world.

"My name is Daniel Dennis '25, I am from Liberia and I am the President and founder of Students Against Corruption (SAC), and I would like to welcome you to our organization. Students Against Corruption was founded with the aim to mobilize students and young people across the world to become leading lights in the fight Against Corruption.

We pledge to battle corruption wherever it may present itself. We will do this in a number of ways and will not quit until our goal are achieved! We aim to do this by using our keys tools -the young people who have had enough of injustice and inequality in their community. Young people who creativity, innovation, a fresh perspective, the energy and hope to not only dream of a better world but to make the dream a reality. We see in the near future a world where young people can grow and thrive without worrying about the overarching presence of corruption. Today, this societal evil is rubbishing any effort of building a better life or indeed sustaining a decent quality of life".

In 2015, I was motivated to start an organization to address the rampant corruption in every sector in Liberia, with the help of my friends and support from few Liberians who wanted to see schools / a society free of corruption and malpractices that has affected learning outcomes in Liberia since the end of the country's civil conflict for more than a decade ago. To date, working with my friends from other schools around the country, we have established integrity and anti-corruption clubs in more than 15 schools across three counties in the country. We also have more than 2000 members we described as Ambassadors spread across all these counties.

CEE has given me the hope to not only dream of a better world than but to work tirelessly to achieve my vision, upon returning home, I will implement a 6-month Community Engagement Project which seeks to address corruption in secondary schools that report bribing of teachers and other form of corruption. My project seeks to establish Student Integrity Clubs in 4 new secondary schools by recruiting, training and empowering 100 students from these schools to become part of the Integrity Clubs, these students will then provide anti-corruption educations to their peers and will served as watchdogs in their respective schools. There is a popular African proverb that "is it easy to bend a tree while it is still young". Join me in educating youth on corruption now to eliminate cultures of corruption around the world."

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