ABOUT THE MILLENNIUM FELLOWSHIP - CLASS OF 2021
United Nations Academic Impact and MCN are proud to partner on the Millennium Fellowship. In 2021, over 25,000 young leaders on 2,000+ campuses across 153 nations applied to join the Class of 2021. 136 campuses worldwide (just 6%) were selected to host the 2,000+ Millennium Fellows. The Class of 2021 is bold, innovative, and inclusive.
UNITED NATIONS ACADEMIC IMPACT AND MCN PROUDLY PRESENT SALIM OLANREWAJU OYINLOLA, A MILLENNIUM FELLOW FOR THE CLASS OF 2021.
University of Lagos | Lagos, Nigeria | Advancing SDG 3 & UNAI 3
" I am truly excited to be a Millennium Fellow as it is a great privilege and opportunity to work with like-minded and diverse people. It will enable me challenge myself and other people to take concerted efforts towards achieving the SDGs. I believe the Millennium Fellowship will be a huge learning curve for me to continue to develop myself and learn best practices when it comes to advocating for good health and well-being for all and actually doing something about it. Mental disorder, being the fourth leading cause of disability in people aged 15 to 44 years, has often gone unrecognized as a silent epidemic in Nigeria.
While the Nigerian government has made efforts to reduce premature mortality vis-à-vis mental illness, there is still an evident illiteracy on the subject as it relates to how the Nigerian society sees young people with mental disorder and the negative stereotypes associated with them. The Millennium Fellowship will be an amazing avenue for me to build a stronger network of youth leaders passionate about effecting positive change. "
Millennium Fellowship Project: SoundAsABell Initiative
SoundAsABell is an initiative geared towards educating young Nigerians about mental illnesses in a bid to alleviate the stigma and stereotypes associated with persons suffering from mental illnesses. It is saddening that persons with mental illness still have to struggle with double problems, first, with the symptoms of the diseases themselves, and then, the misunderstanding of the Nigerian society about the various mental disorders. As the high level of ignorance about mental illness and negative attitudes towards young individuals with mental disorders especially as related to depression and mood disorders continues to increase, the burden of depression also becomes heavier on the neck of the average Nigerian young adult. This depression, if untreated often leads to suicide and this has increased the number of premature mortality vis-à-vis mental illness in Nigeria.
There is evident illiteracy on the subject as it relates to how the Nigerian society
sees people with mental disorders and the negative stereotypes associated with them. These stereotypes are what the SoundAsABell initiative looks to eliminate by creating an avenue for mental illness literacy.
About the Millennium Fellow
Salim Olanrewaju Oyinlola is a second-year student at University of Lagos, studying Electrical and Electronics Engineering. An enthusiastic and result-driven individual with a strong yearning to learn, he aspires to ensure health and well-being for all, including a bold commitment to end the stereotypes against persons with mental illnesses.
As a Nigerian young adult who has been reminded countless times that he belongs to a generation that will one day become the leaders of tomorrow, Salim is excited about what the future holds.
