S.M.I.L.E. seeks new partners as youth empowerment initiative marks 15 years of impact

Strategy for Mentoring Initiative and Leadership Empowerment (S.M.I.L.E.), a non-governmental organisation dedicated to youth development, officially commemorated its 15th anniversary on May 15, 2026.

To mark this major milestone, the organisation has announced the launch of its “15 Years of Impact” campaign, designed to honor the community of donors, mentors, and partners who have helped bridge the gap between potential and opportunity for thousands of indigent youths in Nigeria since 2011.

Founded on the radical belief that youth are not just leaders of the future but are the primary drivers of societal transformation today, S.M.I.L.E. has spent the last 15 years breaking beyond traditional NGO models to build a dynamic ecosystem focused on leadership development, mentorship, education, values, and economic empowerment for young people.

What began as a local initiative has grown into an international organization with United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) special consultative status and an active presence in both Nigeria and the United States, collectively touching over 25,000 lives ranging from public school students and undergraduates to corporate professionals, entrepreneurs, and social entrepreneurs.

“Fifteen years ago, we started as a few voices believing that no young person with potential, especially indigent youth, should have to journey alone, but should instead be given a level playing field, access to opportunities, and the support needed to thrive,” said Bimpe Bamgbose-Martins, Founder of S.M.I.L.E.

“Today, that vision has grown into a thriving community of young innovators, leaders, entrepreneurs, and changemakers making meaningful impact across different sectors of society.”

Over its 15-year journey, S.M.I.L.E. has evolved from a grassroots initiative into a critical infrastructure for youth development, executing flagship programs that focus on leadership development, mentorship, civic engagement, skills, career and business development, and mindset transformation for young people across diverse communities.

To sustain this vision for the long term, the organisation is currently developing a digital Legacy Page. Conceived as a permanent online monument dedicated to the stakeholders whose partnerships have anchored the foundation’s work, this upcoming platform will provide prospective corporate and individual donors with a transparent, data-driven view of the tangible return on investment that structured mentorship yields.

To demonstrate the scale of this ongoing commitment, S.M.I.L.E. recently released its 2025 performance data. In the last year alone, S.M.I.L.E. reached 4,860 young people, trained nearly 198 young leaders, and officially adopted 8 public secondary schools. The organization’s structured framework also secured vital educational and career pathways, awarding 21 academic scholarships, facilitating internship placements, and training 40 young professionals and entrepreneurs.

S.M.I.L.E. builds character and career readiness by exposing youth to critical employability skills, while
simultaneously providing start-up support, business training, and mentoring for entrepreneurs who create real market value. Furthermore, the organization actively finances youth-led community projects aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), transforming raw ideas into direct civic action while creating open, conversational spaces where young people can safely learn from one another.

As S.M.I.L.E. enters its next decade of youth mobilization, the organization is calling on corporate entities, international development partners, and individual stakeholders to back the mission. Building a sustainable talent pipeline for the country requires deliberate, long-term investment. Through the Legacy Page, currently in development, prospective partners will soon be able to see a transparent view of the tangible return on investment that structured mentorship yields, allowing them to directly fund the scholarships, training modules, and youth-led initiatives that keep Nigeria’s young leaders on the path to a brighter future.