What does it take to be an “Outstanding Youth Delegate”? At the 2025 AFS Youth Assembly in New York, the answer was clear: Odunayo Aliu. The young leader was honored with the event’s top award, a recognition that goes to a delegate who shows an unwavering commitment to a better world, stellar leadership skills, and real, tangible impact.
Odunayo is the Executive Director and Founder of Bramble Network in Nigeria which creates community-based learning centres for young people living in rural and marginalised communities, currently serving 12,500 people directly across 16 grassroots communities. Bramble Network has built two tuition-free schools and created a device called Brambox that provided offline access to online educational content to sustain learning for young people in remote areas during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I believe that by empowering our young people, we can achieve the vision for an equitable society and sustainable futures,” says Odunayo about her work.
For Odunayo, this award is a powerful validation of a vision she shares with many. “Receiving this award is both humbling and validating,” she said. “It represents a global nod to the work we’re doing through Bramble Network. This award belongs to every young person in our project communities who believes that it is possible to transform education and make it accessible to everyone.”
The theme of this year’s Assembly was “Defying Adversity,” and it resonated deeply with Odunayo. She found herself inspired by the authentic conversations and shared stories of fellow delegates. “The diversity of participants and connections we built were everything. Being in rooms with young changemakers from around the globe, all carrying different stories but united by the same burning desire to make our communities better refueled my energy. Listening to people share the stories of their work, from tackling gender inequality to climate solutions, I was reminded that we’re part of something so much bigger than ourselves,” she explained.
Odunayo’s message to other young people is both practical and profound: “Identify a problem you are passionate about solving and find your people,” she advises. “When you take small consistent actions, they compound into movements. Remember that defying adversity isn’t about never falling, it’s about having the resilience to stand up every single time and bringing others with you.”