PROJECT_INSPIRE CHATS WITH UCHENNA LEONARD GABRIEL

Innovative social entrepreneur Uchenna Leonard Gabriel believes that education is beyond learning to read and write, but extends to critical and creative thinking. He helps young people to sharpen their thinking faculties through the game of chess. Today, Project_Inspire is privileged to speak with Uchenna about his non-profit organisation—U.Chess and Leisure Games—and the work he is doing in northern Nigeria.


PROJECT_INSPIRE: Can we meet you? Uchenna: My name is Uchenna Leonard Gabriel. I am 23 years old and a native of Nsukka, Enugu State.

  PROJECT_INSPIRE: Tell us briefly about your childhood.
Uchenna: I didn't grow up in a fancy neighbourhood, but our decision not to live by the norms of street life, I think, helped my siblings and me a lot. I remember my siblings and I helping our parents in the market. The little we did back then made us responsible. In short, my childhood was fun and full of lessons.


  PROJECT_INSPIRE: What is your educational background like?
  Uchenna: (Giggles). I went to a local primary school. Though it was a private school, we had three classes in one room. Later on I changed to Queens Nursery and Primary School, Kano, where I started primary 4. After my primary school education, I attended Tony Cheta College where I had most of my early life-changing experiences. I am currently sitting my degree exams in the department of biochemistry, Bayero University, Kano.

  PROJECT_INSPIRE: What are your contributions towards making Nigeria a better place?
Uchenna: After watching the movie Queen of Katwe, I decided to learn chess on YouTube. My resolve to learn more about chess was strengthened after reading about how games of the mind like chess could boost academic performance and logical thinking. I was a student at that time and had no money, but I decided to try out what I had read. So I introduced chess to a small school close to me and it was successful. I started putting more effort into learning how to teach young people chess. This further made me to undergo advanced training with a few good players of the game. I got counsels from a few people I looked up to—Mr Zion Emmanuel Obeten, Mr Onensen, Mr Chibuzor and Uncle Emeka Tony. Since my first attempt was successful, I went ahead to incorporate my non-profit organization, U.Chess and Leisure Games, as a platform for young people to learn how to play chess and, in the process, improve academically.


  PROJECT_INSPIRE: What motivated you to do what you are doing?
  Uchenna: Many schools around me didn't have functional leisure clubs where learning could be mixed with fun. It became my desire to see as many schools as possible have such clubs. We started staging chess exhibitions in schools and we were able to help those interested to get, at a discount, the materials and facilities needed to set up chess clubs in their schools.

  PROJECT_INSPIRE: What has been your achievements?
  Uchenna: So far we have trained over 185 school children in the basics of the game. Interestingly, the kids loved to play. And to make the learning playful, we made the kids stretch their brain during leisure hours through strategic thinking, which translated into improving their overall academic performance. The effect on their nerves is equally tremendous. We observed that kids didn't rush back into class after break hours with the anxiousness with which they rushed out. We killed two birds with one stone.


  PROJECT_INSPIRE: Tell us more about what you are doing and how it helps our nation to realise its full potential?
  Uchenna: Through games of the mind such as chess, Scrabble, and Rubik’s Cube, we sharpen the skills of young people in the areas of mental focus, decision making, strategic thinking, and stress management. These skills definitely help them to perform better in their studies. This has been proved to be true even in other countries. Recently, we had the privilege of training an amazing group of teachers at TEACHERS MEET 2.0, an event organised by the Community Outreach for Educational Change (COEC).


  PROJECT_INSPIRE: What has been your major challenge since you began your nonprofit?
  Uchenna: The biggest challenge has been how to help stakeholders understand the importance of what we are doing. Not every child in the schools we have gone to agreed to learn the game. And also, not all the schools agreed to our starting a club there. Notwithstanding some of the negative reactions, the feedback we have got from the beneficiaries have been amazing.

  PROJECT_INSPIRE: Many young people have great ideas, but lack of funds is always a stumbling block. What will be your advice in this regard?
Uchenna: To be honest, some ideas actually need funds. One of the clearest ways of sourcing funds is to have a clear plan for any project. In business, it is called a business plan. The clarity of an idea has a great tendency to attract support and funding.


  PROJECT_INSPIRE: How have you been able to raise money to implement your ideas?
Uchenna: My family have supported my vision in no small measure, for which I am eternally grateful. Personally, I have had to take jobs on the side after school hours, skipped meals, spend less, and invest some money, all in a bid to ensure that my vision becomes a reality. The sacrifices I am willing to make make me believe all the more in the validity of what I am doing.


  PROJECT_INSPIRE: Could you share with us one or two experience(s) you have had in the course of teaching the game that has really impacted on you?
Uchenna: Seeing many kids regain their confidence and improve on their academic performance inspires me greatly. For some kids, all that is needed is an alternative approach to the analytical problems they are facing in school, and we are grateful that U.Chess and Leisure Games is able to provide them with that alternative.


  PROJECT_INSPIRE: What are your prospects in the next 5 or 10 years?
Uchenna: By 2023, our target is to teach more than 2000 school children in northern Nigeria how to play chess and Scrabble. We intend to expand beyond Kano State by etching our presence in five other northern states. It is also our plan to begin an annual chess competition.

  PROJECT_INSPIRE: What do you think is the major cause of unemployment among the youth today and how can we get over this?
  Uchenna: The truth is that government play a major role in the ongoing unemployment crisis in the country. However, the way out of this rat race is to invest in oneself consistently. The youth really need to build a go-getting spirit. Few weeks ago, I learnt that an average sign-language translator earns about 30k per hour for every translation. What did I do with this information? I quickly went on YouTube to register for a sign-language course and downloaded about five videos on the basics. Find an area of interest and learn the skills needed to be the best in it.

  PROJECT_INSPIRE: Your final word for the Nigerian youth.
  Uchenna: Don't be afraid of being seen as unusual. That crazy idea of yours is just what the world needs. Also, the biggest harsh word you can get is a ‘No’. Nobody kills you for trying after all.

  PROJECT_INSPIRE: Thank you for sharing your story with us.
Uchenna: The pleasure is mine.



  Many thanks to our editor: Pookers Literary & Editing World. www.pookersconsult.com.ng +234 703 009 4966.


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