Young people have been told to shrink themselves, to fit into boxes they didn’t build. I know the feeling. I was once searching for a space where my identity, voice, and purpose mattered. That search became the foundation for Realize Your Potential (RYP), a space rooted in identity, healing, and action.
RYP isn’t about teaching youth to mimic success. It’s about helping them define it for themselves. We guide them to build personal brands grounded in authenticity, purpose, and self-awareness and empower them with the right tools for discovering who they are, what they stand for, and why they matter.
It started with a community-rooted vision to create a youth-led intergenerational mentorship program. In 2020, we launched the NewLife Programs©, led by lived experience. Every step since has centred the youth voice, our cultures, and real outcomes. We earned trust by staying consistent, staying rooted, and staying real. That’s how RYP became a trusted brand not just for youth, but for funders, too.
Building Trust
I’m proud of how far we’ve come. We started small, meeting real community needs. Now we’ve built something youth believe in. Trust wasn’t given; we earned it by being honest, consistent, and clear about who we are. That authenticity helped us attract aligned partners and build a lasting impact.
Three Core Pillars for Building a Personal Brand
If I had to point to three pillars every young person should build their brand on, they would be authenticity, purpose, and resilience.
- Authenticity: Know your roots, your truth, and own it.
- Purpose: Understand what drives you and who you want to impact.
- Resilience: Stay rooted and rise, no matter what life throws your way.
These pillars are at the heart of everything we do. Through our NewLife Program© and mentorship from our Ambassadors, we help youth explore and solidify these pillars within themselves, helping them craft a personal mission that’s deeply aligned with their authentic selves. It’s about learning to lead, not just brand.
Going Beyond Surface-Level Branding
Helping youth define their personal brands goes deeper than curating a social media presence. It’s about identity and purpose. We use self-reflection tools like Mirror Moments and journaling to help them dig deeper. But the biggest breakthroughs happen in our peer-led mentorship circles.
That’s where they reflect, and ask hard questions like, “Why am I here? What drives me? What legacy do I want to leave?”, and start living with intention. That shift changes lives.
Confidently Expressing Your Brand
Sure, your personal brand might have a logo or tagline, but real brand expression goes further. Our youth gain real skills: building vision boards, crafting mission statements, and even learning financial literacy. They also practice public speaking, lead community projects, and take on leadership roles, all with guidance from mentors who’ve walked the path.
We don’t just talk about branding, we live it. And our young ones leave with confidence in their voice.
Building Deeper Roots
In a world where performative branding is everywhere, we remind our youth: If your brand disappears when the platform crashes, then it was never real. A powerful brand shows up in classrooms, boardrooms, and living rooms — social circles that matter, not just on screens. We remind youth of posterity, aligning their values with action, and making their impact last beyond fleeting trends.
Mental Wellness at the Core
Mental wellness isn’t an afterthought at RYP, it’s built into everything we do. Youth often carry the weight of their environments. That’s why we use trauma-informed practices, culturally rooted wellness coaching, and create spaces where they can show up without fear or pressure to perform. Our Ambassadors lead with vulnerability, showing that strength is not performative but cultivated.
Engaging Broader Audiences
We never dilute who we are to fit into systems. We stay true to our culture using Afrocentric approaches and showcasing measurable outcomes that prove that cultural relevance and academic excellence go hand in hand. This dual-language strategy ensures that both youth and funders understand the impact we’re making while keeping the youth at the centre of the conversation. With this approach, we’ve remained true to who we are and connected with a wider audience, including parents, schools, and funders.
Scaling Without Losing Self
Scaling RYP has never meant compromising. We’re intentional about who we partner with and how we grow. Youth have a say in how programs evolve, so our expansion always reflects their needs. We document the journey, spotlight their stories, and stay grounded in our why. That’s how we’ve recorded growth without losing sight of why we started this work in the first place.
RYP in Action
Take Pelumi Abiola-Oseni, one of our ambassadors for example. She joined RYP at 18 and is now making a global impact as a young civil engineer. She credits her time mentoring Dreamers as the reason she found her voice. Her work in the Dominican Republic, helping build homes with Casas por Cristo, is just one example of how our youth carry the values of RYP forward. Pelumi’s journey shows what happens when young leaders are nurtured. They don’t just absorb our values, they amplify them. That’s the power of the Ambassador model: we build leaders who build leaders.
The Moment That Changed Everything
Looking back, the one decision that stands out is the launch of the Dreamers & Ambassador Program. That moment was a declaration to youth: You matter. You don’t have to wait to be empowered; you already are. It was a defining moment that set the tone for everything we’ve achieved since then. That’s the message we carry with us every day: Let’s build together. This is the foundation of our brand, and it’s what will keep us moving forward, long into the future.
