🚨 THE END OF A DREAM DOESN'T ALWAYS COME WITH A REJECTION LETTER.

Many organisations, programmes, and platforms loudly promote their efforts to help youth through digital skills, mentorship, conferences, summits, awards, and more. They use the right words, make impressive announcements, and highlight young people in their branding and speeches. <img alt="" src="/media/inline_insight_image/ChatGPT_Image_Jun_4_2026_08_09_03_AM.png"/> Recently, I received an email saying, "Congratulations. You have been selected." But as I read further, I discovered fees: ₦10,000 for the membership letter and ID card, ₦20,000 for a T-shirt and cap, ₦15,000 for an ID tag and holder, and ₦5,000 for logistics = a total of ₦50,000. This was for an opportunity that never mentioned any costs when I applied. And sadly, this is not just my story. Many young people are charged to belong.I have seen friends have their research papers accepted, only to be told to pay ₦30,000 or ₦50,000 to present. I have seen scholarship recipients celebrate their acceptance emails, only to receive a follow-up asking for an "acceptance fee". I have even reached a point where I stopped sharing opportunities with young people because the first question they ask is "How much will we eventually have to pay?" This situation illustrates what happens when young people are misled too many times, they stop dreaming, applying, believing, and trusting opportunities. This isn't an attack on organisations charging fees but a request for transparency. Don’t get me wrong, operational costs, logistics, and programme funding are real and need funding. That is something I respect.If participation requires payment, this should be stated clearly before applications are opened. Transparency enables young people to determine whether or not they can afford it before investing their hope and effort. Do not promote an opportunity as free, fully sponsored, or open to all only to add costs after people have invested their time, effort, and hope. Consider a young person without a steady income, attempting to create something from nothing and clutching at every opportunity as if it could be the one that changes everything. They apply, qualify and receive recognition, and almost immediately after the congratulations comes the real message. By that stage, many have already celebrated. shared with their families, or imagined their future because of this chance. That is when the invoice arrives. The one asking them to pay for things that were never mentioned when the opportunity was advertised. They look at the amount. They look at their account. And quietly, without any announcement, they give up on something they deserved not due to lack of merit or potential but because of lack of money. If your organisation claims to support youth development, then the cost of accessing your programme shouldn't depend on the youth who can least afford it. That is not empowerment, it's gatekeeping with a better vocabulary. You cannot use youth as your mission statement while making your business model reliant on their wallets. Either you are for us, or you are against us. There is no middle ground that involves charging people for the privilege of being empowered by you. <img alt="" src="/media/inline_insight_image/ChatGPT_Image_Jun_4_2026_08_08_53_AM.png"/> What Real Youth Support Looks Like✅ Transparency from day one. If there are costs, disclose them before applications open. ✅ Waiver systems for qualified applicants who cannot afford fees. ✅ Programs designed around youth realities, not just those with financial privilege. ✅ An end to misleading language that labels opportunities as "free" while hiding high expenses. To every young person who has silently walked away from an opportunity due to unaffordable fees: You didn’t fail. The system has failed you. You had a gift, alright. Your skills and talents are legitimate. The problem was a system that said opportunities were built for you but had no room for you.To the organisations who are reading this: You know if this is for you, and you know what needs to change. Have You Experienced This? Tell Me. Drop your story in the comments. Let us count how many of us this has happened to. 👇 The conversation starts now. Quareeb Jagun Youth Empowerment Advocate | Pan-African Voice. Please support it with a tip

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