A guest post by Destiny Ehi Asuelimen and Raven Frias.
Destiny Ehi Asuelimen is a public health and youth development advocate from Nigeria, serving as Program Officer at the Adolescents and Youth Wellbeing Initiative (AYWIN). She works with young people to improve sexual and reproductive health awareness and believes lasting change begins when communities are truly seen and heard.
Raven Frias is an NGFP 2024 Fellow and an education and social mobility advocate from the Philippines, based in France. Having led two award-winning NGOs focused on children’s mental health and literacy, she now supports global education systems through the Education Outcomes Fund, a UN-hosted initiative. As a Partnerships Analyst, she helps drive collaborations that turn bold ideas into systems change.
We often dive headfirst into our work with passion, conviction, and hope. Inspiration fuels us, and a shared cause brings us together. Yet, too often, reflection is left behind — an afterthought rather than a guiding force. The Sprout Retreat in September 2025, held in Kenya, reminded us of the power of slowing down, pausing, and reflecting as a collective. With several other passionate people in the children and youth rights space, it was a space to reconnect with purpose, rediscover our roots, and envision the futures we want to create.
Destiny’s reflection: The gift of clarity
I have come to realise that many of us, myself included, don’t treat reflection as seriously as they should. We begin our journeys with zeal: inspiration fuels us, a cause holds us together. But over time that zeal can fade into routine.We keep moving, often subconsciously, rarely pausing to ask the big questions: Why did I start? Why am I still doing this? Who is involved? What do I truly hope to build? The Sprout retreat gave me the rare gift of slowing down and reconnecting with purpose. It grounded me. It reminded me why I care, where I am in the process, and where I want to go. I matter – passion matters. Sometimes it feels like the ocean is too vast, like what I do barely makes a ripple. But then I remember, the ocean itself is made of countless drops. Each one is needed to make the vastness possible. I am one of those drops, and I am not negligible. My presence, my effort, contributes to the greater impact – to the human impact.
I discovered that I want us to live beyond boxes. “Think outside the box” is often said as a slogan, but I prefer a world where there are no boxes at all, where imagination has no boundaries and creativity, no walls. A mentor once told me: “You can’t feature in a future you haven’t pictured.” This experience helped me picture mine and made that future feel reachable.
Most importantly, the power of diverse collaboration was glaring. Sitting in a room filled with people from all walks of life – each person so different, yet all driven by the same heartbreak, the same longing: a safer, kinder society. It made me realise that there is no single way to create change. Change doesn’t come from sameness; it comes from difference, from each person bringing the piece only they can offer. Together, those pieces form something whole, something human, something hopeful.
“Sometimes it feels like the ocean is too vast, like what I do barely makes a ripple. But then I remember, the ocean itself is made of countless drops. Each one is needed to make the vastness possible.”
Raven’s reflection: The power from within and beyond
As a young woman, I always find myself struggling with imposter syndrome, unsure if I truly belonged in spaces. But as the Sprout Fellowship week unfolded, I realised I was exactly where I needed to be. It reminded me that me and my work are important pieces of a much larger puzzle. I’ve also reconnected with my roots — my culture, my values, and the core reasons I do this work. This experience reignited my belief in my ability to create meaningful change and deepened my faith in the Sprout community’s power to drive collective, systemic transformation in the children’s rights space.
This week has been one of discovery, connection, and rediscovery of purpose. I learned how valuable it is to meet people both within and outside my sector – each bringing unique perspectives and experiences that challenged and inspired me. Hearing stories from those working on the frontlines reminded me how interconnected our efforts are, no matter where we work. The storytelling sessions, outdoor activities, and the collective energy we built each day grounded me and filled me with a renewed sense of motivation and hope.
“I realised I was exactly where I needed to be. This experience reignited my belief in my ability to create meaningful change.”
Sprouting Into Action
As we pause in collective reflection, we see our individual stories and reflections weave into a larger narrative. We are the second cohort of Sprout Fellowship. This week, we agreed: We are deep-dreamers, table-shakers, and good ancestors in the making, sprouting change through every action and every choice. Together, we are planting seeds of justice, compassion, and hope that will outlive us. The journey doesn’t end here; it keeps sprouting, reaching toward a freer, kinder tomorrow that we are shaping, together for children and future generations.
