About Us
Why We Exist
Young people deserve more than being told who they should become. They deserve opportunities to explore, question, create, discover, and imagine futures that genuinely excite them.
We know how overwhelming the future can feel when you are expected to have answers without enough guidance, exposure or support.
YouthBridge exists to help young people explore opportunities, build confidence, strengthen practical skills, and better understand themselves and the futures they want to pursue. We create spaces where young people can learn beyond the classroom, connect with mentors and peers, explore opportunities, and grow into thoughtful, confident, and purpose-driven individuals. We believe growth happens when young people feel supported, challenged, encouraged, and connected to possibility.
Our Vision
A future where every young Sierra Leonean has the opportunity, resources, and inspiration to thrive and achieve their full potential and purpose.
Our Mission
We curate spaces for non-traditional learning, growth, exploration, and connection, equipping young people with the foundation to pursue what sets their soul on fire.
Our Core Values
Beyond Traditional Learning
We offer experiences that extend beyond the classroom. We embrace experiential and non-traditional methods of learning that spark curiosity and inspire young people to explore paths that excite and inspire them.
Youth-Centred
Young people know what they need. We listen to them. We learn from them. We build with them. If something doesn’t feel relevant or relatable, we go back to the drawing board.
A World of Possibilities
Home is Sierra Leone, but the opportunities are endless. We show young people what exists beyond what they know, not to create escape routes but to widen their horizon.
Space for Everyone
Everyone belongs here; the shy ones, the loud ones, the STEM lovers, the artists and the “still figuring it out” crew. Young people are multidimensional and we make room for exploration. No one has to fit into a box.
Curiosity & Creativity
Curiosity is our favourite troublemaker. We encourage questions, experimentation and imagination paired with responsibility. We test ideas, learn by doing and when something fails, we own it, fix it and learn from it.
A Lifelong Community
YouthBridge is a community. The friendships and connections formed here will last a lifetime. We are building a network young people can return to for support, encouragement and sometimes a little tough love.
Meet the Team
YouthBridge is run by a small team of young Sierra Leoneans who bring different strengths and experiences from across education, engineering, arts, leadership, law and technology. We also bring a lot of heart, passion and laughter to the work. We wear many hats: curriculum designers, facilitators, logistics managers, counsellors, motivators and occasional comedians when the energy dips. We understand the nuances of navigating education in Sierra Leone, because we’ve lived it.
Melvina Conton
Co-Founder & Dream Lead
Melvina is a feminist leader, passionate about education and social justice especially in the Global South. As Learning and Insights Coordinator for We Are Purposeful, she leads research and storytelling to amplify the voices of girls and young women in Sierra Leone. Armed with a BSc. in Mechanical Engineering from Ashesi University, Ghana, she combines technical expertise with a deep commitment to community-driven change. Melvina is the driving force behind YouthBridge’s big-picture plans.
Chukwuemeka Taylor
Strategy Lead
Emeka is a legal practitioner at a boutique law firm in Freetown, DeLuxe Chambers. As a budding entrepreneur, he is currently an MBA candidate at Edinburgh Business School with a specialization in Finance and has a deep interest in the nexus of law and finance, particularly investment finance and project finance legal frameworks. Beyond his professional work, Emeka is also drawn to the arts and enjoys singing and theatre. He is also guided by his faith, which fuels his passion for serving his community through his church’s youth choir and as the co-founder of The Bethel Community, a fellowship that creates safe spaces for young believers.
Tarik Ali
Co-Founder & Creative Lead
Tarik is an artist, poet, and all around creative professional. Wielding a degree in Information Technology from Wisconsin International University in Ghana, Tarik has fallen head first into the pursuit of the arts. Having spent the past 5 years working in media, marketing and comms, founding a creative boutique called The Blank Space, Tarik is the creative mind behind YouthBridge’s messaging and Arts & Culture efforts.
Bassie Turay
Co-Founder
Bassie is an educator and Admissions Lead for Anglophone West Africa at the African Leadership Academy. As Co-founder of YouthBridge, he helped shape the organization’s early vision and partnerships. He volunteers at the Sierra Leone Grammar School, where he develops social education programs to inspire student creativity. Bassie is a BCA Leadership Fellow, and an alum of the United World Colleges, the University of Rochester, and the Geneva Graduate Institute. He enjoys traveling, reading and cheering on Manchester United.
Sadia Kabba
Intern
Sadia is passionate about youth development and new adventures. She is currently a student at the College of Medicine and Allied Health
Sciences (COMAHS), pursuing a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree. As a young Sierra Leonean, she understands the challenges youths face in educational and social spaces and recognizes the importance of creating platforms that encourage innovation, creativity and leadership among young adults.
In her free time, Sadia enjoys volunteering and designing unique covers for her customized
journal business.