Since returning from his 2016 inspiring “Youth and Civic Participation” International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) exchange, Runcie has explored leadership strategies that facilitate social empowerment and justice, particularly for underserved communities. He has engaged more than 300 volunteers in series of cancer awareness programs, founded a cancer patient support hotline, and organized large-scale events in Africa’s largest city, Lagos, and Nigeria’s capital, Abuja. At a May 2016 Democracy Day event co-hosted by U.S. Embassy Abuja, he presented a paper entitled “Civic participation: stimulating empathy in Nigerian youths,” in which he encouraged youth to become civic leaders and build connections in their community through citizen engagement. In January 2017, he and Abuja alumni partners organized an impressive program with 300 secondary students to celebrate the life and values of Martin Luther King, Jr. The program included student speeches, mentoring discussions by U.S. exchange program alumni, participation by U.S. Embassy staff, and a screening of the film Selma. As an active member of the Abuja Alumni Chapter, Runcie frequently uses his connections with the U.S. Embassy to organize events at U.S. Mission Nigeria’s network of 11 American corners. He seizes every opportunity to educate, inspire, and empower Nigerian youth.
