When York alumnus Joannes Yimbesalu (MA ’18) decided to transition from his role as a cancer biologist to pursue his passion in international development, he realized he needed to return to school to develop his leadership skills. It would be York’s Leadership and Community Engagement program that would draw his interest, thanks to its focus not only on community engagement, but also on research, innovation and building more sustainable communities while creating social impact.
“I had amazing professors like Vidya Shah,” recalls Joannes. “I couldn’t really connect with the content because the course was based on Canada and I was coming from an international background, but Vidya helped me make these connections.”
For the last six years, Joannes has directed his passion into supporting and leading various programs that aim to equip youth with skills that will increase their opportunity for employment and entrepreneurship.
“One of the challenges we face with the Sustainable Development Goals is the issue of data,” says Joannes. “We don’t have a lot of data and without data we can’t make informed decisions around funding or how we design programs that have to do with young people.”
With this knowledge, Joannes started a consulting firm called Africa Skills Alliance (ASA). The goal of ASA is to democratize access to data around workforce development and provide youth in Africa with essential skills required for current and future job opportunities.
“I was very passionate around workforce development in Africa,” says Joannes. “For me, the question is how do we ensure that young people are front and centre in increasing the opportunities and outcomes for children?”
Joannes continues to explore this question as one of the 2024 Adrian Cheng Fellows. The program was developed by The Social Innovation and Change Initiative to support students with the potential to catalyze positive social change. This year’s Fellows were selected for advancing healthcare, transforming agriculture and climate action, broadening accessibility across sectors and strengthening our institutions.
Joannes was recognized for his initiative Hali Halisi, a digital platform that aims to increase the accessibility, affordability and availability of sign language interpreters in Kenya to serve the needs of the deaf community.
“We conceived the idea in 2017 at this global conference called Unleash,” says Joannes. “For the next year, I’ll be working as a Cheng Fellow to build on this idea. The goal is to go back to Kenya and make things happen for youth after they complete school.”
Joannes is currently the executive director of Africa Skills Alliance and vice-chair of the York University Black Alumni Network.
“I love the mentorship aspect,” says Joannes. “But I also love the fact that I’m part of a global alumni community where I can network and contribute to building a network where young people can be coached, mentored and benefit from being part of that network.”