"I had COVID-19. During the illness, the recovery, all the way to the vaccination, I documented and shared everything on social media. I created a podcast about it and even appeared as a guest on a radio show," tells Jonathan.

Jonathan is one of those "voices" that do not go unnoticed in Jos, Nigeria. A broadcast journalist, his passion is to tell the stories that happen in his city. Jonathan has become one of the key figures in our European Union-funded Working Together Against Corona project. Since 2020, the program promotes access to reliable information about the pandemic and strengthens social cohesion and collaboration to address it.

As part of the project, Jonathan is a member of an Influencers for Change network. The platform highlights influencers like him, contributing to positive change in society in response to the pandemic. Through this network, Jonathan has the opportunity to showcase his work to a global audience and connect with other influencers around the world.

And Jonathan has no shortage of creativity to generate positive change. Whether it's creating social media challenges, podcasts, websites, there's no limit to the tools he can use to get his message out.

His strategy? Not to take himself too seriously. "I create fun, catchy content that keeps people coming back."Jonathan knows exactly who he's trying to get to take the bait.

"I target the rumor mongers. These days, people are so quick to share information they find on social media. Through my podcast, I want to drive people to think critically about information, to read, hear, see from a new perspective and take better ownership of the narrative revolving around the virus."

To get his message across, Jonathan also brings in other voices to participate in his latest creation, the COVID Cast podcast. He invites experts to debunk rumors and misinformation about the disease, such as people working in the health sector. And it's working, "the audience has been growing steadily."

The project is also funding the implementation of Jonathan's new initiative. He is currently creating a curriculum to teach young people who lost their jobs during the lockdown to tap into the digital space. The program seeks to teach them skills such as graphic design, web design, software engineering, and project management.

"Hopefully, we won't have any more health crises of this magnitude. But if we do, these trained youth will still have the opportunity to apply for freelance online jobs."

For Jonathan, there are no challenges without new opportunities; his projects are just beginning. In the meantime, his voice and experience are shaking things up and shaping the future of other young people.