Growing up, Lila Wells, Greens Farms Academy class of ’19, got to see first-hand her mother’s passion for philanthropy through the non-profit her mother founded called Unite the World With Africa Foundation (Unite). Unite’s mission is to “empower extraordinary-yet-impoverished and marginalized youth and women with quality education, health, leadership and business development programs to foster independence, dignity and long-term success,” and today, as a sophomore at Northwestern University, Lila is embracing that passion as her own.
This past spring during the pandemic quarantine, Lila found herself working remotely from her family’s home in Westport, CT. She decided to launch a program to connect American university students with Unite’s scholars in Tanzania to provide them mentorship, friendship, and academic and social support. During the 6-week Unite Ambassador Program, which Lila ran through May and June while the Tanzanian students were home on holiday, she discovered that these students — all of whom had overcome extraordinary hardships, challenges, and odds to succeed in their schools and qualify to be chosen as Unite scholars — had no real plans or even visions for their futures. They didn’t know about any possible careers beyond becoming a doctor or engineer, which “isn’t the best fit or even viable option for everyone,” says Lila.
To address this need, Lila decided to leverage the power of technology and introduce students in Tanzania to all kinds of academic and career paths. She designed and launched The Unite Passion Project, an online collection of five- to 10-minute-long videos from experts, individuals, and scholars around the world talking about their respective passions and how they have achieved their goals and dreams. These videos are featured on YouTube (@unitepassionproject) and on the website Unitepassionproject.org.
To date Lila and her team of fellow Northwestern students — whom she enrolled as co-leaders in the program, along with her mother’s Unite team — have collected more than 60 video submissions and have dozens more in the queue. Currently, more than 1,000 students in Tanzania are able to access these videos as part of Unite’s Student Clubs, which are operating in government higher secondary schools across the country. Moving forward, Lila and the Unite team are looking to share The Unite Passion Project’s library of videos with under-resourced schools across the continent and even here in America to open the minds of youth everywhere to various career and life paths.
“There are so many options available,” said Lila. “Even in situations where one is overwhelmed with struggle and challenge, one must continue to dream and pursue paths that resonate for them.”
“I’m so inspired by Lila,” said her mother Anne Wells. “She is full of energy, creativity, motivation, and inspiration, and she and I are having such fun working on this together.”
To launch and grow The Unite Passion Project, Lila has approached people from all areas of her life. Her first video submission came from Morton Shapiro, the president of Northwestern University, and a number of subsequent videos came from her former GFA teachers and mentors. GFA’s Head of School Bob Whelan, Theatre Director Stephen Stout, and faculty members Daniel Jump, Martin Freeman, and Robert Kwark have all made and submitted “passion videos.”
“At GFA, these faculty members were some of the most passionate and joyful people I knew, and I feel incredibly lucky that they shared their passions with Unite,” said Lila.
Already the response to the Unite Passion Videos in Tanzania has been overwhelming. Whelan’s video was watched last week by hundreds of students at the Same Boys School in the Kilimanjaro district of Northern Tanzania (click HERE to see a video).
“The Unite Passion Project videos and the Unite leadership and life skills curriculum are exemplary and will help us achieve the highest level of performance,” said Same Boys School Headmaster Hoza Mgonja.
About the program Whelan said, “I think the idea behind the project is such an important one — to empower young people and create opportunities for connection and the development of vital life skills. Cultivating a sense of agency in young people is at the heart of what I get to do every day at Greens Farms Academy, and taking part in this effort was a modest way that I could contribute to the great work that Lila and the Unite team are doing.
Whelan added that he was not surprised that Lila would be a part of such a project.
“Our mission talks about preparing young people for a life of purpose, and our core values include the attributes passion, empathy, and excellence,” he said. “Those are simply words until they are animated through deeds, and Lila brings those concepts to life through her work on this project.”
Unite’s goal is, at its core, quite simple: To help others build better lives. And it has inspired and invigorated Lila and her team as well, as they work toward figuring out their own paths in life.
“While I grew up with my mom always working on Unite and bringing Tanzanian visitors to our home, I didn’t truly really realize the importance of it all until I went to Tanzania when I was 12 and met the people Unite was serving in person,” Lila said. “It was hard to come back to Westport and Fairfield County. Ours is a world of severe extremes, which can be difficult to stomach sometimes.”
Unite’s programs will likely always be a part of Lila’s life, however, her mother Anne expects that Lila will create her own path toward greatness.
“Her dreams are so big,” Anne said. “She’s here to make the world a better place. She’s already doing it, and I love watching her fly.”
To learn more about The Unite Passion Project or inquire about submitting a passion video, please email lila@unitepassionproject.org or visit unitepassionproject.org.
Video link: https://youtu.be/GtFpyNddcbw