Rotary Peace Fellow Alex A. Bah, who also serves as Head of Public Relations at the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), has commenced the implementation of his Social Change Initiative, “Catch Them Young: Combating Corruption Through Educational Debates and Peace & Integrity Training,” with a one-day Peace, Integrity and Leadership Training for Senior Secondary School pupils from seven schools in the Western Area.
The training was held on Thursday, August 20, 2026, at the Conference Room of the ACC’s Integrity House in Tower Hill, Freetown. It brought together young people to learn about peacebuilding, conflict prevention, integrity, accountability, ethical leadership, responsible citizenship and debate.
The initiative forms part of Bah’s Social Change Initiative under the Rotary Peace Fellowship at the Rotary Peace Center, Makerere University, Uganda, and is being implemented with the support of the ACC and other partners.
Explaining the rationale behind the initiative, Bah said “Catch Them Young” is designed to engage young people early with values that can influence the leaders and citizens they become.
“The ‘Catch Them Young’ approach is intended to shape the values of young people before they occupy positions of authority,” Bah said.
He added that the initiative seeks to create lasting impact by encouraging young people to promote peace, integrity and ethical conduct in their schools and communities.
Delivering the ACC’s message of support, Patrick Sandi, Coordinator of Operations, welcomed the initiative and described it as complementary to the Commission’s anti-corruption mandate.
He stressed that peace and integrity are fundamental to building public trust and urged the pupils to remain courageous and resilient as they take on their new roles as Peace and Integrity Ambassadors.
The training featured contributions from practitioners in the peacebuilding, anti-corruption and youth development sectors.
Titus Mohamed Kallon, Acting Director of Conflict Prevention at the Independent Commission for Peacebuilding and National Cohesion, facilitated a session titled “Peace Begins With Us: Young People, Conflict Prevention and Social Cohesion.” He emphasised active listening, respectful communication and dialogue as important tools for preventing conflict and strengthening social cohesion.
Delivering the keynote address, Mark Ivan Kapindy Vandy, Head of Media and Public Relations at the Sierra Leone Ports and Harbours Authority (SLPHA) and the initiative’s Integrity Champion Partner, spoke on “Integrity in Action: Building Ethical Leaders for Sierra Leone’s Future.”
Vandy urged the pupils to view integrity as a daily choice, describing it as “doing the right thing when nobody is watching.”
He cautioned them against dishonesty and other seemingly minor choices that can shape character, while stressing that “public office is not personal property. Public resources are not personal resources.”
He also challenged the pupils to reject the notion that they are merely “leaders of tomorrow,” declaring: “You are leaders today.”
Sylvanus Blake Esq., Deputy Director of Public Education and Outreach at the ACC, facilitated a session on “Integrity, Accountability and Young Citizens: Understanding Corruption and Our Role in Preventing It.”
He stressed that the fight against corruption requires individual responsibility and that integrity must be practised long before one assumes a position of authority.
Ansumana Keita Esq., Executive Director of the Patriotic Advocacy Network, facilitated “Young People, Leadership and Peacebuilding: Becoming Agents of Positive Change,” encouraging participants to embrace identity, integrity, commitment and sacrifice as foundations for effective leadership.
Bah also led a practical session on “The Art of Debate: Critical Thinking, Evidence, Persuasion and Respectful Disagreement,” preparing the pupils for the Inter-School Integrity Debate Competition, which will form the next phase of the initiative.
The training concluded with the induction and pledge of the participants as Peace and Integrity Ambassadors. The pupils formally committed themselves to promoting peace, upholding integrity, rejecting wrongdoing and leading by example in their schools and communities.
For Bah, the initiative is deeply personal. Having been introduced to integrity and civic responsibility as a pupil through an Integrity Club, he said his experience as a Rotary Peace Fellow has strengthened his conviction that knowledge gained through the fellowship should ultimately translate into service to society.
The initiative will continue with the Inter-School Integrity Debate Competition, where participants will apply their skills in critical thinking, evidence-based argument, persuasion and respectful disagreement.
With the first phase complete, “Catch Them Young” now moves from training to action, challenging young people not merely to become leaders of tomorrow, but to practise the values of leadership today.
