688. Who Gets to Design Change? Power, Agency & Creating Sustainable Orgs - Chidi Asoluka, NewComm
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Today we're sitting down with Chidi Asoluka — founder and CEO of NewComm — to ask a question every nonprofit leader should be wrestling with: who actually gets to design change?
At NewComm, high school students manage real budgets, design real projects, and build networks most people don't access until much later in life. The lessons Chidi has learned building it are for every leader in this space.
He got out of his own head and into the heads of the people he was trying to impact. What he found there reshaped everything — his program, his systems, and his understanding of what it means to lead.
We dig into:
Why proximity beats expertise in designing real change
What funders get wrong when success has to look neat and linear
Why real authority — not just a seat at the table — changes everything
Plus the remarkable true story that drives everything Chidi does, and his simple mantra for leading with clarity in a noisy world.
Some conversations change how you see the work. This is one of them. 🩵
“If you build the right conditions, young people will rise to the responsibility.”
Episode Transcript
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Episode Highlights:
Chidi’s origin story: from Newark to Georgetown (2:35)
The $10,000 idea that sparked Newcom’s model (7:18)
The Net Gala: building social capital differently (12:57)
From consumers to builders: shifting student identity (14:45)
Killing your darlings: founder humility in action (17:36)
Proximity over white papers: rethinking philanthropy (20:15)
The hidden entrepreneurship of Gen Z (22:15)
Designing frictionless systems for access and growth (24:57)
A life-changing act of generosity (31:59)
One Good Thing: Do the next best thing (41:45)
Powerful Quotes
“Our systems must serve our young people—not exist for the sake of nonprofit tradition.” – Chidi Asoluka
“Too many programs position students as deficits. We position them as proximate to the world’s challenges—and therefore best equipped to fix them.” – Chidi Asoluka
“What question am I solving, and how are we doing that at scale?” – Chidi Asoluka
“Our students shift from being consumers of their education to builders of it.” – Chidi Asoluka
“When have we actually given young people authority—not just mentorship?” – Chidi Asoluka
“Our students are proximate to the world’s challenges, which makes them powerful designers of solutions.” – Chidi Asoluka
“We don’t need to polish one diamond. We need to change the system.” – Chidi Asoluka
“If you build the right conditions, young people will rise to the responsibility.” – Chidi Asoluka
“Change rarely moves in a straight line. It curves, it loops, it surprises you.” – Chidi Asoluka
“The moment a young person realizes ‘I did that,’ everything shifts.” – Chidi Asoluka
Chidi’s One Good Thing: “Do the next best thing.”
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