ANNOUNCEMENT
Africans Rising Launches Groundbreaking “Activist-In-Residence” Programme
Activists, human rights defenders and civil society leaders face multilevel challenges and barriers that often leave many feeling frustrated as they struggle to achieve their goals and usually, sets one of the path to burn out.
What is most needed in these situations is a chance to catch their breath, step back and take stock of their work in order to emerge re-energized to tackle their challenges in their day-to-day efforts in new ways.
A new groundbreaking, programme (in its pilot phase) will provide activists with just that opportunity. The “Activist-in-Residence” (AiR) Programme aims to offer activists the space and time to reflect on and systematically document their work and through their interaction, imagine new approaches that will impact positively on the lives of people in their communities.
The AiR programme is a pilot initiative of Africans Rising and the Training Centre for Development Cooperation (TCDC), with support from the Fund for Global Human Rights (FGHR).
It will also provide an opportunity for activists to engage their peers from other countries across the African continent to deepen their understanding of their local struggles through other activists’ lenses. Interaction taking place during the programme will aim to enhance the skills of activists, to more effectively participate in ongoing structural and systemic change efforts.
The pilot phase will see a cohort of several African activists spending 1 month together, beginning on 9th August 2017, at TCDC near Arusha, Tanzania.
Activists in Residence will leave the programme with a number of assets including a consolidated publication covering the main subject area of the residency; interviews and conversations based products/stories to be featured in the special issue of Sur International Journal of Human Rights (Sur 26), enhanced networks and connections and a residency report to help inform similar future events.
Apply by sending a brief biography and a summary of your work on re(claiming) and expanding shrinking political and civic space in your country in more than 500 words.
For more information and to apply to be an Activist-in-Residence, please contact:
Moses Isooba,
Phone: +254 716 738 148
Email: Moses.Isooba@actionaid.org
Applications for enrolment should be received no later than 6th July 2017.
Africans Rising for Justice, Peace and Dignity (www.africans-rising.org) is a nascent, rapidly growing, self-identifying collective of social movements, NGOs, peoples and popular social justice efforts, intellectuals, artists, sports people, cultural activists and others, across the continent and Diaspora.
MS-Training Centre for Development and Cooperation (TCDC) is a training facility under ActionAid Denmark. The Centre has many years of experience in training interventions with a focus on leadership and governance. TCDC has been involved in providing reflection and learning spaces in the areas of governance work and in building capacity of CSO Leaders.
The Fund for Global Human Rights (FGHR) is dedicated to moving human rights forward by providing resources and tools to on-the-ground activists who have real potential to generate positive change. Through its program on the Enabling Environment for Human Rights Defenders the Fund supports human rights groups to defend or promote the operating space for civil society in the face of a global crackdown, including by supporting activists to produce and share analysis, experience and ideas within and across regions.
22nd June, 2017
