At a May workshop in Zanzibar, Tanzania, 30 alumni of the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program from five countries in sub-Saharan Africa explored topics on community project design and management. The workshop, which was organized by American Councils in conjunction with Iowa Resource for International Service (IRIS), was sponsored by the US Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. IRIS is an implementing partner of the YES Program.
YES program alumni were selected from alumni associations in Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, and Tanzania. Selection was based on the alumni's post-program activities and a demonstrated interest in improving their local communities. Most participants had past involvement with community development projects in their hometowns; projects that were largely motivated by experiences with volunteerism and civic responsibility during their YES exchange year in the US
Through interactive sessions conducted by AC staff, with the assistance of trained YES Alumni co-facilitators, participants learned a range of skills to help them to form and execute capacity oriented and locally initiated community development projects. Some of the skills learned were: resource identification; vision, goal, and objective writing; needs assessment; budget creation; and planning for monitoring, evaluation, sustainability, and feasibility.
The workshop sessions were designed so that, as new skills were acquired, participants could work with partners from their home communities to plan a project to implement upon completion of the workshop. These project designs were developed throughout the week, and were then displayed in a "Gallery Walk" in which participants were able to share their projects and give feedback to fellow alumni. Projects included developing resources for local schools, forming cooperatives to provide employment to disadvantaged populations, and environmental campaigns to improve public spaces, among others.
During their time in Zanzibar, participants were also able to give back to the community that had hosted them for the week. On the final day of the event, the Zanzibar YES Alumni Association organized three separate community development events at three sites. From working in a community garden, assisting with school renovations, and creating learning materials at a primary school, workshop participants volunteered the manpower to ensure that the projects were completed successfully: further proof that their newfound workshop skills had already taken root.
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