From March 9 through May 15, 2015, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) hosted four Young African Leadership Initiative (YALI) Connect Camps in Tanzania and Namibia. Connect Camps are regional, week-long workshops for Mandela Washington Fellowship (MWF) alumni and their mentees to share experiences, learn about human-centered design, test entrepreneurial approaches, and work with low-bandwidth technology for collaboration. The workshops highlighted OpenStreetMap as a community-driven resource for participants’ existing projects or entrepreneurial ventures they proposed during the workshops. The Connect Camps are organized by Ohio University under a cooperative agreement from the ECA Collaboratory.

During the camps, experts in OpenStreetMap (OSM) from both the United States and Sub-Saharan Africa described case studies of OSM projects, led a trip to an OSM field project, and provided hands-on skills training to participants. The experts encouraged participants to use the open data software to augment systems for community development and access to services.

What were the outcomes?

Participants learned to use technology for community mapping as a way to deepen engagement with not only with their own communities, but with other countries as well. Providing OSM training supported a key tenant of YALI to create networks that will promote opportunities for young African Leaders; the training also supported Posts’ priority for MWF alumni’s continual engagement, following their return from the U.S. exchange.

Exemplifying the MWF engagement: a small team of MWF alumni and mentees pitched a social change project involving community-sourced mapping, during one Connect Camp. Following the camp, the group sought to partner with OSM experts at the Tanzanian incubator “Buni Hub,” and explore mapping for local community development and eco-tourism. Since the workshop ended, the team lead has continued communications with Buni Hub and participated in multiple mapping events the hub sponsored.

The event and OSM work was highlighted by ECA.

Who were the participants?

Over 60 participants, including Mandela Washington Fellowship alumni from nine countries in East and Southern Africa.

What did it take to organize?

MapGive provided a 1.5 hour tutorial to the ECA Collaboratory and the Ohio University facilitators. They also shared a curriculum for mapping, which they had adapted for the Connect Camp sessions.

During the training sessions, Ohio University provided a general overview of mapping and described the role OSM could play in the fellows’ projects. The MapGive experts either visited in person to lead 1.5—2 hour trainings or participated virtually, via Google Hangout.