State Department’s First Connect Camp in Tanzania Empowers Young African Leaders

Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Department of State
Washington, DC
March 9, 2015

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) will conduct eight Connect Camps in Tanzania, Namibia, Rwanda, and Cote d’Ivoire during 2015-2016 supporting alumni from the Mandela Washington Fellowship (MWF) for Young African Leaders and their chosen mentees.

The Connect Camps offer an opportunity for alumni of the Mandela Washington Fellowship to share the professional skills and networks they acquired from the Young African Leaders Initiative with other young African leaders in their rural communities. The Connect Camps aim to extend the reach and momentum of the Young African Leaders Initiative by providing access to resources, networks, and capacity building to mentor future generations of African leaders to lead organizations, communities, and countries. This will spur economic growth and enhance peace and security in Africa.

In coordination with the Institute for International Journalism (IIJ) at Ohio University, the State Department will host the first cohort of Connect Camp participants in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from March 9–13, 2015. During this week-long Connect Camp, participants will take part in technical workshops learning how to use low-bandwidth technologies in projects, map resources in local communities, as well as best practices in mentorship and leadership. They will also work on a group-mapping project with MapGive, where they will begin building maps of local resources in their communities and develop them further once they return home.

The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is the flagship program of President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). President Obama launched YALI in 2010 to support young African leaders as they spur growth and prosperity, strengthen democratic governance, and enhance peace and security across Africa business and entrepreneurship, civic leadership, or public management.
For further information on Connect Camps or media inquiries, please contact the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at eca-press@state.gov.