Africa Rebranded Intra-African Cultural Exchange Program
Advancing social entrepreneurship across Africa
What is it?
A program where students and youth will travel to different African countries on a seven day tour with the focus being on gaining knowledge about the cultural practices and societal problems encountered by people in that country, raising consciousness about continental issues, generate and articulate impactful ideas that address social issues while unlocking commercial value. The tour culminates in a project designed to solve a highlighted societal issue, in the true spirit of implementing African solutions for African problems.
Africa Rebranded is a movement that believes that solution-generation is a learning principle. We believe in the importance of generating workable solutions and, more importantly, leveraging off of existing networks to implement these solutions in an impactful manner. This is why we are using the growing network of World Economic Forum Global Shaper Hubs as a foundation from which the program will grow.
We want to create a continental network of young thought leaders, disruptive innovators and active change agents who serve as motivators that individual efforts have a massive collective impact. We are bridging sovereign, cultural, racial and economic divides to work together towards Africa’s regeneration.
How will it work?
In 2017 (year one), Africa Rebranded will take place in three African Countries, South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya and extend into neighbouring countries, becoming an annual programme.
The Africa Rebranded Process
Rebranding Immersion™: Day 1-2
Objective:
To gain insights into root causes of social issues and economic pockets of value to be unlocked.
Approach:
Identifying local champions and working with them to get a local cultural experience
We want to identify and work with local leaders and community-based initiatives to spend two days touring the environment and actually experiencing what life is like in the space. The aim of the program is not to infiltrate a space, instilling a temporary sense of hope and leave the space claiming the success of the project as the result of its own doing. We want to function as activators of collaborative projects for the communities, owned by the communities. Given that the success or failure of many social projects rests on administrative efficiency and commitment levels, we believe that laying a sold administrative framework in conjunction with local champions and stakeholders will serve as a solid foundation for successful projects. Lending from the existing network of World Economic Forum global shapers, we want to give those young leaders who would otherwise have been overlooked, an opportunity to develop their leadership and social entrepreneurship skills.
Outcome: To Generate an Insights Report
- Exploring the surroundings (Day 1)
- By means of a whole day spent touring the city, we want to experience heritage sites and places of historical importance. The group will be allocated a group of young leaders from the city, who will accompany us on this guided tour.
- Identify and Research the issues (Day 2 – Part 1)
- Through ‘insight power sessions’, we will deliberate with identify and highlight issues that we feel are need to be addressed as a matter of urgency, producing an insight report.
- Immersion: Deeper understanding and cultural experience (Day 2 – Part 2)
- Root cause analysis report
Rebranding Formulation™: Day 3-4
Objective:
Ideas for actionable solutions.
Approach:
Understanding interventions already in existence and how suggested solutions can enhance their impact. For each suggested solution, we plan to find a community project that which the solution can be applied to. Using these existing organizations as a point of reference, we plan to empower the local champions by conducting an impact analysis on each of them, supplying workable solutions for each identified shortcoming.
Outcome: An in-depth project plan
- Refining proposed solutions (Day 3 – Part 1)
- Impact analysis report of existing interventions.
- Assemble a team (Day 3 – Part 2)
- Report on opportunities for collaboration.
- Choose an action and then create a plan to carry out project (Day 4)
- 6 Month project plan for each solution.
Rebranding Activation™: Day 5-6
Objective:
Project implementation, education and motivation of others
Approach:
Project Launch and Closing Event
The idea here is that each delegate spends an entire day volunteering at one of the project that have participated in the process. We see this as their first step in giving back to the community that has hosted them for the duration of their stay. The tour will then culminate in a gala event to celebrate the outcomes of the event and the connections that have been made for future collaboration.
Outcome: Project launch and scalability
- A day spent volunteering (Day 5)
- Closing event (Day 6)
Sechaba Oa Selialia 