Developing capacity for youth disability advocacy through networking in East Africa

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Working through Action on Disability and Development's (ADD) Young Leaders programme and utilising the knowledge, expertise and networks of our partners, this project will equip a new generation of disability activists in East Africa with the tools, skills, and resources required to build powerful movements for change. This will centre around a programme of knowledge exchange between young East African disability activists (working in Tanzania, Uganda and Sudan), academics, international campaigning organisations, and existing disability networks. The programme will enable disability activists to a) influence governments, international development actors, and the private sector to adopt practices and design policies and services, at a local, national, and global level, which consider the needs of disabled people; and b) challenge the stigma of disability through developing their public voice and influencing media outlets to increase and improve the representation of disabled people. Through networking, we will fuse academic research with practice in the fields of disability studies, political science, policy, education, advocacy, communication, arts and media, creating a network that is research-informed, but also action-oriented. Importantly, we will map existing models of East African disability advocacy, help document emergent ones, and capture lived experiences in this area. These will then be put into conversation with existing knowledge of disability advocacy research to advance knowledge. Further, we will share practices and strengthen the collective voice, to create a visibility circular dynamic to create change.We will do this through the following activities:1. A four-day Festival of Disability Advocacy featuring capacity building and knowledge exchange workshops to connect international partners with grassroots disability activists in East Africa. Held in March 2023, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.2. A programme of online knowledge exchange and networking events led by disability activists, academics, international campaigning organisations, and existing disability networks.3. The development of a series of advocacy campaigns, led by youth disability activists with support from the network, that advance disability rights and challenge stigma in East Africa.4. Informed by the previous activities, the development of an accessible website of training materials, case studies and campaigning toolkits that can be used by disability activists across the world.5. The establishment of an interdisciplinary and international network for the study and practice of disability advocacy. These activities will promote cross-cultural exchange and partnership between disability advocates, academics and other key stakeholders. Thus while the initial focus is on the East Africa region, through the networking events and campaigns we will share knowledge, approaches and experience and connect these to broader global networks.We are working with with ADD (sub-contractor), and partnered with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems [IFES], Youth for Road Safety [YOURS], and Humanity and Inclusion; and have established links with several other related stakeholders. All of these stakeholders are deeply engaged with grassroots disability advocacy and capacity building in East Africa, and come with their own outstanding networks of NGOs and policymakers at the global level. They therefore provide excellent pathways to impact at both regional and global levels, which will benefit both the disabled young people we are working with, and our network of academics.