AfricTivistes kicked off this week the CitizenLab Benin project, a citizens’ hub for innovation, with a training session to equip the local project team with the skills they will need to expand and implement the programme’s activities.

For four days, the fifteen profiles selected from the sixty-four (64) who applied will benefit from an encapacitation programme delivered by AfricTivistes trainers.  These diverse profiles (journalists, bloggers, graphic designers, videographers, CSO members) are people committed to working for the consolidation of democratic gains and driven by the desire to boost a new citizen dynamic based on co-construction.

AfricTivistes CitizenLab Benin is a citizens’ factory whose aim is to support and equip civil society players through training, tool development and support for innovation. The training of trainers covers the following themes:

1- Civic engagement;

2- Citizen participation;

3- Digital campaigning and advocacy;

4- Web writing techniques and methods;

5- Online safety and security;

6- Podcast creation techniques;

7- Menu of possible commitments of the Youth Democracy Cohort  of the Summit for Democracy

At the end of the training, the local team members, in close collaboration with the coordination team in Senegal, will train seventy-five (75) young people, and hold advocacy campaigns in favour of the Youth Democracy Cohort’s Menu of possible commitments.

The local team will also be in charge of editorial reflection, identifying and proposing solutions to socio-political issues through the production, validation and publication of content to be hosted on the open and participative citizen web platform AfricTivistes CitizenLab Benin.

After Mauritania, AfricTivistes is rolling out the CitizenLab program in Benin, tailoring it to the country’s specific needs. CitizenLab will prioritise the voice of young people in governance; promote a culture of political participation; and foster a culture of human rights among young people.

The project is being implemented by AfricTivistes with the involvement and participation of the AfricTivistes network in Benin, civil society organisations and media professionals. It is supported by the Summit for Democracy’s Youth Democracy Cohort and funded by the European Union.

Benin is a country with an active civil society, and the support provided by this innovation hub will help sustain the momentum for promoting civic engagement and democracy in the country.

For further information, please send an email to: info@africtivistes.org