Deadline: 29 February 2024
The APN Youth Leaders in Research Project will offer a platform for youth to share their perspectives on philanthropic giving practices in collective struggles through research papers.
As they work towards shaping the narratives around African giving under the values of Ubuntu, it is imperative that youth voices are at the center.
For the 2024 edition they have decided to deepen the contribution of youth in shaping the narratives about African philanthropic practices, advocating for recognition of philanthropy as a durable strategy for development and values through research papers instead of one-time essays. African philanthropy can be a tool to mobilize the demand side of systems change and by modelling alternative practices and structures that encourage new voices in the mainstream development knowledge economy.
Proposed Theme: “Philanthropic practices for Collective Freedom from Collective Struggles”
The adage that they are not free until every single one of them is free holds true now more than ever. It no longer serves to operate in silos and in isolation. How can they start thinking of alleviating the various struggles in African communities as collective responsibility? In what ways are these struggles interconnected; what do climate justice, disability justice and gender-based violence have in common? How can thinking of them as connected, shift the efforts and fortify the goal of collective freedom. What is the role of African philanthropic practices amidst the current and future struggles towards collective freedom?
Objectives
- The objective of this intervention is to encourage young Africans to engage with the unique and disproportionate ways African communities are impacted by various struggles, and how these hinder collective freedoms. They want young Africans to deeply interrogate the impacts of an ongoing dynamic of relational power in communities, and how philanthropic practices have been mobilized (or not) to mitigate these impacts; how African philanthropy can be a tool for freedom for all.
Guidelines for the Research Proposal
- Here are some prompts to help shape your thoughts:
- How power dynamics and its subsequent effects are affecting African communities? Which communities/population groups have been particularly/uniquely affected by the effects of existing power dynamics? How have African communities mobilized to adopt or mitigate the effects power dynamics have had on them?
- How are (civil) society actors responding to the increasing effects of social injustices in African communities? How effective are these actors in addressing policy change for social justice?
- What would it look like to support communities most impacted by the effects of social injustices? (consider innovative solutions perhaps including technology, policy advocacy, community resources mobilization).
- How effective have existing policies been in tackling the effects of existing systemic social injustices? (focus on the national policies)
- An important detail you must not forget is to clearly show the connected nature of the struggles and injustices and/or the connected nature of the mitigation measures.
Coverage: The Call will cover sub–Saharan Africa countries
Entry Languages: English and French.
Duration: The youth research initiative will be implemented from February through July 2024.
Selection Criteria
Research pitch will be selected based on the following criteria:
- Originality and creativity
- Relevance to the theme and clear focus of interconnectedness
- Clarity and coherence of ideas
- Quality of research and references.
For more information, visit Africa Philanthropy Network (APN).
