Courtesy of the British Council’s Developing Inclusive and Creative Economies (DICE) initiative in partnership with the Southern Africa Arts Programme, Connect Hubs 2.0 selected and shaped 23 hub managers from Malawi, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe who took part in connect.hubs 2.0 programme's 3 day training in Lilongwe, months of Learning In Action and a Virtual Hubs retreat.
The connect.hubs programme forms part of the Creative Hubs Academy, a joint learning programme by the British Council; Global innovation foundation, Nesta; and international organisation for social change, Hivos.
The 23 hub managers, who hailed from hubs such Mashonaland Central Creative Hub (Zimbabwe); Namibia Arts Fair (Namibia); Abantu Dance Group (Malawi); Mlambe Arts Theatre (Malawi) and Dzaleka Youth Congress (Malawi), amongst others, took part in this one-year transformationa learning programme.
Participants are provided with a structured and supportive environment, which allows them to step back from their day-to-day work and gain new skills and insights to help them shape and grow their hubs.
“Creative hubs – whether physical or virtual – are a part of a worldwide movement for creative and social entrepreneurs to connect and support one another while developing their businesses in a nurturing environment,” Nyoni said in the statement.
“The connect.hubs 2.0 programme is delivered in four stages. At the core of the programme is a three-day capacity-building workshop. This is followed by a period of learning in action back at their hubsand then a two-day coaching retreat at the end of the programme. The process is concluded with participants applying for collaboration grants,”.MacDonald Nyoni, Head of Programmes, British Council.
The planning and managing of all four stages of Connect.Hubs 2.0 Malawi 2019/20 has been delivered by our local partner Jubilee Enterprise, in partnership with British Council.