A New Digital Journey: My First Steps with the AWA Digitalise Youth Fellowship

The African Wikipedian Alliance (AWA)Digitise Youth Project, a powerful collaboration between Code for Africa (CFA), the European Partnership for Democracy (EPD), Africivistes, and other global partners, it is an initiative that resonates deeply with my passion as a Librarian for open knowledge, youth empowerment, and digital transformation across Africa. As a Fellow in this impactful program, my experience so far has been nothing short of inspiring and purpose-driven.

Fellows Onboarding and Launch

My journey began with a series of onboarding sessions held virtually on June 18th, 19th, and 20th, 2025, which introduced us to the mission, goals, and expectations of the Fellowship, by Bukola James the Community Coordinator. The session slide can be found here, these sessions laid the foundation for a structured and results oriented experience. They were followed by the Virtual Launch Event on June 25th, 2025, where we officially stepped into our roles as fellows for digital change in Africa.

My Next Steps

Meta Page and Topic List

To ensure clarity and visibility of my activities, I created a Meta page setup which outlines my approach, goals, and strategy for the Fellowship. This includes a topic list that aligns with the project’s objectives  focusing on digital rights, online safety, youth activism  in Ethiopia and Senegal. 

Community Mobilization and Onboarding

Recognizing the importance of grassroots involvement, I developed a needs assessment form to better understand the interests and digital literacy levels of my community members. Based on the responses, I onboarded seven active participants, who have since joined a general WhatsApp group created to foster communication, support, and knowledge-sharing.

Tracking Progress: Outreach Dashboard

To track impact and engagement, I created an Outreach Dashboard, where participants’ contributions and learning progress are documented. While more participants are still in the process of joining, this dashboard serves as both a motivational and accountability tool for the team.

First Onboarding with Participants

I hosted our first onboarding session with participants, offering them an overview of the AWA Digitise Youth project, key deliverables, and how to navigate the Wikimedia ecosystem. The meeting link is available for those who may have missed the live session.

Reflections and Next Steps

This journey is not just about ticking boxes or completing tasks, it’s about the effect of updated knowledge, freedom of expression, and digital empowerment across Africa especially in Ethiopia and Senegal.
As we move forward, I am excited to dive deeper into more training, more collaborative sessions with other Experienced Editors, support the fellows in any capacity they may need, and continue building vibrant digital participants in my community.
Want to be a part of this community?
Kindly do well to fill the Needs Assessment form and Join our Whatsapp Community. 

 “Together, we are not just digitising, we are transforming the African narratives”