Each November we do something to mark "Dadamac Day". Like most annual events it's a chance to involve others, to celebrate how far we've come, and share hopes of where we're going. It usually involves the Internet, and bringing people together from the UK and African sides of Dadamac and other locations too.
Something different in 2013
This year it's different. For the first time ever Dadamac Day is being marked with a face-to-face meeting instead of something online. John Dada (the Nigerian side of Dadamac) and I (the UK side) will be together at Impact Hub Westminster under the banner of Globalnet21 reaching out to our network in London.
As I explained elsewhere (see Invitation to meet John Dada in London - November 25th ) the main focus will be on the issues of youth unemployment and what we can do to tackle it, set in the context of John's work at Fantsuam and our UK-Africa collaboration as Dadamac.
Youth unemployment - a shared problem
Unemployment - and the tragedy of wasted human potential - is a problem that blights the lives of many young people. It's a real and immediate problem not just in John's community but also here in London, and elsewhere. It's a problem that we can usefully "rub minds on", all bringing our different perspectives, practical experiences and creative suggestions.
Recent blog posts have covered many of the issues around unemployment in more detail.
Continuing our conversations and collaborations
Any conversations that we start face-to-face on Dadamac Day can be continued afterwards through the Internet, which is our usual way of working together. Collaborations, learning-by-doing and learning-from-each-other can happen at a distance in Dadamac. Dadamac's "home" is as much on the Internet as it is in London or Fantsuam.
Parts of the rich picture
I don't know who'll come along to meet John and me, but I know there are lots of connections in my mind and my networks that I would love to bring closer together.
I want to include people who are involved with, or interested in, things to do with unemployment, work, innovation, changemaking, collaboration, use of digital technologies, ICT (information and Communication Technologies) for Education and Development, the dance between life-long-learning and livelihoods, heutagogy/self-directed-learning, online learning, employment and migration, sustainable communities, appropriate technology, small-is-beautiful economic change, peer-to-peer approaches to development, organisational structures, and various other inter-related issues that are relevant to building a better future and enabling young people to play their parts.
I think of individual people I know and of London groups/communities I'm involved with that have relevant interests including:
- GlobalNet 21
- Impact Hub Westminster
- Public Service Launchpad
- Civil Society Forum
- Centre for Distance Education
- Collage Network
- ICT4D group
I hope that Dadamac Day will connect with some of them in new ways and will help to bring different people closer together, to benefit from each others' perspectives and ultimately to create new insights and initiatives together.