Your field guide to changing the world with nothing but courage, creativity, and a small crew
Choose one experiment to focus on together - resist the temptation to do everything at once
Commit to weekly check-ins where you honestly assess what's working and what isn't
Rotate roles so everyone learns facilitation, community outreach, and systems thinking
Document your journey for others (and for employers watching your LinkedIn)
Connect with other crews running different experiments in your area
Share resources, contacts, and lessons learned without competing
Cross-promote each other's projects - your community mapping helps their food network
Invite community members to experience multiple projects, not just yours
Wins Circle: Celebrate breakthroughs, connections made, problems solved
Learning Lab: Share what you've discovered about your community, what adaptations worked
Challenge Workshop: Help each other troubleshoot stuck projects with fresh perspectives
Emotions Check: Acknowledge the energy, frustration, excitement, and growth you're all experiencing
Start informal: WhatsApp groups, regular meetups, shared Google docs
Build rhythm: Weekly team meetings, monthly community gatherings, quarterly big-picture reviews
Stay connected: Tag each other on social media, create a local hashtag, build your movement's visibility
Think ecosystem: You're not just running projects - you're building a network of young leaders who support each other's growth
Remember: You're not just changing your community - you're developing yourselves into the leaders your generation needs.
For You: These projects aren't just volunteering - they're your competitive advantage. You'll develop real-world skills that employers desperately need: project management, cross-cultural communication, systems thinking, and the ability to create solutions from nothing. You'll build a portfolio of actual impact and a network of diverse, motivated peers across Africa and the Middle East.
For Your Community: Instead of waiting for government or NGOs to solve local problems, you become the solution. These projects address real issues - isolation, waste, unemployment, food insecurity - using resources that already exist in your neighbourhood. You're not just helping; you're building sustainable systems that continue long after you've moved on.
For Your Future: Every project teaches you to think like an entrepreneur and leader. You learn to spot opportunities others miss, rally people around a vision, and adapt quickly when plans change. These are the exact capabilities that create successful careers in any field - from tech startups to international development, from corporate leadership to social enterprise.
For Employers: Youth in the Enabling Grassroots Community (EGC) community deliver measurable social change whilst developing a growth and collaborative mindset that transforms teams. They bring systems thinking, cultural intelligence, and proven ability to create impact with limited resources. We encourage you to explore their stories and project outcomes on the EGC LinkedIn channel and recruit these emerging change-makers and leaders for your teams. Feel free to connect with alumni who combine practical skills with purpose-driven leadership.
The following initiatives have been tested across diverse communities and proven to create lasting impact with minimal resources. Each project is designed to build both individual capabilities and community resilience whilst developing the systems thinking and agile leadership skills essential for today's changemakers.
Inspect & Adapt: Your Learning Engine
Create Transparency Through:
Visible metrics: Track simple numbers everyone can see (attendance, connections made, problems solved)
Open feedback loops: Regular community input sessions where participants share what's really happening
Progress displays: Public boards, group chats, or community meetings showing what you've learned and changed
Story sharing: Regular updates on what's working, what isn't, and why you're pivoting
Learning to Spot Insights:
Pattern recognition: After 3-4 weeks, what themes keep appearing? What surprises keep happening?
Gap analysis: What's the difference between what you planned and what's actually needed?
Energy indicators: Which activities get people excited? Which drain energy? What does this tell you?
Unexpected connections: Who's showing up that you didn't expect? What conversations are happening that you didn't plan?
Weekly Inspection Questions:
What evidence do we have that this is actually helping?
What assumptions have been proven wrong this week?
What would we do differently if we started this project today?
Who isn't participating, and what might that tell us?
Before starting any project, ask:
Cultural fit: How do people in your community actually solve problems? What are the informal networks and power structures?
Resource reality: What do you actually have access to? What constraints matter most in your environment?
Timing considerations: When do people have time and energy? What competes for their attention?
Language and communication: How do people prefer to receive information and give feedback in your context?
Adaptation indicators - Change your approach when you notice:
Consistent low attendance despite interest
People saying "yes" but not following through
Formal leaders supporting but informal influencers resisting
Solutions that work elsewhere but feel forced in your context
Agile Mindset
Start small: Test with minimal viable approach
Weekly retrospectives: What worked? What didn't? What will we try differently?
Embrace failure: Each "failure" teaches you about your community
Iterate quickly: Change approach based on real feedback, not assumptions
Make learning visible: Share your adaptations on LinkedIn as professional case studies and on Instagram as authentic community stories - document your problem-solving process, pivots, and insights so other EGC communities can learn from your experiments while building your personal brand as a changemaker
Systems Thinking
Look for connections: How does your project connect to other community issues?
Address root causes: Don't just treat symptoms
Build partnerships: Connect with existing community groups and leaders
Think sustainability: How can this continue without your team?
Map the ecosystem: Who are the key players, influencers, and resource holders in your community system?
Community Ownership
Start with listening: Understand community needs before proposing solutions
Build local leadership: Train community members to take over
Document and share: Use LinkedIn to showcase your professional development and project outcomes - employers are watching. Share behind-the-scenes stories and community impact on Instagram to inspire other young changemakers. Tag @EGCAfrica and use #EGCCommunity to connect with the broader network and amplify your impact
Celebrate wins: Acknowledge progress and build momentum both locally and on social platforms - your community deserves recognition, and your leadership story needs to be visible
Transfer ownership gradually: Move from doing to teaching to supporting to stepping back
Purpose: Transform your neighbourhood from a collection of strangers into a connected community where everyone's skills and needs are visible and accessible.
Value for you: Build invaluable networking skills, understand your community deeply, and become a recognised connector who people turn to for resources and opportunities.
Week 1: Plan & Test
Team roles: Mapper, interviewer, data organiser, community connector
First sprint goal: Map 1 neighbourhood block
Tools: Smartphones, free apps (Google Maps, WhatsApp groups)
Test approach: Door-to-door vs street interviews vs community board outreach
Weeks 2-3: Gather & Iterate
Questions to ask: "What services do you wish existed here? What skills do you have? What do you need help with?"
Systems lens: Look for patterns - who's isolated? What resources are duplicated? Where are gaps?
Adapt method: If door-to-door doesn't work, try local cafés/mosques/community centres
Week 4: Connect & Launch
Create simple map: Hand-drawn poster or basic digital document
Make connections: "Maria needs English help, John teaches English"
Measure success: Number of successful connections made
Purpose: Create safe spaces where young people can share struggles and build resilience together, addressing the isolation and mental health challenges affecting your generation.
Value for you: Develop exceptional listening and facilitation skills, build deep friendships, and gain experience that's valuable for careers in counselling, management, community work, or any field requiring emotional intelligence.
Week 1: Learn & Recruit
Research basic facilitation (YouTube: "active listening skills", "circle facilitation")
Team preparation: 2 facilitators, 1 logistics coordinator, 1 community outreach
Recruitment: University notice boards, social media, word of mouth
Target: Start with 8-12 participants
Week 2: First Circle
Simple format: Check-ins (2 mins per person), themed discussion (loneliness, stress, goals), closing circle
Ground rules: Confidentiality, no advice-giving, speak from "I" statements
Duration: 90 minutes maximum
Feedback: Quick written feedback - what worked? What didn't? Turn these insights into LinkedIn posts about facilitation learnings and Instagram carousel posts showing before/after community connections
Ongoing (Weekly)
Iterate format based on feedback
Systems thinking: Notice patterns - are issues individual or structural? Connect people to resources
Sustainability: Train participants to co-facilitate
Purpose: Tackle environmental waste whilst building community connections and demonstrating that one person's rubbish is another's treasure.
Value for you: Learn event organisation and project management skills, understand circular economy principles firsthand, and build a reputation as an environmental leader with practical experience for sustainability careers.
Week 1: Waste Audit
Choose focus: Start with one waste type (plastic containers, clothes, books)
Team roles: Waste collector, social media promoter, event organiser, partnerships
Research: Where does this waste currently go? Who might want it?
Week 2: Test Run
Mini swap: Set up in public space for 2 hours
Bring own items: Each team member brings 5-10 items to seed the exchange
Observe: What do people bring? What do they want? What's left over? Document these insights for Instagram (community impact stories) and LinkedIn (circular economy learnings and systems thinking in practice)
Week 3: Iterate & Scale
Adjust based on learnings: Different items? Better location? Different time?
Add repair element: Invite local repair experts to teach basic fixing skills
Systems approach: Partner with schools for educational component, connect to local artisans
Monthly: Regular Events
Fixed schedule: Same time/place monthly builds habit
Measure: Items diverted from waste, new community connections, skills shared
Purpose: Combat youth unemployment by creating a peer-to-peer learning network where everyone teaches something and learns something, making education more accessible and practical.
Value for you: Strengthen your own skills by teaching others, learn new capabilities for free, and build a diverse professional network of peers with complementary skills.
Week 1: Skills Audit
Team survey: What can each team member teach? What do you want to learn?
Community outreach: Simple survey in local colleges, community centres
Create skills database: Simple spreadsheet or WhatsApp group
Week 2: First Exchange Session
Format: 3 parallel 45-minute workshops (coding basics, language exchange, practical skills)
Venue: Free community space, library, outdoor area
Document: Photos, feedback, what people learned - create content for Instagram showcasing the human stories and LinkedIn posts highlighting your facilitation and project management skills in action
Weeks 3-4: Expand & Improve
Add requested skills: Based on what people asked for
Peer teaching: Participants from Week 2 become teachers in Week 4
Systems lens: Connect to employment opportunities, formal education gaps
Monthly: Sustainable Model
Participant-led: Rotate facilitation among attendees
Partnerships: Connect with local businesses for work experience
Impact tracking: Skills learned, connections made, employment outcomes
Purpose: Bridge divides between different groups in your community by collecting and sharing stories that reveal our common humanity and shared challenges.
Value for you: Develop interviewing, content creation, and storytelling skills that are essential for journalism, marketing, social media, or community relations careers, whilst building empathy and cultural intelligence.
Week 1: Story Collection Strategy
Team roles: Story collector, content creator, community relations, digital coordinator
Choose medium: Video interviews, audio recordings, written stories, live events
First target: 5 diverse community members willing to share
Week 2: Collect & Create
Simple questions: "What's one thing you wish others knew about your experience here? What gives you hope?"
Keep it short: 2-3 minute stories maximum
Systems thinking: Look for common themes, unexpected connections
Week 3: Share & Gather
Test sharing methods: Social media, community boards, local café displays
Gather reactions: What resonates? What creates dialogue?
Safety first: Always get permission, respect privacy - but when people are happy to share, amplify their voices on Instagram and LinkedIn to show the real impact of grassroots leadership
Ongoing: Build Dialogue
Monthly story cafés: Share stories in person, facilitate discussion
Cross-community sharing: Connect different neighbourhood groups
Measure impact: Stories shared, discussions started, relationships built
Purpose: Address hunger and food waste simultaneously whilst building community resilience and teaching sustainable living practices.
Value for you: Learn agricultural skills, project coordination, and supply chain management whilst contributing to environmental sustainability and community well-being - valuable experience for careers in development, agriculture, or social enterprise.
Week 1: Map Food Landscape
Team assessment: Local markets, gardens, food waste sources, hungry neighbours
Systems mapping: Where does food come from? Where does waste go? Who needs what?
Start small: One garden plot, one food recovery source, or one sharing point
Week 2: Take Action
Community garden: Ask local school/mosque for small plot, start with fast-growing herbs
Food recovery: Partner with one local market for end-of-day surplus
Sharing network: Create WhatsApp group for neighbours to share excess food
Week 3: Connect & Educate
Nutrition workshops: Team member researches and shares basic nutrition info
Cooking sessions: Use recovered/grown food for community cooking
Skills sharing: Connect experienced gardeners with beginners
Monthly: Sustainable Systems
Seasonal adaptation: Different crops, different waste sources
Community ownership: Train others to manage garden/recovery
Policy connection: Document food insecurity, connect to local government
Purpose: Bridge the digital divide by helping community members gain essential digital skills needed for economic opportunities, social connection, and civic participation.
Value for you: Enhance your teaching and communication abilities, deepen your own tech skills through teaching, and build relationships across generations whilst contributing to economic empowerment in your community.
Week 1: Assess Needs & Skills
Team skills audit: Who can teach what? (social media, basic computer, smartphone, online banking)
Community needs: Survey local seniors, unemployed youth, small business owners
Resource mapping: Where can you access devices? Libraries, community centres, personal devices
Week 2: First Teaching Circle
Start simple: WhatsApp basics, email setup, or online job searching
One-to-one format: Each team member teaches 1-2 community members
Document barriers: What's hardest? What do people really want to learn? Share these insights on LinkedIn as mini case studies - "3 Things I Learned Teaching Digital Skills in My Community" - and use Instagram Stories to show the real, unfiltered moments of breakthrough and challenge
Week 3: Iterate & Scale
Adjust based on feedback: Different pace? Different skills? Different format?
Peer teaching: Previous learners help teach new learners
Systems approach: Connect digital skills to economic opportunities, social connection
Weekly: Sustainable Model
Regular schedule: Same time weekly builds routine
Graduated support: Basic → intermediate → advanced tracks
Community impact: Track how digital inclusion affects participants' opportunities
Bookmark this page, we periodically add new experiments once validated for impact.