Research Use

Our publicly available codebook provides a description of each leadership program and a rationale for why each case was included in the database.

Research Use

Our publicly available codebook provides a description of each leadership program and a rationale for why each case was included in the database.

Defining initiativeS

The map is populated with what we name as “Youth Leadership for Development” initiatives. Leadership programs are included in only if they meet the following four criteria:

1. Their target participants are young Africans.

2. They offer some form of educational training, professional development or support.

3. They have an explicit goal of cultivating leaders, even if the definition of “leadership” may vary.

4. They have an explicit mission of contributing to African development. 

We determine whether or not programs meet this criteria based on their website and public-facing materials. If a program meets the selection criteria, it is entered into our database.

Types of Activities

We tag each initiative for the specific educational approaches they take. In an analysis of150 different programs, the first phase our research identified six different educational and organization approaches.

1. Brick-and-mortar institutions

2. Short-term programs

3. Scholarships and grants

4. Conferences and meetings

5. Networks

6. Online learning

You can sort the map by these categories. Some activities were identified as using more than educational approach.

location and representation

Currently, we use the “Whimsy Maps” mapping tool developed by the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education IT Team, and an open source base map.

We acknowledge and critique the limitations of these tools and the spatial and visual politics they might produce. The current map is Eurocentric, centering European nations, augmenting the size of the North American continent, and diminishing the presence of the African continent. We also understand the classification and ordering of lands and seas to be a broader project of coloniality/modernity. The current coloring of the map suggests an absence of initiatives throughout the African content, with the highest density in Nigeria, South Africa, and the United States. This is a demonstration of what we currently know, based on what was readily locatable online and through the personal connections of the research team. We welcome feedback and collaboration.