The Youth Café Supporting SMTs Twitter Power Bootcamp

Social Movement Technologies is a non-profit that provides organizing strategy, training and campaign support to build progressive power and win in the digital age. Its goal is to make high-quality training accessible to every organizing group regardless of size or resources. In its first five years, staff and activists from over 2200 groups and unions have engaged with SMT’s online and in-person training. SMT partners with over 50 organizing networks. 

The Youth Café, given our work and commitment to social justice, through our thematic areas covering the aspects of governance and political inclusion in both remittances and accountability dimensions- came into collaboration with Social Movement Technologies, Africans Rising, Girls First Network from Africa and Laudato Si’ Movement to promote a Twitter Power Boot Camp for Activists and Campaigners waging justice against big adversaries and journalists across the world.

Across the world, Twitter has become a powerful tool for movement-building - from #BlackLivesMatter to #EndSARS (police brutality), to #MeToo and #NiUnaMenos, to revolutions across North Africa. Activists organizing under repressive regimes are getting the attention of autocrats by using Twitter, threatening how they’re viewed by their enablers across the globe. Even when Twitter or the internet is shut down by a threatened autocrat, activists are able to quickly activate global allies and media by combining cell phones and Twitter.

Twitter is the single most useful online tool now driving media coverage, and because hashtags enable strangers to quickly learn about a movement and join it - anonymously if needed - it’s become a very interesting tool. However, Twitter is underused by many activists and campaigners.

That is why SMT is offering an intensive Twitter Power Boot Camp starting in October: 5 sessions over 5 weeks, with assignments in between. Simultaneous interpretation in Arabic, French, Spanish and Portuguese can be provided in response to demand. Examples and presenters will largely be drawn from the African continent, where SMT’s movement support is expanding.

This training is for activists, campaigners, and independent journalists across the world. It is designed for people new to Twitter and campaigning, as well as those with quite a bit of experience with campaigning and using Twitter. The training is for those looking to force change in government or corporate practices and policy.

Recordings will cover the basics. Live sessions will cover strategy, case studies, and advanced techniques. There will also be opportunities for participants to share and learn from each other. 

The training will be a learning session for the registered participants in the stated regions. Participants will have the chance to work towards a certificate by paying a small fee of between $50-$60, for those who will be getting the training for free. Participants will therefore be eligible to earn a “Certificate in Twitter Power for Campaigners” based on completing all assignments which will be reviewed by an instructor and attending at least 3 of the sessions live.  

The training will therefore require participants to be able to learn how activists, particularly across Africa, MENA and Europe, are using Twitter strategically to build pressure in campaigns targeting big corporate and government decision-makers.

It will also require participants to be able to build visibility in the media by learning how journalists can develop their Twitter accounts to protect themselves and ensure they have allies if they need them.

Participants will have the opportunity to build their accounts quickly and strategically using Twitter lists and DM groups to activate followers, by up to 250 followers per week using free and low-cost tools and techniques and share their results during the workshop series.

Orchestrating a Twitterstorm including hijacking a hashtag, developing a guide using the free tools for easy participation of other allies and developing Twitter strategic plans basing them on campaign needs will also contribute to part of the training.

Lastly participants will have the option of forming a global Twitter solidarity community by sharing options for when a government running scared tries to shut them down to push back on Twitter take-downs of activist accounts in response to governments requests.

The Youth Café works with young men and women around Africa as a trailblazer in advancing youth-led approaches toward achieving sustainable development, social equity, innovative solutions, community resilience and transformative change.

Contact us for any comments or suggestions.