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Participants had the opportunity to visit exhibitions at Kampnagel, a venue that brought together various organizations from different fields. One of the German participants, Anja Schiffner, kindly invited them to explore her organization, Evamigra e.V. Anja and her colleagues showcased the valuable work they do in supporting young migrants to Germany. Their efforts encompass providing support in areas such as job placement, education, and language classes. In addition to visiting Anja’s organization, participants also had the chance to explore other organizations and gain insights into their services. Overall, participants gained a wealth of knowledge about Germany’s civil society organizations and the country’s commendable efforts to provide support to individuals from diverse backgrounds.

During the exchange, we invited representatives from Hamburg’s diverse community to a meet-and-greet event where they could interact with participants from Tanzania and learn about their work. Tanzanian participants had meticulously prepared and rehearsed their presentations. The interactive session began with warm-up activities that fostered a friendly atmosphere and allowed guests and participants to get to know each other. Following the warm-up, presentations and questions from the audience were conducted. This networking opportunity provided participants with a chance to showcase their projects to the public, which could potentially lead to the growth of their initiatives and the development of new partnerships. Additionally, presenting before an audience served as a valuable challenge and learning experience for the participants. It encouraged them to reflect on their work, identify the support they needed, and articulate the importance and urgency of their projects.

On the final day of the program, participants spent time reflecting on the 2-week learning journey they have been through. They highlighted the key insights they learned, critical moments and experiences, and the new connections they have developed among themselves and with new people and institutions. Using the TV show format, where both participants and co-facilitators played roles of hosts and guests of the show, we interviewed each other. This format helped to facilitate a deeper reflection that uncovered things that went well and areas of improvements. Furthermore, participants completed anonymous surveys where they filled feedback forms to share anonymous responses to a set of evaluation questions. It was an emotional day filled with lots of joy and sincere connections. In the evening, Tanzanian participants prepared a delightful blend of Swahili cuisine and invited German participants and others they had met during their two-week stay in Hamburg. Together, they commemorated their remarkable two-week success in Hamburg. Way Forward After a successful completion of the first phase of the exchange program in Hamburg, plans are now underway for realizing the second phase in Dar es Salaam. The Dar es Salaam phase is planned to take place in the fall of 2025, bringing ten participants from Hamburg to reconnect with their peers in Dar es Salaam city. Furthermore, all participants have resolved to remain in-touch for continuous learning and mutual support through periodic meetings. In Dar es Salaam, participants resolved to begin implementation of some collective projects designed to raise awareness on gender roles, women rights, empowering young people, promoting inner-city sustainability and contributing to the strengthening of the Dar es Salaam – Hamburg partnerships.

“We gained a profound understanding of how inclusive planning and fair practices can significantly improve the quality of life for residents. These insights will be invaluable in guiding future developments in Dar es Salaam.” —Vaileth Nicodem, Daka Network Coordinator, Dar es Salaam. Participants visited Neuallermöhe town where they learned the history, urban planning, and community initiatives. Neuallermöhe’s urban planning strives to create an inclusive and connected community. Participants learned viable insights that could be applied in improving Dar es Salaam’s urban planning efforts. They visited various locations and buildings, they appreciated seeing friendly facilities like sports areas for children and adults. Furthermore, the principle of Neuallermöhe’s urban planning process that centers around inclusion of diverse community members in the decision making process captivated the participants.  “In urban planning, it’s crucial to establish youth development hubs that actively involve young people in the city’s growth. As cities expand, these hubs ensure that young people have access to development opportunities, preventing them from being left behind.” —Silla Omosso, Field Child safety officer at Operation Mobilization Tanzania.

“I’ve discovered that there are striking similarities between our country’s practices. The youth center in Steilshoop, which serves as a premier hub for youth development, offers a safe haven for young individuals to commute and acquire valuable skills.” —Issaya Kasyupa, Program Manager, Project Inspire. This insightful visit was conducted at the Youth Center Steilshoop where a team member of the Daka Network, Zeyneb, spent his childhood. This community facility is a residential area with a multicultural population where youth plays a key role in mutual support through various social, cultural and recreational activities. Young people receive support and counseling, workshops and skill-building as well as community integration. Reflecting on her experience of showing the Tanzanian participants her home, Zeyneb now calls the program an emotional exchange. She further explains: “I took the participants to Steilshoop, the place where I grew up. I showed them the neighborhood, my favorite places there and of course the best place—the House of Youth Steilshoop. Showing the group a part of my identity was such a beautiful feeling because every part of that place had a story attached to it and I was able to share my emotional connection with the group. It was an honor for me. Showing them the House of Youth was beautiful, they were able to see the amazing work it does for the people in the neighborhood and also what it did for me. They were able to understand and see the impact it has on so many children. The group made me appreciate my neighborhood more and not to forget what it does.”

One of the German participants, Gabrielle May, works at FLASK Women’s Center in Altona. She invited participants to visit and learn about the services provided for women at this center. The center’s name literally stands for Women, Life, Work, Self Confidence, and Creativity. They support women who are facing socio-economic and personal hardships. Most Tanzanians felt inspired by the work at FLASK, seeing women supported with formal education, computer literacy, access to information, free meals and space to network and network. One of the participants from Tanzania, Issaya, became interested in exploring potential collaborations linking some of the initiatives at FLASK with his projects in Dar es Salaam.

Seeing how pristine the beach was at the Baltic Sea, with its iconic beach chairs (Strankörbe) providing protection against the wind, rain, and sun, was a great experience for me. It prompted me to reflect more deeply on the cleanliness of the beaches in my city.—Angelina Mkama, Mbweni Secondary School.  —Angelina Mkama, Mbweni Secondary School.  Participants spent the weekend immersed in German culture and family traditions. One group, led by Gabriele, a Hamburg-based participant, embarked on a journey to the Baltic Sea. Gabrielle was delighted to share her family home in the region with the group. They also had a wonderful time relaxing by the beach. Other participants stayed at the Hostel, where Thomas and Katrin prepared a popular northern German dish called “Labskaus.”

“Meeting a graffiti artist from Hamburg was an eye-opener for me. It revealed that while the city is filled with graffiti art, it has two distinct sides. Most of the artworks are created without consent from the property owner or any authority, leading to graffiti often being labeled as illegal art. However, there are also renowned artists whose work is well-known and who create their art as part of legitimate projects.” —Hafidhi Bakari, Graffiti Artists and Youth Program Manager at Wachata Crew, Dar es Salaam. On Thursday, June 27th, participants visited a youth center (ZFJK) where Felix, a part-time graffiti artist, works to unite youth through art. Hafidhi, a graffiti artist from Dar es Salaam, joined Felix to plan and co-facilitate a workshop on drawing and spray painting. After a short overview and training on how to draw basic shapes and letters, participants practiced together on a mural, drawing and spraying bold text ‘Peace and Unity’. Each participant was assigned a letter to work on. At the end of the session, the mural was completed with unique shapes and mixed colors representing each participant’s style and contribution to the mural project. Beside practicing making a mural, participants also learned the history of Graffiti, approaches to engaging youth, and addressing social issues through the arts.

“I love the idea of the possibility of exchange of experience and learning between cultures and people that this project enables. I gained and learned a lot from the time with and warm welcome of this wonderful group. Their energy, enthusiasm and passion for making a difference in their communities was inspiring, and their engagement and curiosity in the project planning workshop showed an appetite for tools to help them do that work. It was a wonderful experience for me to be alongside them.” — Glyn Bottrell, Coach, mentor, leadership development, organization development. In this workshop, Glyn Bottrell (Leadership and Organizational Development Coach) engaged participants in discussing projects planning, management, budgeting and fundraising. Glyn started with highlighting the reasons why addressing the ‘WHY’ at early stages of project development may be more crucial than figuring out the “WHAT” and how “HOW”. Participants learned step by step processes for developing complete projects, and were inspired to take the first step towards realizing their project’s goals without much delay for fast learning and adaptation. Participants reported feeling ready to apply acquired knowledge and skills to write, mobilize support, and begin implementing new projects.

“The gender role discussions broadened my understanding of how societal norms and expectations have evolved over time. It challenged me to reflect on my own beliefs and inspired me to take a more active and assertive role in advocating for gender equality. By learning about the various phases of feminism and their influence on development, I gained a deeper appreciation for the importance of standing up for one’s rights and voice. This experience has empowered me to approach my advocacy work with renewed passion, confidence and a stronger sense of purpose.” —Nizar Utanga, Advocacy and Communications Officer, NCA Tanzania. In this workshop, participants learned about gender roles in both the German and Tanzanian contexts. Led by Robert Pascmann, internal conflict facilitator at Greenpeace, the workshop reviewed major historical development of the gender movement in Germany. Robert engaged participants in reflecting on their observations as visitors in Germany while contrasting their experience with the culture at home, Tanzania. Rob explained the four waves of gender transitions and activism in Germany and invited participants for discussions: i) the right to education and political participation, ii) Reproductive rights and workplace equality, iii) Intersectionality and diversity, iv) and the new self-determination law passed in 2024 which simplified the process for individuals to change their gender.  Another workshop on gender was facilitated by Clara Mduma, Representative at Ladies Joint Forum. Clara covered some of the greatest heroines in Tanzania, highlighting critical roles played by Bibi Titi Mohammed for Tanganyika’s freedom, Sofia Kawawa on education and jobs rights for women, and many other notable female figures. The conversation led to the discussion of how upbringings shape gender roles and affect current relationships within families, friendships, colleagues and even romantic partners. Both workshops sparked a great deal of interest among participants and led to on-going conversation throughout the exchange.