Voice4Thought Academy
The Voice4Thought Academy (V4TA) brings together academic and artistic knowledge to empower young people to better understand their environment, think critically, and engage with issues that matter to their communities. Through co-learning and co-creation, participants develop skills and knowledge that strengthen their agency, including their ability to contribute to local decision-making processes.
The first Voice4Thought Academy was established in Mali in 2020 and currently operates in ten regions: Bankass, Bandiagara, Bougouni, Douentza, Macina, Ségou, Timbuktu, Gao, Niono, and San. Participants create and share knowledge in different forms, including blogs, (audio)visual productions, podcasts, theatre, and slam art, opening up opportunities for meaningful exchange with wider audiences. Visit the Voice4Thought Academy Mali website (French) and Facebook page for the Academy’s productions and updates.
The Academy is part of the PGLR+ programme, implemented by a consortium of SNV, Oxfam Novib, ICCO/Cordaid, and Voice4Thought, and funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Mali.
V4TA is continuously evolving, with the ambition to establish Academies in other parts of the Sahel and beyond. Alongside its core activities, the Academy contributes to projects addressing locally relevant issues, including inherited slavery in Mali and depolarisation in Chad.
V4T Archive
The V4T Archive brings together data collections from Voice4Thought’s projects and programmes. The archive supports researchers, journalists, and students, with selected collections made publicly accessible through platforms such as the V4T Academy website.
Other activities
The Academy is also involved in other activities:
- The Academy has contributed to Leiden University’s curriculum by developing the Innovative Research Methods website, and setting up the Skills Hub.
- Project Djonya Kele Ja Toulon (Gamers against slavery in Mali) – a project that focuses on ‘inherited slavery’ which in some areas of Mali is still a practice, although it’s a taboo and a difficult subject. Find out more.
- In Chad, Voice4Thought sets up Bon Buzz workshops with Chadian bloggers to co-create depolarising stories.