Facebook has launched the Community Accelerator programme, available in South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria.
An evolution of the Facebook Community Leadership Programme (FCLP), the six-month accelerator programme provides training, mentorship and funding to help community leaders grow their communities.
Up to $3-million in total will be awarded to 80 programme participants worldwide.
Selected community leaders will spend three months learning from experts, coaches and a customised curriculum to create a plan to grow their communities. They will spend the next three months iterating and executing on their plans, with funding and support from their networks.
“Our mission is to empower the leaders who foster community – people who offer support, encourage others and make real change,” says Kiran Yoliswa, strategic partner manager: communities SSA at Facebook. “We are investing in leaders because we believe and know they make significant contributions to today’s social challenges, by sharing knowledge and information, and helping people to connect with others that share same interests or passions for a good cause.”
In 2019 the Facebook Community Leadership Programme provided training, funding, and support to 115 community leaders. The leaders reported that their projects impacted over 1.9 million lives through online community support, the use of helpful resources and other activities made possible by the programme.
The 12 community leaders from sub-Saharan Africa said their projects impacted over 80 000 lives.
Facebook also announced that it has built new tools to help community leaders add new members and moderate conversations in their groups. The improved membership management tool improves how group admins can manage new member requests, and content moderation features make it easier for admins to see important posts and find specific content.