DREAMTOWN JOURNAL
Dreamtown Journal is a publication series that unfolds the life of young people living in urban slums and the actions they take to transform their communities. The journal is developed in close collaboration with the amazing grassroots and young activists we work with. The goal of the journal is to broadcast the voices of a young urban civil society and inspire change.
In March 2020, Dreamtown set out to investigate; what exactly is Mbare, a major community that we are working with? What are the issues and opportunities? How do we communicate what kind of work we are doing? How do we show the world how vibrant, colourful and exciting Mbare is? Who are all the committed people, who strive to make a change in their community? Can we change the story so often told, about deprived neighbourhoods, and instead talk about safe, green, creative and vibrant communities? This is a story of Mbare, told through pictures, maps and voices of young people.
Ghetto Go Green is a green urban movement set out to create a greener and more sustainable Kampala. This means increasing access to green public spaces. Engaging young people, their communities, and city authorities to come together to create a more sustainable urban environment. Inspiring pro-environmental behavior change. Creating multi-purpose green public spaces. And supporting young agripreneurs. This is a snapshot of Ghetto Go Green, which is growing day by day. Told through pictures and voices of young people in Kampala. It is made with input from Dreamtown and Network for Active Citizens, with stories by their brilliant team of young community journalists.
Down steep dirt roads, behind the busy life of Wilkinson Road in Freetown, Sierra Leone, you will find Bonga Town. Dreamtown had the pleasure to visit Bonga Town in January 2022 as a part of our project, Claim Your City. The project was about giving young people a voice in shaping their own community - something they rarely get. It was about young people claiming space in their own city. Together with 20 young, visionary and hopeful young people from Bonga Town, we have walked, talked, mapped, observed, drawn, designed, and trying to get a grasp of the vibrant, buzzing community. This is a story of Bonga Town.