The Power of Networking

Networking is establishing and nurturing long-term, mutually beneficial relationship with the people one meets.[1] Spaces for networking are many and varied. You can network while waiting for the bus or matatu[2] as is popularly known in Kenya, network while attending an conference, while doing shopping in a supermarket, while out for sports, in the market and while attending a lecture among others.

Successful networking depends on various factors. The first is our ability to connect with other people. Networking is largely about communication, body language, showing interest in others. When we show interest in other people, it makes them respond to us, give us their time and listen to what we have to say. Networking is also about having confidence in yourself. When one does not have confidence, this may be a turn off to some people. Having confidence also communicates that we are sure of ourselves and of what we want. How we shake the other person’s hand, our ability to look at people straight in the eye matters a lot when we are networking.

Networking is also about being resilient. Sometimes you may approach a person or a group of persons with the intention of networking but they end up not listening to you or paying attention. The best response is to identify other people with whom to network with. In networking we need to be resilience in that not everyone will be willing to network with us at any given time. I once got 40 business cards in a span of a three –day meeting, after sending email to the 40 contacts , none of them responded.

My networking journey has had its share of the good and the bad. Once upon a time, while still in primary school, I used to be very shy. I was among quietest ones even in class. In high school, this had to change because I felt that if I never spoke out, I would become an easy target for bullying. While in primary school I used to hear stories of bullying in secondary schools , of  being given humiliating tasks to undertake by students in the senior classes. I used to hear of the sad experiences where form one students were forced to use their pocket money to do shopping for senior students .I vowed that come high school, I would never be bullied.

I decided to start practicing using my mouth as my defence mechanisms in case I was ever bullied. When I started engaging in human rights work, that is where I realised the importance of voice, of speaking out on issues of refusing to be silenced, of mobilising and organising communities to demand change. Many organisations and individuals have contributed to my networking and are part of networks that I hold dear to date.Organisations that give young people opportunity to learn, I salute you. If it wasn’t for individuals who accepted me to be part of their organisations , gave me an opportunity to learn, I wouldn’t have been able to impact so many lives.

Networking has helped me find spaces for continued learning. I have got information on upcoming meetings or conferences thanks to talking to people. These referrals have opened more opportunities for networking and further learning. I got an opportunity to become a community paralegal, thanks to meeting a group of refugees in Nairobi’s Kayole[1] area  , where at the time I was an advocacy officer on widows property and inheritance rights. These refugees had come to inquire as to whether we had programmes tailored for the refugee community. Networking is really all about how we are responsive to others. I got to learn about an upcoming training , through  communication with these refugees, got interviewed at the UNCHR office in Nairobi’s Westlands and got selected as one of four Kenyans to be part of a one year journey as a community paralegal. Thanks to this opportunity, I can now comfortably contribute in policy meetings and give informed views.

Networking has seen me attend conferences I would never ever had attended if not for the contacts built over time. For example I’m very articulate on issues of food sovereignty and agroecology thanks to the spaces and opportunities created by the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa(AFSA)[2].I can discuss seeds , soil and climate change like an expert. For example in September 2019, I attended a session on Climate Crisis and the Future of Food as a speaker at the at the Rockefeller University  in New York ,talking about agroecology and sharing experiences from East Africa .

Networking has helped me connect the projects I run with experts in various fields. I no longer have stress when organising a meeting, contemplating who to invite and where to get them from. Thanks to networking, my invitations to activities have been made easier and each day is a learning day. Additionally I have a database of different experts I have been building over the years  and this has come in very handy on different occasions.Through involvement in AFSA’s activities , I have had opportunities to travel to different parts of the world and share my  experiences in working with farmers and young people  in Kenya and other parts of East Africa.

Through networks , I get called upon to share my perspective on issues .For example what  the impacts of Economic Partnership Agreements are  to countries in Africa. I also get opportunities to participate in global solidarity  with people across different countries going through oppression and sharing how Kenyans organise in the midst of oppression. On my own I would never have interacted with Lumads[1]  or understood their struggles in Mindanao in the Philippines , through networking , I was able to visit Davao and listen first hand to the struggles of oppressed indigenous communities including  the contradictions of deprivation in the midst of an environment full of natural resources. Networking gave me an opportunity to visit Lebanon and listen to the voices of Palestinians living under occupation.I have been invited to share experiences on how I work with you people  such as by deutsche unesco kommission[2]

Networking has helped me impact positively on university students. Through the networks build over years , making referrals on various issues of interest to students and other civil society actors has become easy. It is a very beautiful and  a humbling feeling to attend a meeting and hear “Leonida, I know you, I have heard a lot about you". My most recent engagement was in February 2020 being invited as a speaker by a student at Kenyatta University who had organised a peer counsellors’ training session to speak about networking. The forum has 120 participants, all students. I felt on top of the world being introduced as a mentor by the student responsible for organising the training to her professors and fellow students. Wow, I had never really sat down to assess how much I impact on young people day by day.

In all the spaces that I interact with students, I often ask them to network with as many people as possible and in all my activities, I deliberately create a session for student and civil society actors to talk to each other, learn from one another and build relationships. I always encourage the students and tell them “wherever you go make sure you leave a mark”.

Through networking , I’m able to know what is happening in various parts of the world and hence is updated on the latest trends of various issues .Through belonging to networks such as World Pulse, East Africa Youth Network, Women Human Rights Defenders Solidarity, Global Legal Empowerment Network,[1] Development Effectiveness Reference Group, Your Voice Matters East Africa, Agroecology Climate Change Campaign and East Africa Youth Workers Network , I’m able to connect with hundreds of people , get a lot  of information and share experiences and knowledge over a wide  geographical coverage.

Networking is also a platform through which an individual can get employment or volunteer opportunities. When you network you get to share what you do. When attending any event one should be open to as many networking opportunities as possible. It is through these networks that you can get to hear of an upcoming job opportunity and based on how you present yourself get the job. Personally I’m a living example that networking can give you a job opportunity and make you a consultant.

Networking has provided me with opportunities for visibility on the work I do and enabled me participate in platforms where global decisions are shaped, an example of this is being a facilitator at the Global Major Groups and Stakeholders Forum at the UN Complex in Gigiri Nairobi.[2]

Networking skills should therefore be part and parcel of our everyday lives. Thanks to networking and the hundreds of people I have met and who have nurtured me over the years , I am who I am today. To give back to the community and to ensure that what I have learnt reaches others , I’m nurturing university students and social justice activists and in so doing contributing towards making the world a better place.

[1] https://namati.org/network/

[2] https://www.kas.de/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=50bd6ea6-a7fc-ad42-f3f4-6d1cff93c99b&groupId=282730

[1] https://www.rappler.com/move-ph/178181-infographic-lumad-indigenous-peoples

[2] https://www.annalindhfoundation.org/members/deutsche-unesco-kommission-german-commission-unesco

[1] Kayole is a low income neighbourhood in Nairobi’s Eastlands area

[2] https://afsafrica.org/about-us/

[3] https://www.annalindhfoundation.org/members/deutsche-unesco-kommission-german-commission-unesco

[1] https://www.topresume.com/career-advice/importance-of-networking-for-career-success

[2] Matatu is a public means of transport , popular in East Africa