Batala: A Sisterhood of Creators on YouTube in MENA
Women have long played a pivotal role in the YouTube community in MENA. Today, we’re excited to share a behind-the-scenes look at how we're working to empower the next generation of female content creators across the Middle East and North Africa through our revamped Batala program.
Batala was first launched in 2017 for women in MENA by women from MENA. It’s a program that is all about helping aspiring women on YouTube share their voice, build their audience, and thrive in the creator economy. We recently revamped the program, and the results have been incredible.
Championing women on YouTube through mentorship:
This year’s revamp of the Batala program has taken this mission to the next level. By pairing up-and-coming creators with established content creators who serve as mentors, we're building a network of women and allies to share knowledge, and champion each other's success. We're talking about top YouTube creators like Ayatee, Rima Alosta, Reem Animations, Noon’s Way, Ossy Marwah and Ahmed Aburob – all sharing their expertise through personalized masterclasses and mentorship.
These mentorships covered everything from audience growth strategies to revenue diversification and personal branding. Plus, we had YouTube experts leading workshops on how to make the most of YouTube’s multiple formats, from Shorts, to long-form to live streams and how to increase engagement.
A Community of Support:
Since launching Batala in 2017, the number of women-led channels has grown, and we're seeing more and more women breaking barriers in traditionally male-dominated spaces like gaming, graphic design, and comedy.
Today, 500 amazing female content creators from across MENA, graduated from this year’s Batala program. Their content ranges from book reviews to gaming, handicrafts and art.
Take for example, Nourhan Akram, who joined the Batala program in 2019, and is now a mentor to other women on YouTube. Nourhan says “When I first joined Batala, I had around 20,000 subscribers.I’m now approaching 200,000 subscribers which is why I’m excited to be a mentor this year and share all of my learnings with other women…I believe that at the heart of it, Batala is about creating a community of women who support and empower each other to succeed and grow”.
Hearing their stories and seeing the connections they've made has been inspiring. It's clear that there's a hunger for support and community among female creators, and we're here to provide it.
Looking Ahead:
Batala is just one part of YouTube's broader commitment to the MENA creator community. We're dedicated to providing the tools, resources, and opportunities that creators need to succeed on our platform. We hope that through this program we continue to help bring our community closer to each other, while helping more women on YouTube to share their voice with the world.
Are you an aspiring female creator? Check out this link to learn more about Batala and to stay up to date with future editions!
