Weinstein, TLourens, Roger LIgwe, CRAdesina, CAjala, MHunja, FAgamah, FJulius, RMaremi, Keneilwe J2026-01-052026-01-052025http://hdl.handle.net/10204/14541Participatory workshops offer a powerful mechanism for grassroots institutional engagement, enabling skill-building, knowledge exchange, and long-term community growth. This paper presents lessons from previous workshops run by SisonkeBiotik, an African AI-for-healthcare community, across recent conferences such as the Deep Learning Indaba and IndabaX. Through activities like the Design Dash, Ideathon, and Unconference, the workshops promote active participation and collaboration. Feedback collected from attendees shows high engagement, demand for deeper interaction, and continued involvement post-event. We outline a flexible workshop framework that supports interdisciplinary learning and community building, with recommendations for broader application across sectors. Our findings support the shift from passive to participatory models as a strategy for strengthening grassroots capacity in healthcare.FulltextenCapacity buildingGrassroots communitiesHealthcareParticipatory workshopsConference PresentationN/A