“Activities”

Current

Youth Camp on Genocide Prevention (YCGP)

During this project, youth representatives from different local administrative levels and youth associations will attend a seminar for one week where they will be trained on conflict management and resolution, project design. They will also be sensitized on the right to participate in government programs. After the seminar, the youth representatives will be encouraged to go and train their counterparts at the grassroots level about what they learned. They will also be encouraged to design small micro-income generating projects with their members and in turn, a start-up fund will be awarded to the best initiatives.

Never Again Rwandan Youth and Democratic Engagement (RYDE)

RYDE aims at promoting critical thinking among youth by increasing their knowledge and aptitude for the upcoming 2008 legislative and 2010 presidential elections. Through interactive trainings on how youth can participate in the political process, youth will be given a capacity to participate actively, allowing them to influence national strategies and policies.

Youth Mobilization for Active Participation to Improve Their Socio-Economic Conditions in Karongi District

This project’s goal is to build youth capacity to participate in entrepreneurial endeavors as to improve their socio-economic state. Through trainings and sensitizations, youth will learn how to design, implement, and manage income generating activities. Creativity and competitiveness will be encouraged among the youth through a special fund for the most innovative projects.

Youth Clubs

There are currently 24 NAR Youth Clubs (YCs) operating throughout Rwanda. These come in different forms and are constantly growing both in terms of attendance by youth and in numbers of YCs in total.  NAR has expanded into tertiary educational institutions, catalyzing four new clubs, including: Kigali Institute of Management (KIM) and Kigali Independent University (ULK).  Still, most clubs are associated with secondary institutes.  There has also been recent action taken to start clubs in a Congolese Refugee Camp in Byumba and at an umudugudu (created village) of child/orphan-headed households on the outskirts of Kigali, known as Nsanga.

Community Outreach

The Kicukiro club is currently spending a few hours a week helping and providing services to their orphaned peers at Nsanga—a connection that was made during NAR’s April commemoration at Nsanga.

Great Lakes Reconciliation Radio Project

Never Again Rwanda and La Benevolencija are partnering in a project that encourages critical thinking among Rwandan youth about prejudice, manipulation, peace and reconciliation. Five NAR youth clubs from around the country meet in their respective provinces every month to discuss these issues after listening to the radio program Generation Grands Lacs. This interactive call-in show is produced by La Benevolencija in close partnership with Search for Common Ground.

NAR Youth Handicraft Project

We are currently establishing a partnership with an amazingly talented local artist, who wants to share his gift with the youth of Rwanda. With minimal resources he creates beautiful authentic Rwandan furniture and home décor, as well as, smaller crafts. By passing this skill to underprivileged youth, we hope to encourage and inspire to become self-sufficient, in addition to, enriching their lives and Rwandan culture.

Theatre Project

In May, NAR broke ground on a new theatre project. NAR clubs have long used theatre as an educational and entertainment tool. NAR is now looking to improve and enhance the way theatre is used.  Members of youth clubs will attend bi-weekly workshops where they will acquire innovative techniques approaches in theater. The YC delegates will then be required to go back to their schools and communities and teach others in their theatre groups, increasing the capacity of these theater programs to effectively educate their communities on issues such as HIV/AIDS, family planning, and gender equality. Additionally, during the Genocide Commemoration holiday in April 2008, an intensive ten day theater camp will take place during which NAR YCs will be train and create a play for the “Never Again Theatre Festival.” The festival will occur over a five day period, allowing the main players from each youth club to perform and compete in major cities and sectors throughout Rwanda. At the completion of each performance there will be discussions with the community about the subject-matter in the plays. It is our intention to make this an annual event.

Past

Youth Engagement in Debates for Freedom of Speech

The 3^rd of March 2007 brought sunny skies and inspired minds to the Palace Hotel for the first official Never Again Rwanda Debate Competition.  In its ongoing effort to promote critical thinking, connectivity and peace-building amongst Rwandan youth and youth in other countries, Never Again Rwanda organized and facilitated, with the financial sponsorship of the Open Society Institute (OSI) and iDebate (both American based organizations), a brilliant day of intriguing conversations, dialogue and, of course, debate.

Earlier in the year, Never Again Rwanda trained members of its organization to, in-turn, train secondary students on different kinds of debates and debating technique. Co-facilitators were assigned to one of four schools which they trained in preparation for the final competition. Four prominent Kigali City secondary schools came together for the final competition, where the winning individuals were awarded 25.000Frw each, the runners-up being awarded 10.000Frw. There was an Anglophone and a Francophone competition—adding to the dynamism of the youth competitors.  The schools, FAWE Girls Academy, ESA Nyarugunga, Green Hills Academy and Lycee de Kigali, were asked to prepare affirmative and negative responses to the statement: “The USA has contributed to the stabilization of Rwanda during and since the 1994 Genocide.”  This topic was chosen because the sponsoring organizations are interested in gauging international knowledge of American policy and its relevance in their lives and were using this competition as part of a pilot project of debates in the Great Lakes Region of Africa.  Eventually, an educational piece will be created by OSI using film, photo and audio from this competition in order to disseminate amongst American and Great Lakes secondary students.

Global Youth Connect Human Rights Workshop

GYC partnered with Never Again Rwanda during June 21-24 for the 4^th Human Rights Education, Advocacy and Action Workshop in Kigali, Rwanda. Fourteen American and fourteen Rwandan youth delegates met at Centre Christus for an intense four days of debate and discussion on Human Rights. Some of the highlights include:

• Exploring the definition of “Human Rights” and whether or not there are “Universal” and/or “Fundamental” human rights.
• Examining the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and it’s relevancy in today’s global world.
• Discussion on human right achievements and violations in Rwanda pre-genocide and today.
• Conversations with a panel of human right specialists from specific organizations like: Liprodhor, Y.E.S., Amahoro Great Lakes, FACT, and LDGL.
• Designing small group action plans to address current human right issues in Rwanda like illiteracy.

NAR Football Competition

A football competition was held among youth clubs in the Northern and Western Provinces during the months of June and July with the intention of promoting ‘Never Again’ through sport. At the end of each half, a discussion regarding conflict and genocide prevention occurred.

Future

“Rwanda, It Is Possible!”

This campaign has burst from the minds of the NAR leaders, and is quickly becoming a reality! Despite surviving one of the most horrific events of this century, the people of Rwanda want to show the world how far they have come, and how far they want to go.  In the Heart of Africa, Rwanda shines with success and soars with hope. Next summer we want to highlight these unimaginable accomplishments and success stories in an international campaign to illustrate the possibilities for all of Africa…and the world.

Village Video Project

In this pilot project, selected youth from two villages will be trained on how to use a video camera for documentary recording purposes.  Their objective will be to document everyday life in their village through eyes of youth.  The themes that they will be looking to address through the documentation include, but are not limited to: conflict prevention and management, justice, trauma, reconciliation, and peace.

Once each group of village youth has explored some of these themes via documentary—i.e. interviews, raw footage, etc—the two villages will come together and share their videos.  This should enable youth to learn from one another through common struggles and questions. Similarities and differences, misconceptions and misinterpretations between the documentaries can be used as discussion points to build inter-community solidarity.