We offer a variety of programmes to support future young leaders in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The World Youth Leadership Development (WYLD) programme is our transferable skills and leadership development course. This programme is an intensive activity- and discussion-based training course. Using peer-learning techniques, we aim to build transferable life and leadership skills in problem solving, communication, enterprise, and leadership with integrity. WYLD is designed for use specifically with young people growing up in difficult contexts. We’ve incorporated their ideas, goals, and energy into a multi-year leadership programme that gives them the space to dream, the support they need to achieve their goals, and the tools they need to build resilience, create opportunities, and hope for a positive future.
The WYLD programme has two streams. Our Young Leader programme targets young people between the ages of 13 and 18, while our Leader Mentor programme works with slightly older people ages between 18 and 30.
Each year, each programme takes in cohorts of 30 young people. Each cohort session begins with three days of intensive in-person training days where our young people can get to know one another and the Congo Tree facilitators they’ll be working with. After that, we meet with each cohort for monthly sessions that focus on finding and developing their passion, and use games, discussion groups, case studies, scenarios, and challenges to build the skills they’ll need to bring those passions to life. We also set each cohort a team challenge to design and present a social action or enterprise project that can support their local communities. The most successful proposals are given a small grant to organise and begin their project.
The WYLD programme runs in Goma, Rutshuru, Masisi and Sake territories in North Kivu province.
Each WYLD cohort is run by a trained facilitator who themselves has been a part of the WYLD programme, and who have undergone extensive training to best serve the needs of each cohort. We know that we learn best from our friends and peers, especially from those who have experienced the same joys and challenges that we have. Most importantly, we learn best when we’re having fun. That’s why facilitators are trained to deliver the WYLD programme in an engaging, hands-on way.
We pair each Leader Mentor with a participant in the Young Leader programme. Those matches are based on things like personality, interests, passions, and goals for the future, and each mentor-mentee pair are supported by our colleagues throughout. The mentor and mentee can meet as often as they like throughout the time that they are in the programme together – and even after! We find that many of the mentor-mentee pairs continue meeting and stay friends long after the training programme has been completed.
We’re so glad you asked! We could tell you about the numerous young people who have gone on to open social enterprises that support their communities, become advocates for change, or started successful small businesses – but really, it’s so much more interesting to hear about in their own words. Take a look at our Stories page to read more about the incredible things that our graduates have gone on to achieve.
Great question! If you’re a young person in the DR Congo and are interested in applying for our next cohort, you can take a look at our WYLD application pack below or contact our team at hello@thecongotree.org.uk. We would love to hear from you!
Mwanzo: Swahili word for ‘new beginnings.’
We launched our Mwanzo Enterprise programme in 2022 in order to support graduates from our WYLD programme as they develop, launch, and grow their own small businesses in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mwanzo Enterprise provides interested graduates with monthly training sessions on topics like running a business, managing finances, and understanding the market in which they hope to operate. Graduates are invited to apply for a small amount of seed funding to get their business off the ground, and can use our co-working space as a launchpad for their businesses.
Since 2022, Mwanzo Enterprise has supported our WYLD programme graduates as they launch coffee companies, communications consulting businesses, an app that allows small business owners to schedule appointments with clients, and so much more.
Around 35 percent of young people in the DR Congo are unemployed or struggle to find employment (ILO, 2020). Mwanzo Enterprise supports WYLD programme graduates become financially independent, provide employment opportunities for others, and support their families and community.
To provide a collaborative workspace for entrepreneurs and youth organizations to develop and grow their entrepreneurial ideas.
Mwanzo: Swahili word for ‘new beginnings.’
Mwanzo Artistique is our yearlong development programme for young artists in the city of Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. We provide artists – including painters, musicians, poets, and actors – with a physical space in which they can perfect their art form, collaborate with other artists, and plan their next exhibition.
Why support artists? Because art – especially for many of the young people we support – can help start difficult conversations, heal old hurts, and act as the launchpad for new partnerships and a shared, peaceful future. In short, the arts are fundamental to our shared humanity.
We encourage the artists who use our space to use their artform to promote peace and communication. Each year, many of the artists in our Mwanzo Artistique programme participate in music, art, and poetry festivals across North Kivu province, including the Amani Festival and Musika na Kipaji.
Projet École, as the name suggests, is our student engagement programme in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We partner with primary schools in remote communities and run intensive one-week programmes / meet with students weekly / provide monthly trainings. Using games, scenarios, case studies, and problem-solving exercises, we address topics like self-esteem, making goals, and managing conflict. Projet École has a strong focus on bridging community divides and healing longstanding inter-community conflicts through everyday activities like sports, art, and music.
The Projet École programme currently runs in Goma, Rutshuru, Masisi and Sake territories in North Kivu province.
‘Having my students in this programme has made me think twice about the way we teach in our schools. Getting children to understand who they are by discovering their strengths and weaknesses will make them people with better self-esteem. Today I see these young people taking the lead in solving problems in school. We believe in them and know that they are catalysts for development in our communities.’ – Patrick, a teacher whose primary school class participated in Projet École
‘Discovering who I am and my role in changing the situation in my community, starting with my school, is the most important thing I have learned with The Congo Tree. I am taking the lead and will influence my colleagues towards positive change.’ – Tuliza, primary school student and participant in Projet École.
If you’re a teacher in the DR Congo and you’re interested in having your school participate in Projet École, we would love to hear from you! Send us an email at hello@thecongotree.org.uk.
Our desire to support young people doesn’t stop at the Democratic Republic of Congo’s borders. In the UK, our small but very dedicated team works with primary and secondary school students to build their confidence, foster their problem-solving skills, and being an ambassador for peace in their own community. We also run sessions on daily life for young people in the DR Congo, global citizenship, and humanities.
Our UK Schools Programme is tailored to the specific needs and interests of each school we work with, and can range in length from half a day to almost an entire week. Our goal is to build on students’ natural talents, abilities, and curiosities about the world they live in, and make them leaders for tomorrow.
If you’re a student or teacher in the UK and are interested in having The Congo Tree visit your school, we would love to hear from you. Send us as email at hello@thecongotree.org.uk, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
