The first cohort of beneficiaries are high school students aged between 16 and 20. Skills to be provided under the 8 weeks program include networking, self-awareness, self-confidence, critical thinking, pitching and public speaking, self-management and teamwork among others.
According to Ambassador of Israel to Rwanda, Dr. Ron Adam, the initiative stemmed from the fact that while performing well in class is a good and important thing, students need other soft skills to help them unlock their potentials to the fullest.
“There are plenty of young people here who have potentials and good ideas, but can’t confidently express themselves and pitch their ideas to prospects. As a result, their ideas do not materialize, and this is a loss to them and the community at large. Birashoboka Mentorship Hub comes to provide these kind of skills to young people, and with time we expect to see a difference,” he said.
This was also echoed by Tristan Murenzi, Founder and Chairperson of Rwanda We Want.
He said: “We hope that Birashoboka Mentorship Program will impact the lives of young Rwandans because they have a great potential, they just need a push to exploit it and Birashoboka will do that."
The initiative is being run in collaboration with Resonate Workshops, Bridge2Rwanda, Igire Rwanda Organization and iDebate Rwanda.
Meanwhile, students who are part of the first cohort have expressed optimism, saying they hope to gain a lot from the program.
“Usually I am a shy person, and I rarely speak in front of people. I hope that this program will boost my self-esteem and equip me with public speaking skills that will help me both at school and in the life after school,” said Dylan Nizeyimana, a senior four student at Groupe Scolaire Rugando.
“Networking always gives me hard time. I find myself only talking to those in my circle. From this program, I expect to learn networking skills that will help me to easily connect with people and eventually learn from them one or two things,” Jolly Nyirahategekimana, a 17 years old senior five student at the same school explained.