Empower Refugee Youth with Training Scholarship

Last November, Emmanuel was selected by MindLeaps, UNHCR and the Government of Rwanda to receive a scholarship to travel outside of Rwanda. For six weeks, Emmanuel lived in Guinea, West Africa, where he trained intensively and taught over 100 children at the MindLeaps Center in Conakry.

Emmanuel arrived in Conakry in December 2019 and spent his first week with MindLeaps founder Rebecca Davis, international trainer Caitlyn Casson and Technical Director Bashir Karenzi. He was also there at the same time that an international group of dance teachers convened at the MindLeaps Center in Guinea for a training in the MindLeaps program. The dancers came from the USA, Canada, Italy, and the UK.

A typical day for Emmanuel over the six weeks included:

8:00 am: Arrive at the gym space to work with the international team and the Guinean teachers

8:00 am – 12:00 pm: Learn the MindLeaps contemporary curriculum, practice teaching in the MindLeaps pedagogical methodology, and learn and teach the choreography element of class. Feedback was provided by Rebecca Davis, Caitlyn Casson, and the MindLeaps Guinea teachers.

12:00-1:00 pm: Lunch break

1:00-5:00 pm: Practice teaching class to 100 local MindLeaps students

5:00-7:00pm: Daily tutoring in English

One of the international trainers, Deanna Cormier, described her experience working with Emmanuel as follows:

"When first meeting Emmanuel, you are immediately drawn to his smile and joyous spirit. He makes others feel welcome, loved and happy. Emmanuel only speaks Swahili, while those in Guinea speak French and the international teachers spoke English. While the language barrier was a struggle for all the international teachers, it was an even greater struggle for Emmanuel. Part of Emmanuel's training in Guinea included daily tutoring in English, and his vocabulary began to grow. Luckily during dance class, language is less of an issue as we communicate through movement.

"During his training, Emmanuel improved both his dance technique and teaching skills. He enjoyed demonstrating his movement knowledge, agility and flexibility. During our morning sessions while working with the other teachers, he had a chance to practice teaching his choreography. It was a great learning experience for all because he had to use his very limited English to help the teachers understand. Emmanuel was able to use his expressions to convey a specific message without any words at all. For example, if he wanted you to dance as if you were excited about something, you could see the excitement on his face and knew exactly which goals he was trying to achieve. As a dance teacher, Emmanuel is a performer and an entertainer, both of which keep students engaged in class. He perfected this skill in Guinea and now uses it back home to keep his students connected, attentive and working hard.

"Emmanuel’s afternoons were spent assisting the international teachers while they practiced teaching the students at the MindLeaps Center. He was already exhausted from a rigorous morning of dancing, but he continued to give his all and always brought his jovial spirit to class. He was often cheered on when he would dance across the floor and students could easily feed off his energy. Assisting the other teachers also helped Emmanuel learn and discover how he could improve upon his own teaching.”

Emmanuel returned to Mahama Refugee Camp in January 2020 with a profound eagerness to empower more refugee children. He taught classes in January and February with his enhanced technique and pedagogical skills.  During the pandemic, MindLeaps dance classes are on hold, but Emmanuel looks forward to restarting teaching when it is safe to dance together once again.  

Links:

• Emmanuel's Journey