iDebate Rwanda Careers

The majority of Rwandan youth graduate from school with low job market readiness and this may explain the 60% youth underemployment.This is partly due to limitations in the curriculum and a lack of extracurricular activities to fill these gaps.iDebate will provide mentorship and professional support services such as spaces to learn coding,writing resumes and interviewing, brainstorming and preparing business plans, as well as providing information on potential resources.This professional network will boost students' engagement in finding solutions to their career needs as well as community problems using technology while iDebate Careers provides the necessary support in finding the right resources to enable this.This solution, which is inline with the country’s initiative to be a tech hub in the region, will improve job readiness in the dynamic job market, hence increasing job prospects for the youth, as well as job creation from the support iDebate will give to promising startups

The youth(16-30) in Rwanda represents 44.2% of the population and the majority in the workforce. Total unemployment rate was 16% in 2019, but 60% of the youth is still underemployed. Yet, secondary school enrollment, especially for women has increased significantly over the years and is now 40%, but it has not relatively translated into improved after-school outcomes for students. Moreover, the education curriculum does not prepare students for the workforce in addition to limited to no extracurricular activities to fill the void. This is not a scenario limited to under-resourced schools, but is also present in the most-resources schools as well. lHence, students may graduate from college without basic skills such as resume writing, public speaking, making business plans, coding skills, etc, skills that are essential in the dynamic 21st century market. On the other hand, Rwanda intends to be a technological hub in the region, but there are still limited resources to jumpstart the youth in this agenda. 

iDebate Rwanda Careers intends to bridge  the job market gaps for the youth by providing a platform to network and other professional support services to assist in developing business plans, learning to code, and obtaining capital, and other resources using its expanding network. Such support services include training job search strategies such as writing resumes and interviewing, supporting students in learning how to code by harnessing local and online resources, motivating and supporting students in community engagement projects, as well as motivating and assisting students brainstorming business ideas, make business plans, and work towards implementing them. This network will also attract appropriate partnerships that will foster availability of resources such as finance, mentors, and potential employers. Since the lack of such programs and resources hinder job market readiness for students, participants in this program will have the necessary experience and skills that employers are looking for, at the same time equip students with skills to start their own business. This will significantly reduce youth underemployment. 

This program will be open for highschool graduates in their gap year as well as university students in their holidays. Most students graduate from college without basic professional skills such as writing resumes, making business plans for their business, or any awareness of potential sources of capital for their businesses, etc. This results in an unskilled labor force, unused creativity, notwithstanding the loss of new potential business that would have been created. Due to lack of resources and guidance to engage these students, most of them stay at home with no resources to launch their careers. The youth has a lot of ideas that never come to life, students barely get to be employed in fields they’ve been involved in school, and only a few get to use their talents to earn a living. One huge barrier is decentralization of these students, lack of knowledge, and networks to engage these students. iDebate Rwanda Careers is intending to bridge the gap of disconnectivity, information on skills as well as sources of resources using its network of volunteers and its local and international partnerships to improve job outcomes for the youth involved in iDebate Rwanda and beyond. 

This solution has helped other parts of the world, and the only problem we have in Rwanda is lack of these programs. So, idebate is ideally placed to be one of the initiators of these accelerator programs in Rwanda as the first and only most well-known, respected, and successful youth engagement program that successfully engages a lot of students in extra curricula activities either in school or holidays. 

There is a limited number of incubators and tech hubs in Rwanda that assist with the emerging job market. However, most of these start working with students that have graduated, students already in tech, and people who already know they need to develop startups. Hence, these organizations do not support students in their earlier paths, which may limit options for students if they are already grown. 

Idebate works with highschool students from grade 7-12 in debate training in schools around the capital city, with plans to expand in the whole country. Therefore, idebate already has a network of many students at the peak of their learning stages, which allows students to spread their wings and take risks with less constraints. iDebate is the only organization like this in Rwanda, and it’s impeccable reputation, impact, and network of local and global volunteers allows it to bring the most disadvantaged students on this career development platform. 

-Slack as a collaborative tool to boost access for students who can’t show up at our physical hubs every day (Especially students in the countrysides and those that can't afford transportation to come frequently to our physical hub)

-Also considering adobe connect for as a Virtual training using software

-Also considering investing in cloud based learning programs such as SAP litmos 

Successful Accelerator programs in Kenya, as well as a few successful tech accelerators in Rwanda such as Hehe lab and K-lab. These only focus on tech students and have very few participants, however. 

Around 2000+ annually

To expand the reach of debate programs and careers services to students around the country. We will begin with the Eastern part of the country this year and continue our expansion efforts in the next 3 provinces left. 

Funding

Exposing our work to potential funders more , both global and local. 

50+ volunteers (Especially iDebate alums)

We have an established and growing network and a lot of local support. We also have a lot of volunteers, both local and our alums who have studied all over the world.

Most High Schools in Kigali and growing these partnerships with High Schools in the Eastern Province, where debate programs and tournaments will begin this year. 

We have a lot of students whose parents are refugees and still bear intergenerational trauma 

Most of our participants are girls. Most of our most successful alums are girls. Our program has changed how girls view themselves. They are more confident and opinionated now.