Ignite Youth

Our Vision

Our vision is to raise a purpose-driven generation of innovative and creative African youth who contribute to their nation’s development, pursue meaningful careers for themselves and become the next generation of African Leaders.

Our Mission

Our mission is to invest in the power of African children and youth (13-29 years) through an intensive purpose-centred curriculum and programs that offer a 360° holistic approach to youth development.

Ms. Madzima serves an integral role in the successful operation of the organization. Not only is she one of the key vision bearers of the organization, she effectively oversees all the programs and activities. Ms. Madzima leads the Purpose-Centered Career Guidance Curriculum, ensuring all the youth participants are imparted with the necessary knowledge to build a life of purpose and legacy. She also frequently speaks and engages with the youth in some of the youth-led programs and serves as a mentor to many of them. Ms. Madzima oversees partnership and stakeholder engagements, ensuring cordial and beneficial relations at all times.

Ms. Madzima’s experience and knowledge in volunteerism, public speaking and entrepreneurship is invaluable – and spans over decades. As a servant leader with so much know-how, she is situated as the best person to lead the LEAP Project. Tyrone Takawira has close to a decade of writing and storytelling experience, which is critical in effectively communicating the essence of the project to all stakeholders involved. He also has a strong engineering and scientific background, which is essential in research, design and implementation of the project. Tinashe Takarwa’s passion for mental health awareness is a key element, more so when dealing with the psychosocial aspects of the project. Tinashe also has a strong psychology background, which is crucial in critically and effectively understanding the needs of the students. Tanaka Mugova has extensive experience in leadership positions, and has served as president in numerous organizations. She’ll play a crucial role in effectively implementing this project, more so in leading the young people during on-site events. Talent possess a strong ethos of order and logistics. She currently serves as the Operation Officer, and has a great record of effectively planning out and implement the organizations events. Britney serves as the Programs Officer, and is known for her impeccable attention to detail and strategic thinking, which are essential skillset in planning out all the nuances of the project.

To provide holistic education through the provision of a purpose-driven curriculum that caters for the intellectual, social, and emotional needs

There is a strong over-reliance on “traditional” education, more so in sub-Saharan countries where many cannot afford more liberal forms of education. Traditional education, in its essence, refers to long-established customs that society has consistently used in schools. Traditional teacher-centered methods focus more on rote learning and memorization, which comes with a myriad of challenges and issues. Specifically, it does not enhance critical and creative thinking skills, which are essential for success in many domains of life.  These challenges are also heightened in low-income communities (such as many parts of Zimbabwe), where students resort to rote learning and memorization as there is a survival element inherent in their education i.e. they are simply memorizing to pass as a means to escape poverty. This approach is also coupled with the absence of vocational/career guidance, mental health services and after-school or university programs. Hence, not only are they lacking essential skills, they also suffer from a lack of purpose and mental health issues, more so at an early age. 

Ignite Youth, a non-profit organization based in Harare (Zimbabwe), is addressing the challenge above by combining during and after-school development programs with a unique, one-of-a-kind and intensive Purpose-Centered Career Guidance Curriculum. While we work with young people of all walks of life, we are especially invested in assisting children from low-income communities and disadvantaged backgrounds who often lack access to services like career guidance, mentorship, and mental health support as they usually are not offered in their schools. We are running by the adage of "catch them young" - as a means to fix the issues before time worsens the effects.The programs have been implemented for youths between 13 - 25, and we are excited about expanding to reach a much younger audience. The programs offer a 360° holistic approach to development with a focus on their physical, intellectual, economic, social, and emotional needs such as their mental health. Through the provision of 8 key programs that foster creativity, volunteerism, innovation, social entrepreneurship, girl empowerment, sports and purpose-centered living, students are guaranteed the development of impressive skills and character to become successful in whatever avenues they choose. They are given room to explore the true notion of “learning” – a freedom they may otherwise not receive from traditional schooling. Further, and by exploring these other facets of their education, they stand a better chance to improve as students in the classroom. Further, youth who lead lives of purpose tend to do better psychologically; they report higher levels of hope, happiness, and life satisfaction. They also tend to do better physically; compared to their less purposeful peers, they report lower levels of stress, better sleep, and they even can live longer lives. We are certain children will receive similar benefits, if not even more.

Ignite Youth has conducted survey and questionnaire to numerous students who have successfully undergone and completed the program. 350 participants were chosen, and a response rate of 85%. Of the 85%, it was noted they noted an improvement in grades due to an improvement in critical and creative thinking skills from some of the key programs. Further, more than 70% of the respondents noted an improvement in their quality of life, which they attributed to better mental health. Many also cited a greater sense of fulfillment due to their newly found sense of purpose – and noted that they had so much to look forward as they had clear-cut goals and objectives. Some also noted that the program made them think of education in a different light. Specifically, it motivated them to seek more holistic type of education, as compared to the tradition form of education. It motivated them to, while pursuing the necessary grades, to also pursue more ‘soulful’ pursuits such as writing, music, theater and other creative pursuits. Hence, while this data was retrieved from an older audience, we would like to replicate the program for children, as a means to capture these benefits at an earlier stage of development.

The data confirmed the need for the program. The data has also shown that many of the students from low income communities are lacking purpose, creative outlets and mental health services. It has revealed the substantial benefits that are present in offering a holistic approach to education. Hence, and based on the feedback received, the project seeks to mitigate these, and offer a more permanent solution to the mentioned gap. Instead of simply offering temporary solutions, such as programs offered on a monthly basis, the project seeks to penetrate educational institutions as a means to make it more permanent. The long term benefits are promising, and have the potential to effectively improve the inherent traditional approach to education that many low income communities face.

We wish to build and strengthen our evidence base of the solution as it effectively boosts credibility, effectiveness and impact. Further, and given that we have not run a similar program to children, there is need to see how they respond it. There is also need to effectively demonstrate the benefits and challenges of the program when administered to children.

- How do children respond to a holistic and liberal form of education?
- How can the program be effectively implemented in low income communities?
- How can we make the program more effective and sustainable?

Impact evaluations allow for more practical data to be received, especially given the context. More specific information is crucial, especially pertaining to how best to implement and improve the program for children. Further, and by identifying the most effective strategies and approaches, impact evaluations help us optimize our use of resource. We are seeking to target at least 1,500 children within the 3-weeks, and to implement the Ignite Youth Program in at least 5 different low-income schools. Hence, impact evaluations will be essential in examining the extent of our reach, and enable us to adjust accordingly.

Our outputs will be implemented through strong outreach and partnership. Specifically, the only way we can reach the above numbers is by aggressively marketing the potential benefit of the project to our select low-income communities and schools. Once we have reached these outputs, we will be better positioned to scale and adjust as needed and necessary. We would also have collected the necessary experience to plan the next phase of this project.

We seek to effectively promote our program and holistic education throughout communities in Zimbabwe. We seek to have this type of education implemented across the country, and subsequently Africa, as it is a crucial factor to the development of children and young people. We also further seek to implement Ignite Youth as a club across the nation, as a means to enforce this mission and vision.