UWC Amala Changemaker Foundation Programme (Kenya)
The UWC Amala Changemaker Foundation Programme is a collaboration between UWC and Amala in partnership with Rise.
Over 2021-2022, 38 students have graduated from the first two cohorts of the UWC-Amala Changemaker Foundation Programme in Kakuma, Kenya. Another 40 students are enrolled in the 3rd and 4th cohort with an expected graduation date in 2023. This transformative learning programme was launched as a partnership between Amala, UWC and Rise, to support the education and onward pathways of young refugees. The programme was hugely impactful on participants with several students going on to receive UWC scholarships to attend a UWC school, and one student selected as a Rise 100 Global Winner!
The cornerstone of the programme is a Social Entrepreneurship course where students learn about the role that social entrepreneurs can play in solving intractable global and local problems. Over the 5 month programme, students explore how to make change in their own communities through designing, prototyping and implementing their own social initiative. A series of booster workshops on topics such as leadership, wellbeing, conflict resolution, problem analysis, innovation, embracing diversity and critical engagement help to further prepare students for their changemaker journey.
Each of the partners championing this programme believe that a new generation of leaders is needed to solve the world's most pressing issues—and that those young leaders must span across all backgrounds, cultures, and continents. An early example of the programme’s impact is Project 21, an initiative driven by a group of programme graduates which aims to break the cycle of poverty by building small-scale livelihoods for women residents in the camp.
"This programme has changed many things within myself, as well as my community. It has changed my attitude, mindset and has given me a hope that no condition is permanent, everything changes like the seasons and also has reminded me that hard work pays off. I have hope, as do all of us UWC-Amala students."
Implementation Partners
United World Colleges (UWC) International is a global educational movement, operating as a registered charity, which comprises 18 schools on 4 continents. UWC is the global leader in identifying and fostering young talent for making a positive difference in the world through its unique experiential education programmes.
Rise is the anchor program to Eric and Wendy Schmidt’s $1 billion dollar philanthropic commitment to identify and support global talent which launched on 16 November 2020. An initiative of Schmidt Futures and the Rhodes Trust, Rise will build a global community of future leaders, connecting everyone who applies with a network of peers, learning resources, and additional opportunities from Rise partners around the world.
Amala (formerly known as Sky School) was conceived in 2016, in response to the gap in quality education provision for displaced youth. Amala has developed the first international high school curriculum for young people who are displaced and also offers short programmes in areas such as Peace-building, Ethical Leadership, and Social Entrepreneurship. Educational programmes are currently being delivered in Bangladesh, Greece, Jordan, Lebanon and Kakuma, Kenya.
