CLI's Longevity: Alumni Activities
CLI’s Leadership Institute program takes a little more than 50 hours to complete and most of our partners deliver the program to a cohort of youth over 3-4 months. There is tremendous value in the program itself, and it is designed to positively alter the trajectory of our participants’ lives such that they can become the types of leaders that the DRC needs for a peaceful and prosperous future.
At the same time, we recognize that (like any program, university, or transformational program of any kind) we cannot attain our complete impact without working to support alumni of the program after their training is complete. Over the last five years, we have steadily built out a structured alumni program for youth who have completed CLI training. While we provide the opportunity for alumni to come together, the nature of the activities and tasks taken on is entirely up to them--which is one of our favorite aspects of the work.
Below are some examples of alumni activities at their most recent meetings in November. We are so proud of our community of leaders and the positive changes they continue to make!
Butembo: Entrepreneurship business forum. The Butembo group invited three speakers, including a business planning expert and two active entrepreneurs, to share their experiences and advice in entrepreneurship. The alumni plan to hold similar forums on a weekly basis over the coming months.
Goma: Community service project. The Goma alumni partnered with local leaders (including the mayor) to clean up a section of the town that had been overrun with trash. Alumni noted that their work had a positive impact immediately by cleaning the area, but also showed an example to citizens across the city of how to proactively improve circumstances in their town.
Uvira: Entrepreneurship workshop. The Uvira cohort invited a journalist to facilitate a discussion of good entrepreneurial practices and how youth could succeed in their own startup endeavors.
More than 250 CLI alums met in November. These are just three examples of how alumni are coming together to, in the words of one alum from the town of Baraka, “leave fear behind” and work for a better future!