Fellowship in Greek – Koinonia: means communion, joint participation; the share which one has in anything, participation, a gift jointly contributed, a collection, a contribution. The Fellowship Conference was organized under the theme: Personal Growth and Development in a Competitive and Changing World. The following topics were presented to inspire the youth towards critical thinking, personal growth and for national development.
- Fellowship: Turning Dreams into Reality
- Building a heritage of success stories among the Youth in the 21st
- Personal Branding and Presentation (The Art of Public Speaking and dream’s package)
Fellowship is one of the Purpose Rwanda’s core projects that create an environment for young professionals and students to cultivate a feeling of friendship for talking or doing something constructive and progressive together and sharing experiences. The focus of Purpose Rwanda fellowship is to Develop individual purposes, support them and ensure their practical implementation kicks off from the dream zone to the reality zone. It also provides an opportunity for networking and partnerships to ensure successful longevity of these purposes, projects, ministries and businesses.
Turning dreams into reality requires many things: self-esteem, making sacrifices, making difficult but correct and ‘rational’ choices, risk taking, time, money and other resources. It also requires enduring criticisms of all kind constructive and unconstructive-sometimes such unconstructive criticisms even come from one’s own family and close friends, sometimes failures to the extent that you may even give up if you do not have deep faith and stubborn hope, hope that keeps you trying every day in spite of all odds.
The presenter advised the youth no matter what the amount of frustrations and challenges are, they need not to give up. They should seek for necessary support and ideas from those who have vast experiences of the realities of life. Purpose Rwanda is mandated to guide the Youth in this. Giving up by the youth today, and giving in to addiction will cost the Rwanda we have to prepare for tomorrow’s generation. Through the opportunity offered by Purpose Rwanda Fellowship, the youth will further understand the need for collective contribution to national development as a result of personal growth which is pillar upon which the nation stands. Our rural economy need youth who cherish personal development and development beyond self. In the changing world, the youth of Rwanda need to be versatile, inspirational to the teenagers and be able to contribute to the very foundation set by the government over the past 25 years since the genocide against the Tutsi.
The success stories, the celebration of the 25th Liberation Anniversary ending the genocide against the Tutsi in 1994 sets a strong foundation over which the youth today can build a strong heritage of success story in the 21st Century. The 21st Century World is characterized by multiple challenges: high unemployment levels, poverty, climatic problems, conflicts, HIV/AIDS, food shortage, drug trafficking and illicit drug consumption leading to addiction, human trafficking and gender inequality, shortage of clean water among others.
The challenges of the century also provide opportunities: the youth should start thinking and acting towards personal growth and development now, not tomorrow. Time wasted can never be regained. The challenges need to be solved: HIV/AIDS is a result of behavioral factor; it is also a result of inappropriate sexual behavior, addiction to sex, alcohol and drugs. Our youth should avoid as much as possible to become victims when they are being told about the menace HIV/AIDS creates to personal and national development.
The heritage of successes of today remains a hallmark for tomorrow’s youth. If the youth of today fail to make use of the credible environment created by the government today, if they fail to build a tradition of inventiveness and innovation to solve the challenges of the 21st Century particularly at their times and age, we should know that our children will not lead better lives.
A better tomorrow for our children and for this nation is in you. The youth today should play a participatory and valuable role in their personal growth and development. Purpose Rwanda Fellowship is an opportunity for you to discover your purpose-your uniqueness, your brand, something within you which constitute hope for the future, that thing in you God created you with and alone, and he commanded you to be a co-creator with him, so that you will leave a legacy behind that will inspire your own children to build on that legacy left by you when you are long gone from the Universe. The central message to the youth is, a heritage of success stories should be build on the values, aspirations, history and vision of Rwanda.
Public Speaking and ability to express one’s self is a resource every youth should have. In a changing world ability to express your self should be a brand you should have at all cost: if you are working with an organization, the ability to communicate clearly the mission and vision of the organization shapes people’s belief on what the organization can offer to the society. Decisions at all levels are influenced by articulate ideas that are generated through public speaking. The ability for a business man/woman to attract customers, partners is dependent on articulate speaking in regard to company’s identity. In a world where publicity has become a major tool, public speaking helps to shape your purpose in a coherent manner.
Purpose Rwanda promotes the act of Public Speaking through its project known as “Reading Crown”. This helps to build the culture of reading, comprehending and articulation. It prepares the youth as public speakers. Effective public peaking shapes the content and character of negotiators in policy articulation, in international trade, international negotiation, religious fields. It is preparing the youth to be able to present themselves in the face of all opportunities without and within.
Testimonies by some Fellowship Participants
“The discussion during fellowship gives for us some encouragement on how to respond to challenges in our lives” Emmanuel
“This kind of discussion encourages us to grow with values and inspirations “Patrick Nsanzamahoro
“I will go home with the Theme of Today’s discussion “Efua Hagan.
“The Fellowship is very good and quite enriching for the youth and every human being. The challenges the world is grappling with are so many. The youth need such guidance in order to be able to confront the realities” Aman Masumbuko
Purpose Rwanda fellowship will remain an instrumental project benefiting the youth in purpose discovery, development and leading positive and addiction free life in order to attain self-sufficiency and socio-economic development in Rwanda.
