Miracle Corners - Local Change Through Global Exchange(TM)

Programs > Community Centers

COMMUNITY CENTER PROGRAM

Developing sustainable youth-focused learning centers as spaces for education, exchange and entrepreneurship in communities in Africa

With a particular focus on Africa, there are four MCW centers in Tanzania

and Sierra Leone and more under development in Tanzania, Sierra Leone,

Rwanda, and Zambia. MCW develops partner organizations, like Miracle

Corners Tanzania (MCT), in countries with the collaboration of local leaders

whom are aware of the needs of their community. These organizations

develop, lead, own, and sustain the youth centers in their respective countries.

Each partner organization is governed by a board of trustees made up of

local stakeholders and members of the MCW New York team. Each youth

center is led and managed by a team of youth from the community in which

it is located (age 18-35). Eac h youth team is paired with a volunteer advisory board (which advises the team on programmatic development at the center)

also from this community.

Trustees and advisory board members are identified through relationship

building. Youth leadership team members are identified through an application/selection process where leaders submit their vision plans for

activities at the youth center.

At each center, community members can access entrepreneurship training

(i.e. small business development courses), vocational skills training (e.g. I T courses, language courses, agricultural courses), and peer mentoring.

Select centers offer other educational programs (e.g. performing arts,

library, preschool, athletic activities). Some activities are offered for a fee

and some at no charge. The types of programs developed depend on the needs/demands in the community, the interests/skills of the youth who lead

the programs, and alignment with MCW’s/MCX’s (where X is the first letter of

the country name) mission and core competencies.

Each center is a financially sustainable entity (i.e. income generated by its programs funds its operating costs, including pay to the youth leadership

team members).

MCW funds the construction and adaptation of physical infrastructure,

professional development and training for the youth leadership team

members, and if necessary operating costs for a defined period of time

(e.g. approximately one year) following the opening of a new center.

Goals:

Attain financially self-sustainablility within one year of opening
Graduate several hundreds of people annually from each center
Assist graduates in finding employment
Generate revenue to re-invest in each center's ongoing projects