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. MCW has centers in Rwanda, Tanzania (2), Sierra Leone (2) and Zambia.

MCW develops partner organizations like Miracle Corners Tanzania (MCT) or Miracle Corners Sierra Leone (MCSL) that are made up of community leaders. These organizations develop, lead, own, and sustain the centers.

Each 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 from the community. The young team members are paired with a volunteer advisory board member, who advises the team on programmatic development at the center.

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.