Rwanga Leadership Program is a long-term transformative youth program implemented by Rwanga Foundation in partnership with the University of Kurdistan - Hewler (UKH) to empower active youths to become change-makers, leaders, and drivers of sustainable development and social change. The program levels up the capabilities of 25 youths to nurture their creativity, strengthen their leadership and gain management skills to become future leaders and help them discover their ideas to improve their communities in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The project’s vision is to make the youth find and extract their potentials through two months of intense capacity-building training and activities program. Through this program, youth can work on themselves to develop their leadership potential and have chances to learn, grow, and make connections. This program brings emerging leaders and young professionals together to build a network between them in the whole region.

During the two-month leadership program, the selected participants will participate in two professional training per month. The training subjects will be delivered through interactive activities, case studies, and lecture-based to involve them effectively and practically. 

After each training, they will have three weeks to conduct and finish a project assignment within a team. At the final ceremony, the teams will pitch their projects to an evaluation committee, and they will have the chance to win a grant for implementing the three best project ideas.

The eligibility criteria and selection process of the participants:

·        The participants fall within the age range of 20 to 28 years old from KRI.

·        Minimum education background is diploma and bachelors.

·        The current employment situation should be flexible to participate in the entire two-month program, preferably for fresh graduates and job seekers.

·        Social skills: good communication skills, leadership, capacity to work in collaboration with peers, self-motivated and present lifelong learning pursuit.

·        Be willing to design, plan, and conduct voluntary projects in the community.

·        Language Kurdish is mandatory, and English and Arabic will be an advantage.

·        The participants should fill an application form and provide the answers according to the requirements.

·        The shortlisted applicants will be interviewed to ensure the capacity and innovation skills of the participants.

·        Ability to work in diverse groups of youths and cultural backgrounds.

Timeline of the project:

- Application announcement: 20 Jul – 10 Aug 2021

- Shortlisting and interviewing the participants: 15 Aug – 22 Aug 2021

- Final Invitation to the participants: 25 August 2021

- First training of RLP: 12-16 Sep 2021

- Three online classes each for two hours: 21 Sep, 28 Sep, and  5 Oct 2021

- Project management training: 17-21 Oct 2021

- Teamwork (online): 22 Oct – 7 Nov 2021

- Final ceremony: 8-9 Nov 2021

- Volunteering projects (Teamwork): 15 Oct – 15 Nov 2021