Post-Ebola Guinea: Educate & Empower The Youth

The students who began the MindLeaps program in 2017 have now gone on to formal schooling, vocational training or income earning opportunities. The dance program, as well as the English and French literacy courses at the MindLeaps Center, had built their confidence, helped develop their skills, and given them hope for a brighter future.

As word spreads among children in the community that MindLeaps is a door to education, more and more kids are eager to join the program. In the last two months since new classes have begun, more than 25 children have joined, and we are moving toward our goal of enrolling at least 50 students.

A key element in the success of the program is the ongoing training of MindLeaps teachers. This month, one of MindLeaps' international training staff - Anna Defent - has been working with local trainers at the Center in Conakry.

Anna Defent is Canadian and a graduate of The School of Toronto Dance Theatre. She currently lives in London, working as a professional contemporary dancer.  She participated in MindLeaps' Train the Trainer program in June 2018 in New York City to learn MindLeaps' curricula and monitoring and evaluation system, Tracker.  She was asked to join MindLeaps as one of our international trainers and traveled to Guinea to lead the training of new staff at MindLeaps Guinea.  She is focusing on training the staff in how to teach MindLeaps' contemporary curriculum. 

"I’m thrilled to be going to a country where people have such deep passion and love for dance." For Anna, dance is "a way to inspire and help others succeed." And with your support, the program at MindLeaps is doing just that – putting young people on a path to education and training, so they can break the poverty cycle and take positive control of their lives.