Educate! is celebrating the graduation of its first class of scholars

The pioneer class of mentors has, for the past two years, tirelessly and zealously worked with the first class of Educate! scholars and taken them through the Educate! Experience;  they have facilitated weekly two hour Socially Responsible Leadership Course sessions, mentored the scholars individually and as groups and been patrons to their school Social Entrepreneurship Clubs, clubs that encouraged them to practice and apply Educate! curriculum.

The past month has been full of graduation ceremonies and celebration as the mentors award their scholars with official Educate! course completion certificates, representing the rich experiences the scholars have had while attending the course and their success at writing their very own project.  

A new Educate! graduate admiring his Gold Educate! course completion certificate, awarded to exceptional students

The graduations held so far have clearly reflected the creativity, innovation and networking skills the mentors possess. Mentor Christine shares the uniqueness of each ceremony.

Agnes mentors students in the four schools of our Makindye Cluster. She organized her graduations to be held at assemblies so that the whole school could witness the Educate! graduates receive their certificates. She also took a moment to affirm each of her students, pointing out to the rest of the school their individual strengths and potential as they came up to shake hands with Educate! family and the school head master.

Katuuso Community Academy graduating students with the school head master and Educate! mentors and staff

Mentor Barbara secured time to present the graduate Educate! students of Gayaza High School to other students at the school, telling them of the tireless effort her scholars put in to get where they were and emphasizing how much their experience with Educate was worth. The ceremony was followed by a cocktail, at which she awarded certificates to each graduate and presented each one of them with a gift to congratulate them.

Gayaza High School graduates cutting their celebration cake

Mentor Connie held graduation parties for her students and organized graduation gowns for them to wear. It made their ceremony memorable and subconsciously imparted on them the onus to live up to the challenge of being socially responsible leaders and Social Entrepreneurs. 

New Kabaale High School graduates sharing their Educate! experience

Mentor Esther brought all her graduates together for a cluster graduation. All her students from the Mbale Cluster gathered at Nabumali High School for a luncheon at which they shared the life changing experiences they had while with Educate! Shy students said they gained confidence, introverts said that they are now strong leaders, and financially disadvantaged scholars spoke of managing to start up businesses on their own to sustain themselves. After their meal, the students shared a cake made by some of the students.

Mbale cluster students, key teachers, school administrators and Educate! staff gather around the student made celebration cakes at the graduation

Solomon, a mentor in Hoima, also chose a cluster graduation, hosted at De Place Hotel in Hoima, a venue that was secured through his diligent networking efforts. The Hoima graduation was both a time of celebration and a time of learning as they had the very rare privilege of listening to a renowned speaker, Ashoka fellow Mwalimu Musheshe, who spoke with passion, humor and conviction about entrepreneurship and living a visionary life. 

Graduates at the Hoima Cluster graduation wait to receive their certificates

Kawempe cluster mentor, Charlotte, organized individual graduations for her three schools. Junior students and school administrators came to witness the graduates receiving their certificates. At Midland High School they had a dance competition and played games, while at Kinaawa High School they shared Educate! experience stories. 

Midland High School graduate students receiving their certificates from school administration and Educate! family members

James, mentor class one for the Wakiso and Busiro clusters, is also used a school assembly as a graduation platform. He has been highlighting his students’ achievements and their qualities as well as recognizing the students’ Educate! categories: Gold certificates for exceptional graduates, Silver for above average and Bronze for average students.

Educate! Mentor Class 1: Connie, James, Charlotte, Solomon, Barbara, Agnes and Esther

The students, now Educate! alumni, really enjoyed their graduations. These have been milestones in their lives as they transition from newly minted socially- responsible leaders to fully fledged change makers who are not only leaders in their local communities but also in their country, Africa and further afield.