Creative energy at Institut Zanner
Since the launch of the programme and the first sessions in the classrooms of Institut Zanner, the excitement and fervour of the young learners have been palpable. Accompanied for several months by the Chora Congo project, the students are gradually refining their original initiatives for social transformation. Born from the need to stimulate civic engagement among young people, the programme has reached a pivotal stage: the projects designed by the students themselves are about to come to life.
Three idea laboratories to change society
Divided into three groups, the young people have chosen to tackle burning issues from their daily lives:
- Gender-based violence, through a project of awareness-raising and community dialogue;
- The transformation of plastic waste into ecological fertiliser, an innovation that combines environment and sustainable agriculture;
- Support for young alcoholics in the Mabanga neighbourhood, a social initiative aimed at restoring hope and prospects to a vulnerable youth.
These projects are not mere school exercises: they embody the will to take charge of their community’s future.
Mentors serving knowledge transmission
To support this adventure, local figures have shared their knowledge and experience. Jacinthe Maarifa, Gaston Badesire, Rosy Kaduku, Mireille Ikuzwe, Esther Balibuno, Harmonie Kabuzi and many others have guided the students, giving them the keys to turn their ideas into concrete actions. Their role goes beyond teaching: they affirm the value of young people, encourage them to believe in their potential and to anchor their projects in a collective dynamic.
A pedagogy of action
Chora Congo is not limited to training. The project is based on active pedagogy: learning by creating, thinking by acting. The students of Institut Zanner are thus becoming pioneers of a new way of envisioning education, where school is a springboard to society.
Towards a youth that drives change
As the projects take shape, one truth stands out: the youth of Goma refuse inaction. They are inventing their own responses to social and environmental fractures. In a context often marked by crises, these initiatives supported by Chora Congo are living manifestos, proof that the future can be built today by those who will be its actors.
Drawing the future together
At Chora Congo, we believe that drawing the future begins by giving voice and tools to the young people themselves. These projects are living proof.
Thank you to all the mentors for their commitment and transmission. Thank you to the students of Institut Zanner for their creativity and determination.
Together, we continue to trace the path.