International Refugee Center for Art and Social Entrepreneurship, Uganda
Muse-int. is an International Art and Leadership Educational Program offering refugee youth a unique chance to acquire a wide range of artistic and leadership skills. The four-year program is a joint venture of Inspiration, Brit Olam, a non-profit international development organization, and the Naggenda International Academy of Art and Design (NIAAD).
It was initiated by the latter two in 2008 and operated between 2009 and 2014. The target population was internally displaced Ugandan youth and adolescents from underprivileged backgrounds.
Based on the successes of the program, it will now be expanded to refugees living in and being hosted by Uganda. The majority of the refugees come originally from countries such as Somalia, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Prior to the four-year program, a two-year pilot will be initiated in 2017. The pilot will consist of one year of intensive studies in the areas of leadership and entrepreneurship and enable young professional artists to expand their expertise. The second year will be dedicated to field work during which the now entrepreneurs, with the support of Muse-int., will establish social enterprises and put theory into action.
Vision
Muse int. center will be an institution where refugee and Ugandan youth develop into professional artists who bring about change in their communities. It will be a creative, innovative hub for empowerment strategies through the arts that crosses cultural and religious bridges.
Mission
Our mission is to provide youth with a secondary education with an emphasis on the arts, leadership and entrepreneurship for them to become outstanding artists and social leaders and activists in their own communities. Classes will be taught through an interdisciplinary approach to stimulate alternative and innovative ways of thinking. In addition, the students will volunteer in the surrounding communities and practically apply what they have learned in class through the provision of workshops and other activities. Upon return to their home communities, they will have become strong leaders and entrepreneurs and will be able to empower others.
Goals
- To develop, inspire and advance the artistic and social leadership capacities of young adolescent girls and boys coming from refugee settlements/centers.
- To empower adolescent youth living in long-term refugee settlements in Uganda and neighboring countries and Ugandan youth living in underprivileged communities
- To develop and operate a wide range of community based art activities within the settlements/communities
- To train additional artists and art leaders in the settlements/communities
- To develop artistic enterprises