BACKGROUND
Carissa Vocational and Business Institute (CVBI) is a social enterprise of Carissa International. It is registered and accredited by Directorate of Industrial Training (DIT) of Ministry of Education and Sport, republic of Uganda as a vocational Training Institute Centre No. UVQF/2572.
The Institute offers an experiential, tailored vocational skills and social entrepreneurship skills training to young people who have dreams and aspirations to contribute positively to their communities.
Participants are empowered through a designed curriculum dubbed “a journey of hope in 3 parts”. This journey to our empowerment is divided into 3 parts as follows; Preparation stage, hurdling stage (welcome to the jungle),and announcing arrival stage. The 3 stages of the journey have different empowerment topics which our mentors engage participants to go through.
VISION
AN ENTREPRENEURAL AND MINDSET CHANGING INSTITUTE THAT INSPIRES ITS PARTICIPANTS TO BECOME CONTRIBUTORS OF POSITIVE CHANGE IN COMMUNITIES.
MISSION STATEMENT
TO PROVIDE AN ENABLING ENVIRONMENT WHERE PARTICIPANTS ARE EQUIPPED WITH TAILORED, HAND-ON AND EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING IN VOCATIONAL SKILLS, ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND SOCIAL ENTERPRISE LEADERSHIP
KEY OBJECTIVES
- TO PROVIDE TAILORED, HAND-ON AND EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING IN VOCATIONAL SKILLS TO YOUNG PEOPLE.
- TO INCREASE ENTREPRENURSHIP AND BUSINESS SKILLS AND MINDSET TO YOUNG PEOPLE.
- TO INSPIRE YOUNG PEOPLE TO BE ETHICAL AND SOCIAL ENTEREPRISE LEADERS.
- TO LINK AND NETWORK PARTICIPANTS TO FINANCIAL SERVICES, MARKET AND RESOURCES FOR BUSINESS START-UP AND MANAGEMENT.
- TO COLLABORATE WITH GOVERNMENT AND OTHER AGENCIES IN PROVIDING HOLISTIC TRAININGS TO YOUNG PEOPLE.
Model of training
1. Experiential and tailored vocational skills
Here, participants do enroll with a rough idea in vocational skills of their choices. Our mentors grilled them and sharpens their idea into unique and viable social enterprise idea that can impact positively in his/her life and community.
courses offered: Building and construction, hairdressing and cosmetology, Fashion and designs(including tailoring), Motor Vehicle Mechanics, auto mechanics(motorcycle, generators, etc), Shoe making and Safe Driving.
Training duration: 3months – 2 years (depending on the modules and level as assessed by the Ministry of Education and Sport).
2. Mentorship
we have inspiring , vibrant and creative mentors who continue to engage the participants/students in social enterprise leadership, starting and managing social enterprises, documentation and stakeholders engagement. Here, we offer opportunities for young and promising social entrepreneurs to come and share their story, experiences and aspirations to our participants. This is to inspire them in their ventures.
3. Exposure
We improve self-esteem and confidence of our participants through learning visits where participants share skills and knowledge with similar ventures outside Gulu City. Tis is to enable learning and adaptation of new ideas into their ventures.
4. Social enterprise leadership
We offer this training to equip participants with ethical and social mindset of conducting an enterprise. participants undergo concept transformation-coming with a unique business ideas that will contribute to changing a particular community challenges a participant whishes to address after the completion of the course. we train participants to be social enterprise leaders who will be able to establish their social enterprises , but not job seekers!
5. Linkages ,networking and resource mobilization
Our engage participants in maximizing the power of friendships, networking and collaboration. Carissa Old students Association (COSA) plays a big roles in networking and linkages to market and financial supports from Government and other development agencies.
We also give an opportunity to our participants to share their dream to the public through carissa Inspiring talks -where the public is invited to listen to the dream of the participants and support where necessary.
Through experiential methods,our participants do undergo fundraising and other resource mobilization to enable them start their own social enterprises.