Routte: Grand Rapids Congolese Refugee Youth Council and Leadership Program

The Congolese Refugee Youth Council Program is a project created in collaboration between the refugee run organization, Michigan Banyamulenge Community (MBC), in Grand Rapids and University of Michigan doctoral student Irene Routté. The overarching mission of this public scholarship project is to strengthen and deepen relationships between University Michigan School of Social Work and the Congolese refugee community located in and around Grand Rapids. The project seeks to build organizational capacity, specifically along the lines of program development for MBC. This will be done through a collaborative development process and launch of a Youth Council program. The purpose of creating a Youth Council, a need identified by MBC, is to provide leadership development for a small group of Congolese refugee youth, as well as create a space of support and empowerment for Congolese and other refugee youth in the wider Grand Rapids community.