STAR Programme
Our innovative STAR (Steps to Academic Readiness) Programme is a way for vulnerable young Tanzanians to have an equal chance of completing their education and gaining employment. Through our centre, we offer three stages of educational support: Foundation, Intensive Secondary Certificate and Outplacement.
Foundation
The Foundation Programme caters to disadvantaged youth aged 15-24, selected based on need, motivation, and limited alternative opportunities, often facing risks due to factors like poor education, poverty, and trauma. Operating on a full-time basis, the programme offers two daily nutritious meals, crucial for many participants. The curriculum, spanning health, counselling, global studies, sciences, and life skills, addresses overall well-being, equipping youth to navigate challenges in their lives. Extracurricular activities, including arts, sports, workshops, and clubs, complement a certified social worker's life skills teachings.
Health and counselling services assess each youth, providing necessary support and connections to external professionals when needed. Umoja youth, dealing with compounded vulnerabilities due to poverty, receive targeted interventions, fostering positive academic and emotional changes.
The programme instils critical thinking, decision-making, and self-awareness, empowering youth to forge an independent and meaningful path into adulthood. Beyond immediate impact, the Foundation Programme aims to equip participants with the tools for success in subsequent endeavours, encouraging resilience and the creation of a self-determined future.
In the final stages of the Foundation Programme, Umoja identifies each youth's interests and talents to tailor their career paths. After a year, this understanding informs strategic placement decisions, preventing dropout and optimizing resources. This ensures seamless transitions to either the ISC programme or the six-month Young Innovator Programme, aligning with each individual's strengths and aspirations.
ISC (Intensive Secondary Certificate)
Our ISC Programme offers an alternative means of obtaining secondary education qualifications, different from the formal means of acquiring secondary education. The learning opportunity is offered to out of school youth who either missed the opportunity to continue with formal secondary school, dropped out from formal secondary school or seek secondary education qualifications but are not eligible to join formal secondary education. The pathway is also used for securing missing qualifications after first sitting for Certificate of Secondary Education Examination and Advanced Certificate of Secondary Education Examination.
The ISC Programme at Umoja combines two national curricula: The Qualifying Test (QT) and Private Candidate (PC), each of which takes one year to complete. After successful completion of the ISC Programme and national examinations, an Umoja youth will be awarded a Form Four Secondary Certificate (O-Level / Year 10 equivalent). This will enable them to continue their education at colleges, and vocational training centres, or to seek A-level qualification.
The ISC Programme, established on-site at The Umoja Centre, provides consistent pastoral support, enhancing the likelihood of academic success and successful entry into the job market. The two-year intensive curriculum accelerates youth progress, enabling them to catch up with their more privileged peers and enter the job market at a young age.
At Umoja our youth are with us full time and receive academic counselling and support.
Outplacement Programme
After successfully completing the Foundation and ISC Programmes, we continue to support the youth through our Outplacement Programme. Depending on the students’ academic performance, skills, and career choice, we provide mentoring, support and scholarships to enrol in vocational training, college, or university.
From 2010 to 2023, 322 youth have graduated from college to university with 75% now in employment. In 2023, 86 youth were enrolled in different colleges, high school and universities in Tanzania and Kenya.
Umoja has established partnerships with a select number of educational institutions who offer the quality of education and pastoral care our youth need for continued growth and success.
We have an open-door policy for our youth to return to Umoja and encourage them to seek guidance and support or to use the IT lab and library. Throughout their studies our Outplacement Coordinator will make follow up with schools, colleagues, and university on the progress of our outplacement youth.
After successfully completing Outplacement training, we provide ongoing employability skills training and mentoring until they secure a job. This includes training in interview skills, CV writing, job search assistance, active listening, adaptability, leadership, interpersonal skills, presentation skills, time management, confidence, and creativity. These skills enable them to compete effectively in the job market. Our aim is to gradually transition our youth towards independence through the Outplacement Programme.
