Skills can be more than a pathway to employment. They can be sparks that help people see new possibilities in the work they are already doing–and unlock opportunities they may not have imagined. This year’s World Youth Skills Day theme, “Skills for a Shared Future,” underscored the transformative power of practical skills, particularly for young people seeking to build sustainable futures for themselves.
For 21 young entrepreneurs at Jesuit Urumuri Centre (JUC), the value of skills went beyond simply learning how to keep a business running. The three-month training gave them the knowledge and confidence to make informed decisions and look at their businesses from a new perspective. So, when they graduated on 3 August, they were not marking the beginning of their entrepreneurial journey, but celebrating another step towards making the businesses they had already built more resilient and ready to grow.
Their experience at JUC demonstrates how practical skills can empower young people to strengthen what they have already started and create stable sources of income.
The training in Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Self-Sustainability focused on practical knowledge that could help the young entrepreneurs manage and grow their existing businesses. They learned about self-discovery, innovation, business management, planning and ways of responding to the challenges that can make it difficult for a small business to survive the severe storms of the market.
The program encouraged them to believe in what they had already started while also recognizing the areas where they needed to improve. For JUC, the purpose was not simply to train young people to create businesses, but to help them strengthen the businesses they already have and make them reliable source of income and opportunity for others.
On behalf of her fellow graduates, Emeline Mukamugema, thanked the Centre and spoke about how the training helped them to think more seriously about entrepreneurship.
“We sincerely thank you for believing in us as young people and for giving us the opportunity to develop our talents and prepare ourselves to become firm entrepreneurs in the future.”
The graduates will now move into a six-month incubation phase. During this period, they will receive start-up capital, mentorship and connections to financial institutions as they work to strengthen their businesses. This support is crucial because skills alone do not always solve the challenges faced by young entrepreneurs, particularly when access to finance and guidance remains limited. Bringing these different forms of support together gives the graduates a chance of stabilizing their existing businesses.
The graduation also marked an important moment for JUC itself, as the Centre presented its Strategic Plan for 2026–2031. The timing gave the ceremony an added sense of transition, with the young entrepreneurs preparing for their next stage while the Centre was also looking ahead to its own future.
In his remarks, Fr. Patrice Ndayisenga, SJ, the Executive Director of JUC reflected on this connection, describing the moment as a kind of graduation for JUC as well.
“In short, while we are celebrating you today as you graduate, we too are, in a sense, graduating. This graduation coincides with the completion of our strategic plan, which began in 2019 and ended in 2024”.
Fr. Patrice elaborated on justice not merely as a concern for judges, but as an essential commitment of the Kingdom of God–a Kingdom rooted in justice for those who have been forgotten or left behind because of their circumstances or lack of opportunity. For JUC, supporting young entrepreneurs is therefore part of a broader effort to address these injustices and create opportunities for those who need them most.
“These circumstances can prevent some people from finding employment at the right time, creating situations of injustice that may be natural or organizational. Addressing these challenges and responding to such forms of injustice is precisely what Jesuit Urumuri Centre seeks to do,” said Fr. Patrice Ndayisenga, SJ, as he presented our Strategic Plan.
The graduates were challenged to remember that the opportunities they have received also come with responsibility. “I would like to ask this of you: let us not waste the opportunities we have been given. Instead, let us use them to help others, become catalysts for development, and make a meaningful difference,” Domina Ntakabanoza, the Chairperson of Joint Action Development Forum (JADF) of Gasabo District said, encouraging them to use what they have learned to help others. Her words are particularly relevant as the graduates move into the incubation phase, where the success of the training will be observed in what they do.
Fr. Fabien Gasigwa, SJ, Provincial of the Rwanda-Burundi Jesuit Province, captured the spirit of the work in simple yet encouraging words as he closed the ceremony:
“You do many wonderful things, but what I appreciate most is that you do them with love.”
This program reflects one of JUC’s long-term commitments: creating opportunities for young people, which is in line with one of the Universal Apostolic Preferences of the Society of Jesus, “Journeying with Youth.” As the graduates enter the incubation phase, their success will be measured not only by the success of their businesses, but also by the ways in which those businesses contribute to their communities.
