December 16th December, 2024
Green Horizon Ventures is empowering Rwandan youth to participate in the Students Rebuild Spark Peace Project and resourcing youth groups and local school systems in Kigali and beyond
KIGALI, RWANDA – Creative Visions has chosen Green Horizon Ventures to receive a grant to support the expansion of their peacebuilding initiatives as a part of the Students Rebuild Spark Peace Project—a global movement that invites young people everywhere to use their power and creativity to build a more peaceful world.
Students Rebuild engages young people to explore peace within themselves, with others, and around the world, then express their vision through the creative medium of their choice: literary, performing, and visual arts, music, film, or even cutting-edge STEM projects. Each act of creativity or student engaged sparks a $5 donation from Creative Visions—with support from the Bezos Family Foundation—for the seven global peacebuilding organizations, up to $1 million.
“When we look at the world today, it can be easy to feel hopeless, but young people show us, time and again, not to give up,” said Students Rebuild Lead Sarah Fanslau. “Through creativity, young people from LA to Lahore can use their voices to bring peace to themselves, others, and their communities.”
While young creative changemakers are empowered to express their ideas of peace through this program, impact partners like Green Horizon Ventures are on the ground in real time, actively building peace and engaging underrepresented youth.
Rwanda-based Green Horizon Ventures is a forward-thinking social enterprise focused on creating sustainable solutions to global challenges, enhancing community well-being, and promoting environmental health.
The Spark Peace Project grant from Creative Visions will support Green Horizon Ventures in hosting a series of impactful initiatives designed to support and empower Rwandan youth in exploring and engaging in creative expression.
Each initiative parallels the three Spark Peace Project themes young people are invited to explore. The first will focus on empowering young Rwandans to participate in the Spark Peace Project, teaching them to explore inner peace and translate their ideas into creative projects. The second will involve collaboration with groups already working with young people to bring resources and support to youth-led organizations and to foster peace with others. The final initiative will integrate youth-driven work into the local school systems, creating a network of school-led youth programs that promote talent development and the sharing of resources within Kigali and beyond.
‘We are delighted to have partnered with the incredible team at Creative Visions to bring positive impact and youth development to Rwandans,” said Green Horizon Ventures Partnerships Lead Bruno Bugingo. “Through building our business in the country, we have seen how such interventions in the creative and education sectors can support young people to develop their skills, and confidence and contribute to good citizenship in their communities. The theme of this year’s campaign is Spark Peace and Rwanda perfectly exemplifies how peace can be built. The best way to spread these activities is by starting with young people and working across communities. Our team will be working hard with schools, NGOs, youth centers, and the creative sectors to bring the Students Rebuild program to life and we can’t wait to get started,”
Green Horizon Ventures joins six other global organizations including Ceeds of Peace, 100cameras, CARE, Choose Love, Kids for Peace, and MUSÉ to receive grants through the Spark Peace Project. This year, youth participants will also have the opportunity at the end of the school year to vote and decide which of these organizations will receive an additional $50,000 to further their peace work.
To learn more or sign up for the Spark Peace Project, visit www.studentsrebuild.org/spark-peace.
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About Students Rebuild
Students Rebuild is a Creative Visions program. Created in January 2010 by the Bezos Family Foundation in response to the devastating Haiti earthquake, Students Rebuild has mobilized more than 1.3 million participants in 102 countries and all 50 states, and raised more than $12.5 million in matching funds. Annual Project funds have worked towards rebuilding schools in Haiti, bringing awareness to humanitarian crises in Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, helping Syrian youth from conflict areas recover from crisis, and supporting empowerment opportunities for youth affected by hunger and food insecurity. Find more at www.studentsrebuild.org and @StudentsRebuild.
About Creative Visions
Creative Visions empowers artists, filmmakers, musicians and other impact media makers to raise awareness of critical issues and drive positive change through storytelling – one of our most powerful tools for creating a more just, caring and sustainable world. A nonprofit organization and United Nations NGO, Creative Visions’ Impact Education programs support youth, educators and changemakers to understand how to use media, arts and technology to take creative action about the things they care about. For more information: www.creativevisions.org.
About Green Horizon Ventures
Green Horizon Ventures is a social enterprise that aims to implement sustainable projects that solve existing problems and sustainably benefit communities. The entire team works as a cross-cutting consultancy bringing to life projects in the social development space. Previously the company has worked on corporate social responsibility efforts for global brands such as Nando’s and FedEx Express, with a clear focus on fostering entrepreneurship and enabling companies to become good corporate citizens. Notably, it incubated the BetProtect app – a therapy app developed in conjunction with Entain plc, the world’s largest betting and gaming brand, to combat gambling addiction and provide real-time digital therapy to individuals. The app was sold back to the gambling industry in 2021. The company holds the Outstanding Impact Award from the Global Entrepreneurship Network, of which it is also a member.