( ENSPIRE Feature ) Joseph Nyamwange is making a change with his foundation and The Nyamwange Leadership Academy
Joseph Nyamwange is truly the epitome of inspiration. The natural-born leader has wholeheartedly made it his life mission to give hope to the future as he continuously gives back to his community at large through the Nyamwange foundation. The New Jersey native was shown from an early age to be of service by Kenyan parents who instilled so many values in him since birth. As a kid, his parents made it their mission to give back to fellow Kenyan natives from their village back home and ultimately would open up their homes to them here in the states to help them pursue their goals and dreams for a brighter future.
His parents’ mission as working professionals made such a huge impact on him throughout his adolescence, that it was destined for him to follow in their footsteps in some way or fashion. Family first, education, community engagement, fellowship, and giving back were instilled in Joseph from an early age which obviously shaped him into the man he is today. Growing up watching his father give back as a philanthropist while being a professor was all he needed to see to truly inspire him to give back to the youth through education, financial literacy, health, and overall wellness.
Joseph’s passion for giving back to the youth as a whole sparked the idea to launch his own foundation in 2016. The Nyamwange Foundation was created so that he could ultimately make a larger impact without waiting on institutions to help him on his journey to changing the future of his community through education. Joseph’s belief is that Education is a key component to our children’s success. Therefore, part of his foundation’s initiative is to provide a scholarship for students who attend Jersey City, Baltimore, and Washington D.C. Public Schools and demonstrate a growth mindset. With limited resources, he had to start small. Still, within time he decided to develop a leadership academy where he put together a curriculum and program to teach kids to become leaders as well as offer them a scholarship. Through this ordeal, he realized that financial literacy was a key component that was lacking in the community, so of course he made it his mission to also teach them financial freedom and purpose. As Joseph and the foundation continued to pour into his students he decided that culturally these kids deserved to learn about their ancestry and roots which led to giving select students from the academy the chance to visit Africa and explore Kenya during their senior year of H.S.
In their first year of the academy, the students will meet and work with their local officials to learn about advocacy on the local level. In the second year, they will embark on a trip to D.C. to visit the National Museum of African American Culture, to ultimately learn how to be more of an advocate in the U.S. right here at home. Within the third year, the students put their focus into becoming global citizens so they can learn how to make an impact in the world as young adults. This all aligns with Joseph’s 10-year vision for his organization as he hopes to have over 1000 kids enrolled in his academy which will give 60 kids scholarships and 50 students the opportunity to attend their BirthRight Afrika Trip as a result of all their hard work and dedication over the years. Joseph and his wife have already committed to donating 100k to the programs but to help more youth it takes a village. This spring on June 6th he will be hosting a special Scholarship Gala in support of the foundation which is sure to be a success with the help of the community and more. Watch as Joseph sits down with Rhina Valentin to talk about his journey with the foundation and more below.
Keep up to date with the Nyamwange foundation more here and follow on social media @Jnyamwangem
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