The Rwanda Young Catholic Students is a Catholic action movement affiliated to the Pan African Young Catholic Students and the International Young Catholic Students (IYCS-JECI). Founded by Joseph CARDJIN in the years 1928-1930, JEC Rwanda is recognized by the Episcopal Conference as operational in Rwanda since 1978. As indicated by its motto: Formation, Transformation and Fidelity, the JECR is an Education and Training movement that awakens the consciousness of Students to address different challenges of their respective societies and the world. Through its practical See-Judge-Act methodology, the JEC invites its members to engage in positive solidarity actions for a more just, human and sustainable society.
JEC Rwanda is now operating in more than 102 secondary schools and Universities throughout the country with more than 6000 members. These are organized into grassroots groups with federal and diocesan coordination structures (in all 9 Catholic dioceses of Rwanda). Since arriving in Rwanda, JEC has been effective in the pastoral care of the student world.
Since 1978, the general assembly of JEC Rwanda has become a platform where the members of the general assembly of JEC Rwanda can contribute to discussions on what can help JEC Rwanda achieve its goals through their collective ideas, solutions and innovations.
JEC Rwanda actively involves in offering students and young people opportunity to identify and defend their rights as well as aid them in upholding Justice and integrate their Christian life in their social life. The Organization through her activities and partnership with others provides means of participation, expression and creation of space for communal interaction and participation.
JEC Rwanda is a movement of formation and education in and through action, which is concretized in the Review of Life Methodology: SEE-JUDGE-ACT. It’s a dialectical process sometimes called ACTION-REFLECTION-ACTION. Review of life begins with “SEE”, which involves appreciating the issues as they present themselves. The “JUDGE” attempts to help the student understand through her/his own experience God’s manifestation in reality, it helps him or her conceptualize the issue. ‘’ACT’’, what do we do about the issue? This forms the core of the methodology.
Specific objectives
- To expose students to a multi-dimensional understanding of the concepts of Faith, justice, conflict resolution and the Development
- To give students an opportunity to gather information on Rwandan cultural values directly from the field so that they can test their findings against popular/existing literature.
- To enable students appreciate the deep Rwanda heritage on issues of peace, justice, human rights and conflict resolution.
- To empower students to become agents of change.
- To create a platform where students will share, analyze the current situations in Rwanda in relation to the Development and come up with strategic plan and concrete action plans that youth can undertake to bring a good change.
