SHOUT Canada
Inspired by memory, committed to change.
Reflections on Rwanda
Reflections on Rwanda (RoR) is SHOUT Canada’s flagship program, bringing together Canadians and Rwandans for genocide education and remembrance.
PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
To participate in the program, applicants must fulfill the following criteria:
Please note that we will still consider applications from individuals who do not fall under one of these categories if a proper explanation is provided to the selection committee.
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Be enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program, or have completed a post-secondary degree in the past 5 years.
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Hold a current Canadian passport
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If not, you are responsible for obtaining all necessary documentation for travel to Rwanda.
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Sign an undertaking to abide by Shout's Charter of Values
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Sign a release of liability waiver prior to making their first deposit.
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Acquire travel insurance for the entire duration of the trip.
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Make themselves available for scheduled conference calls with program facilitators and all other participants prior to the program.
WHY REFLECTIONS ON RWANDA
In 1994, Rwanda saw more than 800,000 of its citizens killed in less than 100 days in one of the clearest cases of genocide of the twentieth century. Even twenty-four years after the genocide, Rwandans still remain dedicated to rebuilding not only their lives, but also the sense of morality that was lost in the country.
While much progress has been made in this small African Republic, the effects of the genocide persist for many. Whether contracting HIV as a consequence of rape or witnessing the death of family members and neighbours, for many Rwandans the impact of the genocide is still very much ongoing.
We believe that going to Rwanda is an invaluable experience for Canadian students and young professionals; they can witness not only the history of the genocide but also what is being done to rebuild the country. Indeed, there is much to be learned from this land and its resilient people.
SHOUT Canada is founded on the belief that as responsible citizens, it is our task to become witnesses to history so that the stories of survivors become our stories, with the ultimate goal of learning from our collective mistakes of the past.
It is our belief that a program such as this can, and will, inspire the type of citizenship and leadership that Canada needs in the twenty-first century.
In a time when historical revisionism and genocidal ideology still exist, even in Canada, and people continue to deny well-documented genocides, the need for Canadians to become first-hand witnesses to the impacts of genocide remains imperative.
HOW DO RWANDANS FEEL ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Rwandans have been very supportive. We have met with a cross-section of individuals from many different areas of the country and we were given the same positive responses. We specifically asked many survivors how they felt about this program, and we were told repeatedly that we were very welcome in Rwanda.
When we asked one survivor how she felt about Canadians going to Rwanda to visit relevant sites and learn about the country’s troubled past, she responded: “If you could bring every Canadian student, they would all be welcome.”
WHAT DO PARTICIPANTS DO ON THE TRIP
Participants on the RoR trip learn first-hand about the events and people of the 1994 genocide by visits to genocide memorials and sites, listening to survivors and rescuers and by attending meetings with change-makers in Rwanda, to name a few.
The program continues to evolve and change each year. A look at our past programs below will give you a sense of the activities participants engage in during the trip.
RoR 2023
Interested in joining the RoR 2023 Cohort? We are about to launch applications.
Subscribe below, and we will only let you know when you can apply. No other email or notification will be sent to you.
CHRONOLOGY - ALL TRIPS
RoR 2009
This was the year of the RoR Pilot Program. The in-country Program Organizer for the 2009 trip was Faustin Bismark Murangwa. The participants and program strategists were Candice Salmon, Sara Hylton, Raphael Shainfarber and Daniel Gahunde.
The group visited many historical and commemorative sites and met with several survivors, as well as officials from the National Commission for the Fight Against Genocide ("CNLG"), Association des Veuves du Genocide ("AVEGA"), IBUKA, and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda ("ICTR").
Following the program, the participants organized and launched the RoR Program nationwide for 2010.
RoR 2010
The in-country Program Organizers for the 2010 program were two of the co-founders, Raphael Shainfarber and Daniel Gahunde, as well as Faustin Bismark Murangwa. They were supported in Canada by the remaining two co-founders, Candice Salmon and Sara Hylton. There were 10 participants from across 6 Canadian provinces. Participant's backgrounds ranged from Political Science and International Development Studies to Law and Anthropology.
The group visited historical and commemorative sites and met with several survivors, as well as officials from the CNLG, AVEGA, the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission ("NURC"), the ICTR, and the Ministry of Defence.
Following the program, participants conducted the following genocide prevention activities:
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Shared their experiences in Rwanda through presentations to colleagues, schools, and university classes.
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Wrote an editorial in STAND Canada's newsletter:
RoR 2011 - Meeting with the President
The in-country Program Organizers for the 2011 program were Faustin Bismark Murangwa, Dane Degenstein (RoR Alum 2010), Christine Johnston (RoR Alum 2010) and Rachel Zacharias (RoR Alum 2010). They were supported in Canada by Raphael Shainfarber. There were 14 participants from across 4 Canadian provinces. Participant's backgrounds ranged from Political Science and International Development Studies to Law and Conflict Studies.
The group visited many historical and commemorative sites and met with several survivors, as well as officials from the CNLG, AVEGA, the NURC, the ICTR, the Gacaca Courts.
Most notably, the group met with President Paul Kagame at the Office of the President in the Cabinet Room on May 28, 2011. President Kagame was interviewed by Program Organizer Christine Johnston and the group appeared in The Sunday Times the following day: http://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/index.phpi=14640&a=9502
Following the program, participants conducted the following genocide prevention activities:
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Shared their experiences through presentations at middle schools and to university classmates.
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Began a micro-finance cooperative called Umuko between Canada and Rwanda: https://www.facebook.com/umuko
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Became active in commemorative events and activities with the Rwandan diaspora in Canada.
RoR 2012
The in-country Program Organizers for the 2012 program were Faustin Bismark Murangwa, Margot Bishop (RoR Alum 2011), Kurt Goddard (RoR Alum 2011), Audrey Madsen (RoR Alum 2010) and Rachel Zacharias (RoR Alum 2010). They were supported in Canada by Raphael Shainfarber. There were 16 participants from across 6 Canadian provinces. Participant's backgrounds ranged from Communications and Marketing to Law and History.
The group visited many historical and commemorative sites and met with several survivors, as well as officials from the CNLG, AVEGA, the NURC, and the Ministry of Defence.
Following the program, participants conducted the following genocide prevention activities:
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Wrote a Master's Thesis titled: “Reflections on a Tour of Rwanda”: https://www.uoguelph.ca/history/news/brad-crawford-his-research-rwanda
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Speaker at the Eleventh Conference of International Association of Genocide Scholars in Winnipeg with a speech titled: “Concentrate to Annihilate: Strategy, Massacre and Genocide in Rwanda”: https://winnipeg2014.genocidescholars.org
RoR 2013
The in-country Program Organizers for the 2013 program were Faustin Bismark Murangwa, Margot Bishop (RoR Alum 2011), Rebecca Butler (RoR Alum 2011) and Christine Johnston (RoR Alum 2010). They were supported in Canada by Rachel Zacharias (RoR Alum 2010) and Kurt Goddard (RoR Alum 2011). There were 11 participants from across 5 Canadian provinces. Participant backgrounds ranged from Political Science and International Development Studies to Law and Conflict Studies.
The group visited many historical and commemorative sites and met with several survivors, as well as officials from the CNLG, AVEGA, the NURC, the ICTR, the Ministry of Defence, the Gacaca Courts, the Rwandan Parliament, the Rwandan Senate, National University of Rwanda Students' Association, and the Rwandan Demobilization and Reintegration Commission ("RDRC").
Following the program, participants conducted the following genocide prevention activities:
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Shared their experiences in Rwanda through presentations to colleagues, schools, and university classes.
RoR 2014 - RESTRUCTURING
SHOUT Canada has been running the Reflections on Rwanda (RoR) Program in Rwanda and Canada since 2009. The decision was made by SHOUT Canada's Board of Directors to take the 2013-2014 program season to restructure, and thereby strengthen the RoR Program and SHOUT Canada going forward. Building on these achievements, we ran a successful trip in 2015.
RoR 2015
The 2015 Reflections on Rwanda (RoR) program took place from May 17-31, 2015. The in-country Program Organizers for the 2015 program were Faustin Bismark Murangwa, Margot Bishop (RoR Alum 2011), Christine Johnston (RoR Alum 2010), Aviva Silbert (RoR 2013 Alum), and Jessica Zeroual (RoR 2013 Alum). There were 11 participants from across 5 Canadian provinces. Participant backgrounds ranged from Journalism, Political Science and International Development Studies to Law and Conflict Studies.
The program included several new and exciting elements, including:
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Participation in a youth empowerment Mini Summit at the University of Rwanda
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Participation in a meeting with the Centre Africain d’Education à la Paix et à la démocratie from Goma, DRC
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Participation at the United Nations International Conference on the Protection of Civilians, and a meeting with Rwanda's Minister of Defence
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Participation at a cultural night called the Uburanga Arts Centre
RoR 2016 - RESTRUCTURING
As our Board of Directors grew and transitioned, we spent the 2016-2017 year reflecting on the future of the organization and developing institutional memory, with the goal of resuming the RoR program in Rwanda in the 2017-2018 season.
RoR 2018
The 2018 RoR program took place the first two weeks of June. The in-country Program Organizers were Steve Hayward, Nelie Uwineza, Gabriel Boisvert, and Austin once again. They were supported by Harpreet Ahuja, and Natricia Drummond, in Canada.
There were 7 participants from across 4 provinces. The disciplines of study ranged from law, to journalism, and to medicine.
We made an encounter that would follow us for the future years of the program: Rachel. She introduced us to UN Women, to Prof. Rainer from the University of Rwanda, and to Yannick Kamanzi, a young promising performance artist who will also stay with the program in the following years.
RoR 2019
The 2019 RoR program took place in the last two weeks of May. The in-country Program Organizers were Nelie Uwineza, Gabriel Boisvert, Carolina Arjona, and Faustin once again. They were supported by Colby Georgsen in Canada.
There were 9 participants from across 6 provinces. The disciplines of study ranged from law and journalism to conflict resolution.
RoR 2020
Yes, the year the pandemic hit! As you may have realized, it is quite hard to plan a group trip on another continent while applying necessary social distancing and avoiding non-essential travels.
We had to cancel the trip that was planned. However, we remained fully committed to find a way to make things happen while the world got through this period.
You might be interested in learning more about the level of precaution, responsibility and discipline Rwanda demonstrated in its effort against the pandemic! The country always shows resilience in the face of adversity.
RoR 2021
We made RoR work out during the pandemic! Themed “From Remembrance to Action”, this was in an online conference format, but still focused on encouraging reflection.
We were lucky to host as key speaker Honourable Prof. Irwin Cotler, former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, who initiated the first-ever prosecution of a Rwandan war criminal.
Our other guests were Yvette Rugasaguhunga, survivor and founder of the chapter of the largest Association of Genocide Survivors in Rwanda and Director of East and South Asia at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Rwanda, Providence Umurungi, survivor, who is today Principal State Attorney and Head of International Justice and Judicial Cooperation Department, and Yannick Kamanzi, a promising young Rwandan artist who has directed plays and travelled the world to show his Contemporary-Rwandan fusion dance.
Each guest brought an enriching perspective to a rich exchange of experience and understanding.
