*This photo is a digital rendering. It is not true to the identity of the founders.
The Crucible was founded by a team of four African women: RA, MM, WN and JS, all professionals and experts in their various fields. They first purposed to provide mentorship to young gen Z activists in Kenya who were facing violent backlash for standing up against a rogue government.
Care
The spirit of motherhood, mentorship and scholarship expanded naturally to offering specialized training. The Crucible Institute was born. The founders were not going to let these young warriors get disappeared into irrelevance. Their brave stand-up had gathered admiration across the globe. They were not going to become a mere moment in forgotten histories.
Mind
The idea that young people are powerful enough to take down a rogue government if they purposed to do so was immediately countered by the question of their mental and intellectual preparedness. Would they be ready to take the reigns of political power in a country that is already theirs to lead? The Crucible founders determined to give them the intellectual tools they would need to be ready. This scenario has been true across several African countries where the youth have been rising up against rogue regimes. As a necessity, a Pan-Africanist approach has became imperative to the Crucible coursework.
Space
The Crucible founders set up to provide the space, guidance and partnerships needed for rigorous and competent intellectual inquiry. The idea is to grow young revolutionary minds, bring some balance into their emotional health and provide skills in physical safety against regimes bent on crushing their power. What was envisioned was a space that would fire up a select group of young minds in the same manner as a crucible is used for crushing and melting the right ingredients in to medicine.
A central component to the Crucible’s goal is setting up coursework that covers important areas of study for select change makers, and provide space for the public to engage in the arts and public inquiry towards revolutionary change.
