MindLeaps’ strategically designed dance curriculum develops seven key cognitive and non-cognitive skills to help students gain confidence and succeed in formal education. Students’ individual progress throughout the program is monitored and facilitated via Tracker, MindLeaps’ mobile application and software system created in collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University and Drexel University. Tracker, which works offline and is accessed by android tablet, evaluates cognitive and social-emotional skills in real-time, allowing staff to personalize each child’s education to maximize growth. 94 dance trainers use Tracker to advance over 3,000 children in MindLeaps’ programs. During the COVID-19 shutdowns, MindLeaps dance trainers are receiving advanced training of five skill areas through the Virtual Academy – business entrepreneurship, communication, project management & budgeting, inclusion, and child development – to further their skills and careers. MindLeaps requires android tablets for each of its current 94 trainers as well as each new trainer in our growing programs for Tracker and the Virtual Academy.

MindLeaps runs an IT program for vulnerable children in Rwanda. The program helps children who have rarely (if ever) attended school and may not even be literate. Over time, their interest in manipulating the machines and accessing information through the Internet inspires a great will to learn about technology and multiple other areas. We are looking for laptop donations to serve 120 students in Rwanda. We are also looking for laptop donations to replicate this program for 60 students in Guinea.

With MindLeaps’ unique methodology as a dance program, music plays an instrumental role in the program’s structure. In order to expand our programs to reach more children, MindLeaps requires reliable equipment that can be used for our programming for years to come. Speakers, in particular, are required in large quantities. MindLeaps requires portable, bluetooth, loud, audio speakers that can be used in a variety of indoor and outdoor dance locations. Each new speaker would enable us to serve another 100 students.

MindLeaps is in the process of negotiating a MOU with the Government of Rwanda through the Ministry of Youth & ICT. As part of this exchange, we are looking to bring developers, designers and IT experts to Rwanda to carry out two roles: train our Rwandan IT teachers to a higher degree, and train engineers working for the Government of Rwanda to a higher level. We are looking for professional volunteers who would be willing to travel to Rwanda for a minimum of two weeks to lead these training workshops. The exact content would be determined based on the volunteer’s area of expertise and time commitment. MindLeaps would work to cover part of the volunteer’s costs, but the ideal scenario would be to have corporate sponsorship of the professional volunteer.