DARKOM est un programme de résidence développé par Connect Institute. Il vise à accueillir, dans le magnifique cadre de son bâtiment situé sur les hauteurs d’Agadir, des personnes créatives et talentueuses, souhaitant vivre une exceptionnelle expérience d’immersion culturelle et d’échange avec la jeunesse marocaine.
Après avoir accueilli des résidents des USA, de Hongrie, de France, Darkom a accueilli cette année entre juin et septembre 2022 trois nouveaux stagiaires, Ismail, américain d’origine marocaine, Salia, ivoirien, et Brian, kenyan.
Ils partagent avec nous leurs témoignages sur l’expérience qu’ils ont vécue dans les écrits suivants :
Salia, 22 ans :
“My internship at Connect Institute has taught me a lot about youth, myself included, and I truly believe that we play are the future and the ones able to make changes, and transform, consciously or not, our reality wherever we are. At Connect, everybody learns, tries and makes new things. After a tour visit to the institute, I realized that Moroccans and Africans have huge talents but don’t always have the means and need help. That is exactly the goal of Connect institute, to support young people by involving them in various programs around lectures and cultures to open young people’s minds. I thank all the Connect Institute staff for their hospitality and returning to Morocco for a program with Connect Institute is something that I will consider.”
Ismael, 19 ans :
“I was accepted into Connect Institute to complete a 2-month general intern position from June to August. To say the experience was amazing would have been an understatement. The Connect Institute campus is located in a villa in the hills of Agadir. Since taxis don’t come up to the neighborhood where it is located if you want to go down to the more city part where stores and everything is you’ll have to walk a couple of minutes down the neighborhood, or you can use an app called inDriver which is very similar to Uber. The staff as a whole is extremely helpful and is excited to have you there. Even before you arrive the Intern Coordinator, Marya, is constantly in contact with you making sure that you are ready to come and that you have everything you need. The Connect Institute villa has private rooms for interns that are extremely clean and have private bathrooms and showers, and there is a shared kitchen downstairs where you can buy groceries and cook. In general, the Connect Institute Moroccan experience is fast-paced and requires someone that is driven. You can see this starting from the top with M. Taha Balafrej where you can see his passion and his drive whenever you talk to him and you see him interacting with the staff and participants. The staff is therefore not only inspired by him but also by their drive and passion for a better future, which trickles down to even the participants. Participants come to Connect because they want to, not because they have to, and because of this you can see how they are truly excited to be there and learn and be able to better themselves and their skills. While all the meetings are in a mixture of French and Darija I would say it’s definitely doable to speak English and still not only enjoy the experience, but also be enriched by the experience as all of the staff speaks English and a large majority of the participants speak English as well. While getting around Morocco without knowing French or Darija can be a little tough it’s not impossible as a lot of people do speak a little bit of English. This role demands someone who is a go-getter. When interning at Connect Institute you may feel like there is nothing to do which is almost never the case. You definitely have to take the initiative and work with the staff to fully experience Connect. Overall Connect Institute is an experience like none-other than I have experienced so far. It’s a fast paced environment that forces you to keep up and forces you to do things out of your comfort zone. If you are someone who finds themselves worried to get out of your comfort zone I would suggest you intern at Connect because it forces you in a supportive way to find things to do that you normally would never do.”
Brian, 23 ans :
“I think the best thing about interning in a different country is that you get to experience the culture of the people (from food, lifestyle, and even behaviors). Connect Institute gave me this chance while equipping me with the requisite skills in the areas of my interest. Being my first time working with an NGO, I am glad to know and experience life within the developing world and especially in education–an area I am passionate about. Given another opportunity, I will love to revisit the entire experience once again.”
