Ìwẹrẹ Academy is the Heritage-pillar learning school of INC-USA — a 12-week cohort program in Language, Heritage, and Skills, taught by elders, linguists, and mentor professionals from across our 8 chartered regions. Free for members. Sponsorships available for any family who asks.
Ìwẹrẹ Academy is INC-USA’s planned learning school for the Heritage pillar — designed to teach Itsekiri language, heritage, and skills across the diaspora. We’re drafting the curriculum, identifying instructors, and forming the first cohort. The program will sit alongside Telehealth and Economic Empowerment as one of our three pillars when it launches.
We built the Academy because the arithmetic is stark: our mother tongue is classified by UNESCO as vulnerable, a majority of diaspora children have never held a conversation in Ìwẹrẹ, and for every year a language is not taught, another decade of memory is harder to recover. We took that seriously. Language first. Heritage next. Skills so the next generation can carry both.
Every scholar is placed in a regional cohort. Every cohort is led by an instructor and seconded by an elder from a member family. Every term ends with a ceremony where a child speaks — in Ìwẹrẹ — to a grandparent. We measure ourselves by that one sentence.
Speak, read, and write Ìwẹrẹ with confidence. Live sessions with linguists and elders, workbook drills, and a final recitation in front of family.
History, geography, and tradition of the Itsekiri people. Warri Kingdom from Ginuwa to Atuwatse II, festivals, regalia, music, and the ceremonies that bind us.
Professional development for Itsekiri families. Mentorship cohorts, scholarship prep, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and diaspora-to-homeland career pathways.
0 scholars currently enrolled · last cohort rated — / 5 by families.
0 scholars currently enrolled · last cohort rated — / 5 by families.
0 scholars currently enrolled · last cohort rated — / 5 by families.
0 scholars currently enrolled · last cohort rated — / 5 by families.
0 scholars currently enrolled · last cohort rated — / 5 by families.
0 scholars currently enrolled · last cohort rated — / 5 by families.
Apply in two minutes. A 5-minute placement test puts you in the right level — free for members, sponsorship available for every family who asks.
Every scholar is placed in a regional cohort of 24–32 peers. You learn together, hold each other accountable, and graduate together.
Two 90-minute live sessions per week with your instructor and elders, plus async drills in between. Attend from anywhere in our nine regions.
Finish with a live performance for your family. Earn a certificate. The strongest graduates return to mentor the next cohort.
We publish where every dollar goes. 92¢ of each gift reaches the classroom; the rest funds the audit, platform, and translator support our scholars need to succeed. Pick a tier — or give any amount through our main donate page.
Sponsors one scholar through a 12-week language cohort — tuition, workbook, and ceremony.
Sponsors two scholars plus a region mentor stipend for the full season.
Sponsors five scholars across three regions, with a family recognition entry in the program.
Underwrites a full cohort of 16 scholars plus an elder-led masterclass of your choice.
Free for members. Sponsorship available for any family who asks. Placement test takes five minutes. A cohort teacher will be in touch within two business days.